WEBVTT

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In 2015…

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I traveled to Seville

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and I met Manuel Blanco Vela.

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One day…

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I got an email

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that said, "Terrible news

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about a CIEE program participant."

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"Dear students,
I am very sorry to be writing this email

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with the terrible news
of an unfortunate accident

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occurring to Pennsylvania State University
student Lauren Bajorek,

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as a result of which…

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she died."

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A friend of mine wrote back.
She replied to the email and said,

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"Are we in danger?"

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Then we found out that…
she had fallen from Manuel's apartment.

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I remember the Megyn Kelly
episode coming out that morning.

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People and locals in Sevilla
started reaching out to me.

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Like expats, people who had competitor
companies. I don't give a shit who it was.

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All these whispers started coming out.

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They would tell me
about the bars he would go to…

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that he would go to intercambios
with the kids,

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that he would always
hang out with younger girls,

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always American girls, to which
restaurants he would take them to.

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They started giving me information.

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Random people would give me information.

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They called me "Iberian meat."

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During this time,
it was just on Facebook still.

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I was just posting every single…

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I mean, I would literally go to bed…

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on my email, wake up, email, Facebook,
talk to people, all day. All day.

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I wasn't sleeping.

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I was just on my phone,
nonstop, talking to people.

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Trying to figure out
what the fuck was going on.

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I sent a friend request to Gabrielle Vega.

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Gabrielle was talking
about Discover Excursions

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and was telling a story

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that was very similar
to the story I remembered.

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When we got to Seville,

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each group had
an assigned "culture guide."

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My culture guide

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took us straight
to a travel agency office.

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This agency was called
"Discover Excursions."

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Welcome.

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Here we are
at the Discover Sevilla office.

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We're open Monday through Friday,
10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. No siestas for us.

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Come by any time you'd like.
Let's check it out right now.

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Bro.

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Their office
had lots of flags from our universities.

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The flag from my university,
Penn State, was there.

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And behind a desk

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was Manuel White.

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At the time,
I thought he was about 40 years old.

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He had dark hair and a super white smile.

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He asked me where I went to school.

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And I said, "I'm studying at Penn State."

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And he said, "Oh, how exciting,

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because I love Penn State girls."

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"They're fun and know how to party."

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I remember
that at that moment, I felt like,

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"What a weird thing to say."
Because in my mind, he was like a teacher.

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I thought, "Oh, okay,
Discover Excursions and Manuel White

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are associated with the university,

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and this is where we go
if we want to make another trip."

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Well, I never would have imagined
what was really going on.

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Manuel says,
"We do trips to Lagos and Morocco."

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"We do everything for you."

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"And we also have an activity
every night."

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He used to throw parties at the office.

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Very informal.

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Manu would host free sangria nights

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for the study abroad students…

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…where the office was open

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and we would just go and drink
as much sangria as we wanted.

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It seemed like he was creating
friendships with everyone.

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I spent many nights there.

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Manuel Blanco is very knowledgeable

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about Seville's nightlife,

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or at least the student area.

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Alfalfa, Cuesta del Rosario,

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Betis Street, Alameda de Hércules.

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He went to those places
with the American students.

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On the travel agency's own blog,
he even had…

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a schedule of nights out in Seville

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that not even the most hard-partying body
could handle, because it was every day.

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Monday on Betis Street.

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Tuesday in Alfalfa.

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I want one too.

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-Wednesday, soccer.
-Seville!

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And Thursday at the Buddha nightclub.

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I felt like I had an "in." I thought,
"I can go to Buddha. I don't need to pay."

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A lot of girls would always repeat
this same schedule every week,

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because if you didn't have
anything else to do, you had this plan.

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Whenever there was
an event at a bar or a discoteca

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that was geared towards
study abroad students, he was there.

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Manu was like a man-about-town.

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He was handsome. He knew everyone.

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And every bar we walked into,
every restaurant we walked into,

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he would clap the bartender on the back.

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It was very clear that he knew everyone
that we were interacting with.

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Hey!

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I don't remember
if he used Manuel White or Manuel Blanco.

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I think he put it in English,
but I don't really know why.

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I just remember
at some point in the welcome party,

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meeting him with some of my friends.

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He just was, like,

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fairly charismatic, talkative.

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Kind of a playful sort of personality.

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Manuel Blanco came to introduce himself

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as the Prince of Seville.

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That hints
at what his personality was like,

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or what he is like.

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He had a lot of power and connections.

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But I also felt something else.
Like this man doesn't have a soul.

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His vibe was a little off.

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He also organized
various activities, like travel raffles.

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Manuel was giving away
trips at the raffle party.

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They handed out pieces of paper.

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And I got mine, without thinking,

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because I hadn't bought a raffle ticket
or anything like that.

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And like a few minutes later,
about an hour later or so,

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someone came, looked at my ticket number
and said, "You won!"

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And I was like, "Well, what did I win?"

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And they told me,
"You won a free trip to Lagos, Portugal."

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It was always
the really pretty girls who won.

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A guy never won.

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And my parents told me
they didn't think it was a good idea.

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Finding these women
changed my fucking brain chemistry.

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I felt a lot of responsibility for them.

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And I felt a lot of,

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"Don't worry about it.
Thank you for telling me."

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Like, "I'm going to figure this out.
And just stay with me."

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I just started building an investigation.

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I was an art student.
I didn't know anything.

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And so my dad
created this Excel sheet for me.

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Added the dates.

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How many were inappropriately touched?
How many did he try to kiss?

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How many did he try
to corner in a bathroom?

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How many did he rape?

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All the different things
I started to try to get organized.

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I was the administrator.

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The public kind of outreach.

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Organizing everything.

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I refused to let anyone help me.

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Because I felt like that would be
a breach of their trust.

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So then I just had
to work on all of it by myself.

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It was very taxing for Gabrielle.

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She would say,
at least three or four times a week

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for months and months,
"I have to get on a call with somebody."

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And she would go in the room,
close the door,

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and come back out and she would say,

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"He raped that girl."
Or, "He, you know, tried to rape her."

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Or, "He did this to her, that to her."
It was like, you know…

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But always the same scenario.

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I don't think I was the first.

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I don't know that for sure.
But the system was already in place.

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I think that he had been doing this
for a long time before I got there.

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I think it was about the last week
that I was in Spain

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that he started texting me.

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And they were very flirtatious.

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Um, I mean, pretty direct

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"let's get together" texts.

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As far as I was concerned,
this was a friend.

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Manuel texted me,
either on Facebook or WhatsApp,

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and had basically said, like,

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we could meet him and have
some free drinks or have a night out.

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And then me and my female roommate
and our other friend,

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we met Manuel.

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It was really dead outside.

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We were walking along the river,

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kind of on the main Sevilla side
towards the Torre de Oro.

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It was pretty dark.

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And this man on a motorcycle
cuts in front of us.

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And he's in all black. Black helmet.

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He kept walking to us with his helmet on.

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And he takes his helmet off,
and he's like…

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"Girls, it's Manu. I'm joking."

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And we were,
"Oh my God, Manu, you scared us."

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And he was, "Why don't you come
and have a drink with me at the Phoenix?"

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And so we were there,
and we had a few shots of tequila,

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but they were baby shots, so it was fine.

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He was flirting with my friend,

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and I was kind of
trying to be a good wingwoman.

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He was like,
"Let's go back to my apartment."

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"We can play guitar
and hang out for a bit."

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And I was like,
"All right, when in Spain."

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I was nervous to meet him alone.

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So I brought my best friend with me,

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and he picked us up on his Vespa.

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And he drove us to his apartment.

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At some point, he invited me
and my friends back to his apartment.

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And then, yeah,
that's where things get really blurry

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and where I have
a lot of trouble remembering.

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From what I can remember,
when you get into Manu's apartment,

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you walk in, and there might have been
a little living room to the left.

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There was a balcony.
So, like, sliding glass doors.

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He opened two Coronas.

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And he had us sit on his bed with him.

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He and my friend were sitting together,

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and so we, um…

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He was playing guitar with this friend,
and I was just sitting there.

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He clearly wasn't interested in me,
which was fine.

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I know for the majority,
it was only the three of us girls

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and Manuel at his apartment.

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My tooth!

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I remember…

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my roommate at the time,
she was getting sick.

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I think at a certain point,

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Manuel got a taxi
for my sick roommate to go home,

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but I don't remember too much.

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And he was like, "Let's play a game."

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He was getting very touchy.
I remember his hand on my thigh.

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And he was encouraging, I can't remember
whether it was directly or not,

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to have a threesome.

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I didn't feel comfortable.
Like, I wasn't… I didn't really feel safe.

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I just remember feeling really heavy.

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Like, I couldn't really move
with much confidence.

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And kind of just fell into his bed
and fell asleep.

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I just remember little pieces.

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I remember, like, a door slamming.
And I remember…

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my other friend and Manuel kissing.

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And I think I remember Manuel kissing me,
but I don't remember, like…

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the sequence of events, really.

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It's just, like,
little flashes and little moments.

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And I wake up to Manu saying,

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"Your friend's left.
Can you give me a hand job?"

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We finished our beers,

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and I was like, "I think we have to go."

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And he was like, "No, no, no.
Just stay for one more drink."

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I gave him a hand job
with my arm behind my back.

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Not even looking at him.

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I just kind of felt, like,
let's get through this.

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Like, I just need to have this happen,
and then this will be over.

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And I remember
him trying to block the door.

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And then he said, "Are you going
to leave me with blue balls?"

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Thank God,

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I don't know how my phone ended up
in bed with us, or how I heard it.

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But I heard my phone, and I picked it up.

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He moved enough for us
to get out of the apartment.

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And I just remember
I felt like I flew down the stairs.

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My friend was like, "Where are you?"

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And I couldn't form words.

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I gave the phone to Manu,
and he was like, "Oh, she's fine."

00:20:59.480 --> 00:21:03.520 align:center
And thankfully, my friend was like,
"No, I'm coming to get her."

00:21:03.600 --> 00:21:05.240 align:center
"Text me your address."

00:21:06.440 --> 00:21:08.960 align:center
I remember afterwards, walking home,

00:21:09.040 --> 00:21:13.600 align:center
trying to find something familiar,
and just being like, "That was weird."

00:21:14.399 --> 00:21:18.520 align:center
"But I guess it's a Spanish man thing."

00:21:19.919 --> 00:21:22.000 align:center
I just literally left the house.

00:21:24.600 --> 00:21:28.040 align:center
And my friend
brings me back to my apartment.

00:21:29.040 --> 00:21:31.640 align:center
I knew I was safe,
and I was like, "I can go to bed."

00:21:31.720 --> 00:21:33.919 align:center
And slept the rest of the day.

00:21:50.840 --> 00:21:52.399 align:center
When I woke up,

00:21:53.000 --> 00:21:54.520 align:center
no one else was there.

00:21:54.600 --> 00:21:56.960 align:center
I was completely alone with Manuel.

00:21:57.040 --> 00:22:01.480 align:center
And I was completely naked
in the bed next to Manuel.

00:22:02.360 --> 00:22:05.120 align:center
And Manuel was also
naked in bed next to me.

00:22:05.640 --> 00:22:08.880 align:center
I just remember spiraling,

00:22:08.960 --> 00:22:13.960 align:center
because I didn't have any memory
of taking off my clothes

00:22:14.040 --> 00:22:17.280 align:center
or of him taking them off.

00:22:17.360 --> 00:22:21.159 align:center
And I just remember being frozen.

00:22:21.240 --> 00:22:26.200 align:center
And, like,
"What the hell happened?" Basically.

00:22:28.520 --> 00:22:33.280 align:center
My whole body felt heavy,
and I couldn't move.

00:22:33.360 --> 00:22:34.880 align:center
And then…

00:22:34.960 --> 00:22:39.760 align:center
Manuel rolling over and assaulting me.

00:22:39.840 --> 00:22:42.720 align:center
And I remember that…

00:22:42.800 --> 00:22:43.919 align:center
really clearly.

00:22:44.000 --> 00:22:46.000 align:center
Just laying there

00:22:46.080 --> 00:22:51.200 align:center
and not being able
to really move or get him off.

00:22:51.280 --> 00:22:52.280 align:center
And then…

00:22:52.960 --> 00:22:56.520 align:center
It was just him doing whatever he wanted.

00:23:09.000 --> 00:23:12.760 align:center
I remember just not knowing what to do.

00:23:12.840 --> 00:23:17.480 align:center
And so I got dressed really quickly.

00:23:18.439 --> 00:23:21.880 align:center
And then I just went downstairs and…

00:23:21.960 --> 00:23:25.360 align:center
went back to the residencia.

00:23:30.399 --> 00:23:35.120 align:center
I never talked about it with anyone,

00:23:35.200 --> 00:23:39.280 align:center
except the two girls that were implicated.

00:23:39.360 --> 00:23:40.320 align:center
And also…

00:23:41.240 --> 00:23:44.520 align:center
I just felt, I think, so…

00:23:45.200 --> 00:23:50.720 align:center
nervous and ashamed
and helpless at that point in time.

00:24:11.200 --> 00:24:12.280 align:center
Um…

00:24:13.679 --> 00:24:17.919 align:center
Yeah, there was definitely
a pattern that was established.

00:24:19.320 --> 00:24:22.320 align:center
Young women who are very vulnerable,

00:24:22.399 --> 00:24:24.919 align:center
in a place
where they don't speak the language,

00:24:25.000 --> 00:24:27.320 align:center
in a place
where they need someone to trust,

00:24:27.399 --> 00:24:30.000 align:center
they need someone to kind of guide them.

00:24:30.840 --> 00:24:34.360 align:center
I started to realize
that it wasn't just rape. It was…

00:24:35.320 --> 00:24:39.080 align:center
Anything this fucker
could get from these girls, he did.

00:24:39.960 --> 00:24:44.080 align:center
It was expanding and expanding.
The story just kept getting bigger.

00:24:47.600 --> 00:24:50.520 align:center
And I remember
I got a direct message on Facebook.

00:24:52.720 --> 00:24:55.040 align:center
And the second Carey came into the picture

00:24:56.800 --> 00:24:58.880 align:center
and told me about Lauren,

00:25:00.480 --> 00:25:05.600 align:center
it was one of those moments
where I had no idea

00:25:05.679 --> 00:25:07.560 align:center
what I was involved in.

00:25:07.640 --> 00:25:10.560 align:center
I mean, at the time,
I didn't know what happened.

00:25:10.640 --> 00:25:12.040 align:center
All I heard was…

00:25:15.040 --> 00:25:16.840 align:center
"He killed my daughter."

00:25:18.240 --> 00:25:19.720 align:center
It's terrifying.

00:25:38.360 --> 00:25:42.760 align:center
I was in my mom's apartment when…

00:25:44.480 --> 00:25:47.480 align:center
I would get a message from Carey Bajorek.

00:25:47.560 --> 00:25:52.320 align:center
"Sarah, it's Lauren Bajorek's mother.
There's been a tragedy with Lauren."

00:25:52.399 --> 00:25:55.760 align:center
"If you have a chance, please call me."

00:26:00.159 --> 00:26:04.040 align:center
I can't remember exactly what she told me,
but it was, whatever, the basics.

00:26:04.120 --> 00:26:09.520 align:center
She had fallen
from a man's apartment balcony.

00:26:12.199 --> 00:26:16.280 align:center
That she had fallen and that she had died.

00:26:18.080 --> 00:26:20.720 align:center
I was the person that she knew

00:26:20.800 --> 00:26:24.880 align:center
because Lauren and I coordinated
our trip to Spain for the summer.

00:26:25.880 --> 00:26:29.439 align:center
And we went on the trip
to Lagos, Portugal,

00:26:30.399 --> 00:26:32.679 align:center
with Discover Excursions.

00:26:33.600 --> 00:26:37.360 align:center
I remember that I arrived
on the trip that I had won…

00:26:41.159 --> 00:26:44.000 align:center
to Portugal, to Lagos,

00:26:44.080 --> 00:26:47.600 align:center
and Lauren Bajorek was there.

00:26:49.720 --> 00:26:52.159 align:center
And that was
one of the last days of her life.

00:26:53.760 --> 00:26:55.840 align:center
Lauren was my best friend, so…

00:26:56.640 --> 00:26:57.880 align:center
Sorry.

00:27:01.159 --> 00:27:03.480 align:center
That, like, she…

00:27:04.720 --> 00:27:07.720 align:center
Lauren's mom, Carey,
was so important to her.

00:27:07.800 --> 00:27:11.679 align:center
So I had to, sorry, help out. And…

00:27:13.120 --> 00:27:16.000 align:center
I wasn't there,
but I was still in a position

00:27:16.080 --> 00:27:18.199 align:center
to connect her with a lawyer.

00:27:18.280 --> 00:27:21.120 align:center
I talked to my host family
immediately after as well,

00:27:21.199 --> 00:27:24.640 align:center
asking them if they knew someone
or recommended someone

00:27:24.720 --> 00:27:27.439 align:center
that can bring some light onto this.

00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:33.840 align:center
Carey Bajorek is Lauren Bajorek's mother.

00:27:33.919 --> 00:27:36.280 align:center
She contacted me as her lawyer

00:27:36.360 --> 00:27:39.720 align:center
in a terrible state of mind.

00:27:41.399 --> 00:27:44.360 align:center
One of absolute disorientation
and absolute desperation.

00:27:44.439 --> 00:27:47.120 align:center
All this, moreover,
from thousands of kilometers away.

00:27:48.919 --> 00:27:50.760 align:center
Her daughter was an only child.

00:27:51.439 --> 00:27:52.919 align:center
She was 21 years old.

00:27:53.000 --> 00:27:56.040 align:center
And she sent her to Spain
with all the enthusiasm parents have

00:27:56.120 --> 00:27:59.919 align:center
when they send a child abroad
to learn, in this case, a language.

00:28:00.960 --> 00:28:02.600 align:center
A few weeks later,

00:28:02.679 --> 00:28:06.840 align:center
they call her to say her daughter has died
after jumping from the 10th floor.

00:28:09.960 --> 00:28:11.560 align:center
And without further explanation,

00:28:11.640 --> 00:28:14.080 align:center
they give her the option
to repatriate her body,

00:28:14.159 --> 00:28:15.800 align:center
and that's the end of the story.

00:28:17.760 --> 00:28:20.800 align:center
That's when she asked us
to try to determine

00:28:20.880 --> 00:28:24.240 align:center
the circumstances
surrounding her daughter's death.

00:28:24.320 --> 00:28:28.000 align:center
Beyond the obvious conclusions
of the autopsy,

00:28:28.080 --> 00:28:30.360 align:center
which was death due to multiple trauma.

00:28:32.800 --> 00:28:37.800 align:center
Gabrielle Vega reports her rape
by a Sevillian tour guide and businessman.

00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:40.320 align:center
And it turns out that in 2015,
two years earlier,

00:28:40.399 --> 00:28:43.199 align:center
another young American woman had died

00:28:43.280 --> 00:28:46.600 align:center
at the home of the same guide
who had been reported.

00:28:46.679 --> 00:28:49.800 align:center
Well, it's not a coincidence.

00:28:51.879 --> 00:28:54.800 align:center
The police conducted an analysis

00:28:54.879 --> 00:29:00.639 align:center
to determine whether
there were any prints on the terrace wall.

00:29:02.520 --> 00:29:05.360 align:center
It was very small,
only 80 centimeters high,

00:29:05.439 --> 00:29:07.800 align:center
which is
extremely dangerous on a 10th floor.

00:29:07.879 --> 00:29:11.280 align:center
At that height, when you get close,
it only comes up to your knees.

00:29:11.360 --> 00:29:14.040 align:center
If you lean forward even slightly,
you fall.

00:29:14.120 --> 00:29:17.959 align:center
And the wall obviously had
a metal-and-wood barrier

00:29:18.040 --> 00:29:21.120 align:center
running along the entire penthouse,
except at one end

00:29:21.199 --> 00:29:24.080 align:center
where the barrier had been removed.

00:29:26.280 --> 00:29:31.800 align:center
That part was at the end of the penthouse,
where there was a Jacuzzi without water.

00:29:31.879 --> 00:29:33.199 align:center
And the police ruled out…

00:29:33.280 --> 00:29:36.879 align:center
Rather, no prints were found there,
which led police to rule out

00:29:36.959 --> 00:29:40.439 align:center
that Lauren Bajorek
had been sitting on the wall,

00:29:40.520 --> 00:29:43.959 align:center
since there were no footprints
or handprints.

00:29:44.040 --> 00:29:49.120 align:center
In other words, she fell directly
from inside the terrace outward.

00:29:51.080 --> 00:29:53.439 align:center
That could be consistent with a push,

00:29:53.520 --> 00:29:55.720 align:center
but also with an accidental fall,

00:29:55.800 --> 00:29:58.000 align:center
given that the wall was only 80 cm high.

00:29:58.080 --> 00:30:00.600 align:center
It's consistent with both theories.

00:30:00.679 --> 00:30:03.639 align:center
In the transcription of the police report,

00:30:03.720 --> 00:30:07.520 align:center
it states that Manuel says she jumped.

00:30:09.120 --> 00:30:12.760 align:center
When you have someone
who has fallen from the 10th floor,

00:30:12.840 --> 00:30:14.639 align:center
it could be an accident,

00:30:14.720 --> 00:30:18.439 align:center
it could be a homicide,
but it could also be a suicide.

00:30:18.520 --> 00:30:21.679 align:center
The police did a psychological autopsy

00:30:21.760 --> 00:30:27.679 align:center
based on the WhatsApp messages the girl
had sent minutes and hours earlier

00:30:27.760 --> 00:30:30.760 align:center
to her mother
and her partner in the United States.

00:30:43.120 --> 00:30:46.720 align:center
Me and Lauren dated back in college.

00:30:48.600 --> 00:30:53.480 align:center
She was just different, you know?
She just always had a bubbly energy.

00:30:53.959 --> 00:30:56.399 align:center
She was very warming
to everyone around her.

00:30:59.959 --> 00:31:02.600 align:center
-Beautiful.
-I'm gonna… I'm gonna make a video.

00:31:02.679 --> 00:31:06.480 align:center
July 19th was her birthday. I remember…

00:31:07.639 --> 00:31:10.360 align:center
You know, I mean, it was tough in ways,

00:31:10.439 --> 00:31:14.959 align:center
at least for me, you know, not being able
to be there for her to celebrate.

00:31:16.080 --> 00:31:19.679 align:center
But she was definitely excited,
and I was excited for her.

00:31:19.760 --> 00:31:22.240 align:center
It was gonna be a night of celebration.

00:31:22.320 --> 00:31:26.120 align:center
She's turning 21,
which is a big deal in the United States.

00:31:26.199 --> 00:31:29.879 align:center
Yeah, it was just something
that she was very much looking forward

00:31:29.959 --> 00:31:33.520 align:center
to celebrating
with friends and with dancing.

00:31:35.919 --> 00:31:41.919 align:center
So Lauren went with her friends,
Sarah, Ellie, and Lauren.

00:31:43.360 --> 00:31:47.919 align:center
We didn't really have, like, a plan.
We were just…

00:31:48.000 --> 00:31:51.840 align:center
We went out to dinner
in the centro, you know.

00:31:57.560 --> 00:32:00.399 align:center
They were at the restaurant, and…

00:32:04.000 --> 00:32:06.480 align:center
Manuel showed up.

00:32:10.399 --> 00:32:13.919 align:center
I remember him
further in the restaurant, up by the bar.

00:32:16.240 --> 00:32:19.080 align:center
And then we sat at a table, and…

00:32:20.520 --> 00:32:24.159 align:center
We saw him, or he saw us,
and he came over to our table.

00:32:25.919 --> 00:32:30.399 align:center
And then he asked
if we all wanted to go to Bilindo.

00:32:31.000 --> 00:32:34.159 align:center
He said, "Come with me.
I'm going to show you guys."

00:32:34.240 --> 00:32:36.760 align:center
"I'm going to take you to this discoteca."

00:32:36.840 --> 00:32:40.959 align:center
And so we just went with him
because we were like, "Why not?"

00:32:45.439 --> 00:32:48.639 align:center
We went with him to Bilindo,

00:32:48.719 --> 00:32:51.800 align:center
and we went into the VIP section.

00:32:56.280 --> 00:33:00.159 align:center
He had a bunch of drinks,
and there was hookah.

00:33:02.639 --> 00:33:05.560 align:center
That was kind
of the majority of the night.

00:33:08.879 --> 00:33:11.199 align:center
We texted the whole time that night.

00:33:12.080 --> 00:33:17.919 align:center
She just kept me updated
with all the details while she was there.

00:33:18.919 --> 00:33:22.879 align:center
She said,
"I don't feel comfortable around him."

00:33:22.959 --> 00:33:25.360 align:center
She definitely did not like him.

00:33:25.439 --> 00:33:29.320 align:center
She wrote me a text saying
that she was very drunk.

00:33:29.399 --> 00:33:33.280 align:center
And I was like, "Ha-ha, great," like…

00:33:34.800 --> 00:33:36.040 align:center
"Sounds good."

00:33:40.639 --> 00:33:42.919 align:center
I think they had a couple of drinks.

00:33:44.679 --> 00:33:49.840 align:center
And then I think it was Ellie,
and then her friends

00:33:50.560 --> 00:33:52.280 align:center
left to go home.

00:33:56.159 --> 00:34:01.120 align:center
Ellie was sick. And it was 3:00 a.m.

00:34:01.199 --> 00:34:04.080 align:center
Ellie was like, "I don't feel good."

00:34:04.159 --> 00:34:09.360 align:center
It was not a normal feeling.
I feel like, that night… I don't…

00:34:09.440 --> 00:34:12.440 align:center
Looking back, I remember afterwards,
I'm like, "Did…?"

00:34:12.520 --> 00:34:14.880 align:center
"I wonder if there was something
in the drinks."

00:34:14.960 --> 00:34:17.679 align:center
Because he was giving us all the drinks,

00:34:17.760 --> 00:34:20.440 align:center
and they were all up there
in the VIP section.

00:34:23.040 --> 00:34:27.120 align:center
And we talked to Lauren and Sarah,
and they didn't want to leave yet.

00:34:27.199 --> 00:34:29.880 align:center
I was like, "I'll go with Ellie.
I'll walk her home."

00:34:29.960 --> 00:34:32.639 align:center
"I'll make sure she gets home."
And then I walked home.

00:34:32.719 --> 00:34:37.199 align:center
But I do remember
saying goodbye to Lauren.

00:34:37.280 --> 00:34:41.839 align:center
She was, like, very intoxicated.

00:34:42.960 --> 00:34:45.159 align:center
And Sarah was also intoxicated.

00:34:47.319 --> 00:34:50.679 align:center
Obviously, looking back,
I shouldn't have left her.

00:34:59.440 --> 00:35:03.560 align:center
But I just, you know, made a mistake.

00:35:12.160 --> 00:35:15.640 align:center
For some reason,
they ended up going to his house.

00:35:16.280 --> 00:35:18.720 align:center
I'm not sure what he said
to get them there,

00:35:18.799 --> 00:35:22.920 align:center
but it's a bit surprising
that she would have done that

00:35:23.000 --> 00:35:25.480 align:center
and that Sarah C.
would have done that too,

00:35:25.560 --> 00:35:30.240 align:center
given that neither of them
was interested in Manu.

00:35:31.440 --> 00:35:32.960 align:center
It didn't fit.

00:35:34.680 --> 00:35:36.960 align:center
Her messages didn't make sense.

00:35:37.040 --> 00:35:39.360 align:center
In terms of, like, gibberish.

00:35:39.440 --> 00:35:40.839 align:center
I thought that was weird.

00:35:40.920 --> 00:35:45.280 align:center
I was wondering
if she herself got drugged or something.

00:35:45.880 --> 00:35:47.400 align:center
At one point, she said that…

00:35:49.600 --> 00:35:51.520 align:center
she missed me, and I answered back.

00:35:51.600 --> 00:35:53.400 align:center
And I didn't get any response…

00:35:55.160 --> 00:35:56.319 align:center
from there.

00:35:59.319 --> 00:36:00.760 align:center
PSYCHOLOGICAL AUTOPSY

00:36:01.440 --> 00:36:04.760 align:center
The police ruled out suicide.

00:36:04.839 --> 00:36:06.360 align:center
That left only two options.

00:36:06.440 --> 00:36:09.720 align:center
Either it was an accident,
or it was a homicide.

00:36:09.799 --> 00:36:14.480 align:center
What happened in that penthouse is known
only to two people who are still alive.

00:36:14.560 --> 00:36:18.680 align:center
Those are Manuel Blanco Vela and Sarah.

00:36:20.720 --> 00:36:25.400 align:center
Sarah gave her testimony
to the police while drunk at the scene,

00:36:25.480 --> 00:36:27.319 align:center
not even at the police station.

00:36:27.960 --> 00:36:31.240 align:center
Right there, the officer
took her statement in one paragraph.

00:36:31.319 --> 00:36:36.520 align:center
Which who knows how closely
it matches reality, if at all.

00:36:38.120 --> 00:36:41.040 align:center
She said they got to his house,

00:36:41.120 --> 00:36:45.760 align:center
and she said they were standing around
for a little while.

00:36:45.839 --> 00:36:47.480 align:center
MANUEL BLANCO TOOK BOTH OF THEM

00:36:47.560 --> 00:36:49.520 align:center
TO DRINK THE "PENULTIMATE"

00:36:52.200 --> 00:36:53.960 align:center
They went out on the balcony.

00:36:58.000 --> 00:37:02.920 align:center
They had all been on the balcony,
but Lauren stayed inside

00:37:03.000 --> 00:37:06.680 align:center
a Jacuzzi that was empty on the balcony.

00:37:08.240 --> 00:37:09.120 align:center
PARTIALLY UNCLOTHED

00:37:09.200 --> 00:37:13.080 align:center
Sarah and Manu
had gone inside to get water.

00:37:13.160 --> 00:37:15.600 align:center
THEY WENT INSIDE
TO GET A GLASS OF WATER

00:37:15.960 --> 00:37:21.160 align:center
LEAVING HER ON HER OWN

00:37:22.560 --> 00:37:25.560 align:center
And then they heard a noise.

00:37:25.640 --> 00:37:28.960 align:center
And so then they went out there,
and she was on the ground.

00:37:29.040 --> 00:37:30.920 align:center
Off the balcony.

00:37:35.760 --> 00:37:42.240 align:center
I never have pushed more on Sarah
to give me more details of that night

00:37:42.319 --> 00:37:45.600 align:center
because it was
so traumatic for her and awful.

00:37:45.680 --> 00:37:49.960 align:center
And she probably doesn't even remember
half of it because she was so wasted.

00:37:50.040 --> 00:37:53.520 align:center
It was such a blur,
and then the trauma on top of all of that.

00:37:53.600 --> 00:37:57.680 align:center
Looking back,
it just feels like a really weird story.

00:37:57.760 --> 00:38:01.160 align:center
It feels like Sarah…

00:38:02.560 --> 00:38:05.400 align:center
I want to say this
without saying that Sarah…

00:38:05.480 --> 00:38:07.640 align:center
Sarah did not have
anything to do with this.

00:38:07.720 --> 00:38:12.240 align:center
Like, Sarah is…

00:38:13.000 --> 00:38:14.720 align:center
very much a victim.

00:38:14.799 --> 00:38:18.880 align:center
But I think that she was also trying
to protect herself

00:38:18.960 --> 00:38:22.600 align:center
in telling a story that was kind of vague.

00:38:22.680 --> 00:38:23.880 align:center
I believe the story.

00:38:23.960 --> 00:38:28.319 align:center
I just think there were a lot more details
that maybe weren't told.

00:38:28.839 --> 00:38:30.440 align:center
Some of it is…

00:38:31.640 --> 00:38:32.960 align:center
kind of a blur.

00:38:33.040 --> 00:38:36.480 align:center
I think it was like three days
I didn't sleep for a while.

00:38:36.560 --> 00:38:39.000 align:center
It was like everything was keeping me up.

00:38:43.080 --> 00:38:44.560 align:center
It was tough.

00:38:46.240 --> 00:38:50.200 align:center
You know, so much of my life
was taken away from me at once.

00:38:58.160 --> 00:39:02.240 align:center
At the time,
although it seemed an accidental fall,

00:39:02.319 --> 00:39:05.640 align:center
they do not miss the opportunity
to administer a breathalyzer test

00:39:05.720 --> 00:39:08.880 align:center
to both Manuel Blanco and Sarah.

00:39:09.680 --> 00:39:11.440 align:center
BREATHALYZER TESTS

00:39:12.920 --> 00:39:15.120 align:center
This was two hours or so
after the accident.

00:39:15.200 --> 00:39:16.680 align:center
RESULT

00:39:16.760 --> 00:39:19.680 align:center
Sarah's level was 0.48,
if I remember correctly.

00:39:20.359 --> 00:39:23.359 align:center
A fairly high blood-alcohol level.

00:39:24.200 --> 00:39:27.160 align:center
Lauren Bajorek's test showed

00:39:27.240 --> 00:39:30.720 align:center
2.99 grams of alcohol per liter of blood.

00:39:30.799 --> 00:39:33.960 align:center
That blood-alcohol level
was close to an alcohol-induced coma.

00:39:35.040 --> 00:39:39.720 align:center
In the words of the forensic examiner,
with 2.9 grams of alcohol in the blood,

00:39:39.799 --> 00:39:41.600 align:center
one is either dead

00:39:42.200 --> 00:39:43.359 align:center
or unconscious.

00:39:45.400 --> 00:39:47.080 align:center
And Manuel tested at 0.0.

00:39:49.960 --> 00:39:51.200 align:center
0.0.

00:39:51.760 --> 00:39:54.000 align:center
That is,
he took both of them out partying.

00:39:54.080 --> 00:39:55.080 align:center
Both of them drank,

00:39:55.160 --> 00:39:58.319 align:center
one of them to the point
of reaching an alcohol-induced coma,

00:39:58.400 --> 00:39:59.520 align:center
and he tested at 0.0.

00:39:59.600 --> 00:40:02.280 align:center
He was in control
of the situation at all times.

00:40:03.680 --> 00:40:06.720 align:center
They didn't find any alcohol in Manu's,

00:40:06.799 --> 00:40:10.720 align:center
which was weird
because he was at the clubs with them.

00:40:11.839 --> 00:40:13.960 align:center
I think Manuel is a predator.

00:40:15.040 --> 00:40:17.480 align:center
He's a predator, a hunter.

00:40:18.120 --> 00:40:20.680 align:center
I think that night he went hunting

00:40:20.760 --> 00:40:23.440 align:center
and had the attitude predators have.

00:40:23.520 --> 00:40:27.920 align:center
That is, a plan, a strategy,
and the patience predators have.

00:40:29.280 --> 00:40:33.600 align:center
It took him hours to end up
where he wanted to end up,

00:40:33.680 --> 00:40:37.359 align:center
and in the situation he wanted to be in,
which was at 5:00 a.m.

00:40:37.440 --> 00:40:44.160 align:center
in his penthouse, with two girls
who were completely vulnerable

00:40:44.240 --> 00:40:46.920 align:center
as a result of consuming,
at the very least, alcohol.

00:40:49.319 --> 00:40:50.560 align:center
And he tested 0.0.

00:40:51.280 --> 00:40:53.080 align:center
Those are the facts.

00:41:09.960 --> 00:41:13.040 align:center
One day later, I received an email

00:41:13.120 --> 00:41:16.920 align:center
that said, "Terrible news

00:41:17.000 --> 00:41:21.080 align:center
about a CIEE program participant."

00:41:25.799 --> 00:41:29.680 align:center
I realized
that it could have easily been me.

00:41:34.760 --> 00:41:37.440 align:center
When I look at photos from that time,

00:41:37.520 --> 00:41:40.920 align:center
I realize I was very vulnerable.
All of us were very vulnerable.

00:41:41.000 --> 00:41:45.359 align:center
And we didn't see that.

00:41:45.960 --> 00:41:47.880 align:center
But Manuel did.

00:41:55.960 --> 00:41:58.480 align:center
So when the new group of students arrived,

00:41:58.560 --> 00:42:01.920 align:center
they all came in like,
"We heard a girl died. What happened?"

00:42:02.000 --> 00:42:03.720 align:center
And I told them,

00:42:04.359 --> 00:42:07.200 align:center
"Don't go on a trip with Manuel White."

00:42:07.280 --> 00:42:09.400 align:center
"Don't trust that guy."

00:42:10.200 --> 00:42:14.040 align:center
"I don't know what happened there,
but something's off."

00:42:19.480 --> 00:42:23.520 align:center
When Carey Bajorek hires us for this case,

00:42:23.600 --> 00:42:26.600 align:center
the criminal side of the case
had already been dismissed.

00:42:27.760 --> 00:42:29.400 align:center
The investigating judge in Seville,

00:42:29.480 --> 00:42:32.359 align:center
without carrying out
any further investigative steps,

00:42:32.440 --> 00:42:33.520 align:center
closed the case

00:42:33.600 --> 00:42:37.160 align:center
saying that there was not enough evidence
to continue the investigation.

00:42:37.240 --> 00:42:40.799 align:center
But in my opinion, it was absolutely
premature and unjustified.

00:42:40.880 --> 00:42:43.839 align:center
There were no grounds
to rule out anything.

00:42:45.240 --> 00:42:48.880 align:center
Without further eyewitness testimony,
the proceedings were closed.

00:42:48.960 --> 00:42:51.880 align:center
Hours later, she was flown back to the US.

00:42:52.760 --> 00:42:55.480 align:center
And that also caught our attention.

00:42:55.560 --> 00:42:59.280 align:center
SARAH LEFT THE COUNTRY AFTER THE EVENTS,
MAKING AN EXTENSIVE INTERVIEW IMPOSSIBLE

00:43:03.040 --> 00:43:06.920 align:center
We explained to her
that the criminal route was closed

00:43:07.000 --> 00:43:09.799 align:center
and that there was no way to reopen it.

00:43:09.880 --> 00:43:12.920 align:center
But there was a possibility
of civil proceedings.

00:43:13.000 --> 00:43:13.839 align:center
COURTHOUSE

00:43:13.920 --> 00:43:16.160 align:center
And that is what she hired us to do.

00:43:16.240 --> 00:43:19.560 align:center
It's what we did, and that's the case
we took to court in Seville.

00:43:23.400 --> 00:43:25.920 align:center
A few days before the trial took place,

00:43:26.000 --> 00:43:31.120 align:center
Lauren's mother, Carey Bajorek,
told me she was dying,

00:43:31.200 --> 00:43:33.960 align:center
and that she would hold on
until the trial was over

00:43:34.040 --> 00:43:35.680 align:center
and we had a ruling.

00:43:36.720 --> 00:43:40.920 align:center
And that's what happened. The judge
upheld our claim and ruled in our favor.

00:43:41.000 --> 00:43:46.080 align:center
He found that there had been
liability for negligence

00:43:46.160 --> 00:43:47.680 align:center
on Manuel's part,

00:43:47.760 --> 00:43:51.960 align:center
and set compensation
at just over 70,000 euros.

00:43:53.359 --> 00:43:56.440 align:center
I informed her of the ruling,
and a few days later she died.

00:43:58.319 --> 00:44:02.200 align:center
She felt relieved in the sense
of at least knowing part of what happened.

00:44:02.280 --> 00:44:05.680 align:center
But of course, a ruling couldn't give her
what she truly wanted.

00:44:13.200 --> 00:44:17.879 align:center
The empathy you feel
for that mother is just horrendous.

00:44:17.960 --> 00:44:21.440 align:center
And that mother was
so alone in it, you know?

00:44:21.520 --> 00:44:26.319 align:center
And that's what I just kept thinking of,
how alone she was, and she was desperate.

00:44:27.240 --> 00:44:28.960 align:center
She was desperate to…

00:44:29.839 --> 00:44:32.319 align:center
to get this story on,
to get justice for Lauren.

00:44:32.400 --> 00:44:34.520 align:center
And I said, "Gabrielle…"
Just today I said,

00:44:34.600 --> 00:44:39.240 align:center
"Can you imagine being her mother
and seeing you on The Megyn Kelly Show?"

00:44:39.319 --> 00:44:44.839 align:center
"And the realization
like this is a serious predator?"

00:44:51.359 --> 00:44:54.680 align:center
This motherfucker
was walking down the street,

00:44:54.760 --> 00:44:56.520 align:center
getting his fucking tapas and copas,

00:44:56.600 --> 00:44:59.760 align:center
and doing whatever the fuck
he wanted, and you guys did nothing?

00:45:02.879 --> 00:45:05.480 align:center
He's still outside.
On the street this whole time.

00:45:05.560 --> 00:45:07.160 align:center
I think I'd be really upset.

00:45:09.200 --> 00:45:12.680 align:center
I had to face the fact that this person
will never take accountability

00:45:12.760 --> 00:45:14.879 align:center
for anything he's ever done.

00:45:21.240 --> 00:45:24.960 align:center
If that was my community,
I'd be like, "What the fuck?"

00:45:29.440 --> 00:45:31.799 align:center
It makes me sick that he's on the streets,

00:45:31.879 --> 00:45:35.160 align:center
that he's doing intercambios
with these young girls.

00:45:36.120 --> 00:45:39.080 align:center
Look at these little kids
that are going out into the world.

00:45:39.160 --> 00:45:42.240 align:center
Their parents are sending them away.
They think they're safe.

00:45:44.400 --> 00:45:46.160 align:center
I hate to think it,

00:45:46.240 --> 00:45:51.359 align:center
but I'm pretty sure that he hasn't stopped
what he's been doing all these years.

00:45:53.400 --> 00:45:56.280 align:center
That he's laughing and smiling
and going out with friends

00:45:56.359 --> 00:46:00.359 align:center
and pretending to be a person
who isn't dangerous,

00:46:00.440 --> 00:46:02.640 align:center
and doing exactly the opposite.

00:46:02.720 --> 00:46:06.040 align:center
Telling girls,
"You'll be safe with me." And…

00:46:06.120 --> 00:46:09.520 align:center
It just sickens me that he's still free.

00:46:10.520 --> 00:46:13.440 align:center
Nothing is happening to Manuel.

00:46:13.520 --> 00:46:16.760 align:center
And so there was almost like,
"What can I do?"

00:46:16.839 --> 00:46:21.200 align:center
"What can we do to make this stop?"

00:46:21.280 --> 00:46:25.120 align:center
And so my role was
to just figure out how to do it.

00:46:25.760 --> 00:46:28.839 align:center
So it doesn't surprise me one iota

00:46:28.920 --> 00:46:31.879 align:center
that she's determined
to do this for the other girls.

00:46:31.960 --> 00:46:35.440 align:center
When she was in elementary school,
anybody that was being bothered,

00:46:35.520 --> 00:46:36.960 align:center
Gabrielle was in the middle.

00:46:37.040 --> 00:46:40.319 align:center
I remember saying to her, "Gabrielle,
you're a rebel without a cause."

00:46:40.920 --> 00:46:44.160 align:center
"You're like James Dean,
and you need to just stop it."

00:46:44.240 --> 00:46:46.960 align:center
And this is Gabrielle.
I mean, it was who she is.

00:46:51.879 --> 00:46:55.160 align:center
I didn't want to do this.
I don't want to go to trial.

00:46:56.960 --> 00:46:59.319 align:center
I don't want to deal
with this fucking bullshit.

00:46:59.400 --> 00:47:03.680 align:center
But if there are all these other women
and this is a fucking…

00:47:03.760 --> 00:47:06.160 align:center
Every semester there are new girls.

00:47:08.200 --> 00:47:10.080 align:center
I felt like I needed to do something.

00:47:10.160 --> 00:47:13.400 align:center
Suddenly it went from,
"I don't want anything to do."

00:47:13.480 --> 00:47:16.200 align:center
"I'm not prosecuting.
I don't want to talk about it."

00:47:16.280 --> 00:47:19.359 align:center
It went from that to,
"We have to do something."

00:47:20.319 --> 00:47:22.520 align:center
This is just the beginning.

00:47:23.400 --> 00:47:25.600 align:center
It was the beginning for the both of us.

00:47:25.680 --> 00:47:27.120 align:center
For him and me.

00:47:37.040 --> 00:47:39.680 align:center
Do you swear to tell the truth?

00:47:40.280 --> 00:47:41.120 align:center
Yes.

00:47:41.200 --> 00:47:42.640 align:center
As defendant,

00:47:42.720 --> 00:47:46.520 align:center
you have the right not to plead guilty,
not to testify against yourself,

00:47:46.600 --> 00:47:47.960 align:center
or not to testify at all.

00:47:48.040 --> 00:47:50.000 align:center
Any words for the victims?

00:47:50.080 --> 00:47:51.160 align:center
Hey, don't touch me.

00:47:51.240 --> 00:47:52.720 align:center
I'm just talking to you.

00:47:52.799 --> 00:47:56.920 align:center
If they don't know each other,
how do all their statements match?

00:47:57.000 --> 00:47:58.640 align:center
I had nothing to do with it.

00:47:58.720 --> 00:48:01.560 align:center
I had no relationship
with that person during that trip.

00:48:01.640 --> 00:48:03.000 align:center
I didn't do anything.
with that person during that trip.