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“Do you swear to tell the hole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?”1

“I do.”2

"What am I getting married here? Of course I’m gonna tell you the truth! It’s the only thing I know to tell you…" I didn’t actually say that, though I seriously wanted to, but at that point that wouldn’t have done me any good. 3

When I sat down in that God awful chair called the witness stand the persecutor stood up and walked right over to me with that look like, “You had better hope that chair eats you before I do” on his face. I didn’t care. I’d had to deal with guys like Mr. McCarson in the past, so this wouldn’t be any different.4

“Well Mr. Freeman. May I call you Tylor?”5

“No.”6

I just sat there. Why should I have to be nice to this man? All he was trying to do was throw me in jail.7

“Alright. Let’s cut to the chase then. Did you or did you not Kill Rosaline Mayson?8

“No. I did not kill Ro…her.”9

Even after all that had happened I still couldn’t say her name. I could hear it but I couldn’t say it, and Mr. McCarson knew that. 10

“You say that you didn’t kill Rosaline?”11

“No sir I did not kill her.”12

“Ok.”13

Oh he was gonna make me say it wasn’t he?14

“Why?” he asked in his big over exaggerated Texas accent. 15

“Why what?”16

“Well why anyone in this room should believe you. You have seen the evidence; you know that no one believes you, so what can you say that will change their minds?”17

Yep…he was gonna make me say it. And I was gonna say it! I got married to tell the truth “so help me God” while I was in this chair. Little did I know why he wanted me to say it though.18

“Because I love her.”19

“Because you love her? You do realize that you said that in the present tense don’t you?”20

“Yes sir I do. She may be dead but I still love her with all of my heart.”21

“Oh! You still love her with all you’re heart. Well isn’t that sweet. But did you love her with all you’re heart when you slept with a Mrs. Lily Jenkins? Or maybe when you beat her.”22

If you’ve ever been close to hitting a deer in the middle of the night you would recognize the look that must have crossed my face because Mr. McCarson sure was pleased with my apparent reaction.23

My Attorney Glen Kelly, God love him, stood up yelling “objection!” But he was overruled. Apparently me sleeping with Lily was a very big part of this case even though it was totally irrelevant! Well I guess that if I had been watching someone else going through this I would want to know to if the idiot slept with someone…24

“I never beat her.”25

“Well according to your friend Benjamin Barton that’s not true. He said that two weeks before Mrs. Mayson disappeared she showed up to work with a large bruise on the right side of her face and when asked she simply told people that “Tylor hit me”. What do you say for self?”26

Oh Benny, Benny, Benny. Leave it to Benny to twist the story to make me the bad guy! I was so ready to shoot him. In my currant state though that wouldn’t be a good thing to even think.27

I gave a little chuckle knowing that no one would understand what happened, but I told them anyway, “She came over to my house the day before and we were watching the football game. I was getting over excited so she went into my room and grabbed my signed ‘InFiNiTyX9’ CD and started walking towards the door. She stopped in the living room and said “hey I’m going to the store and I’m gonna listen to your IX9 CD ok.” Well it grabbed my attention cus’ I jumped up and bolted for the door. I got in front of her and told her that she wasn’t going anywhere with my CD. She smiled and said “who’s gonna stop me, you?” So I picked her up, dropped her on the couch and I started…tickling her. My puppy Baby thought I was attacking her though so she came up and bit my left arm and as I was turning towards Baby in surprise my elbow smacked her in the face. So she said that if I gave her a bruise that she would tell anyone who asked that I hit her.” I couldn’t help but smile as I told the story. It was so stupid and so funny, and I was probably gonna go to jail partly because of it.28

“Well that’s all just fine and dandy Mr. Freeman, but you still slept with another woman while you were with Mrs. Mayson! You cheated on her. Quite honestly I believe that you killed Mrs. Rosaline Mayson so that you could go be with Lily Jenkins!” Mr. McCarson was standing right in front of me just waiting to see what I would say to that statement.29

“That is ridiculous, I didn’t kill her! And Lily has nothing to do with this.”30

“What is so ridiculous about it Mr. Freeman? You slept with another woman while you were with Rosaline. You killed her so that you could be with Lily!”31

“That’s not true! She and I…”32

“What Mr. Freeman? You and Lily, or you and Rosaline what?”33

“She…Ro…Rosaline and I.” I had never thought about this before. And I said her name. Oh good lord I was ready to cry, but I went on because they had to know. “Rosaline and I were never technically together. Like a couple I mean.” I couldn’t look at anyone or else I would have just broken down right then and there.34

“You and Mrs. Mayson were not a couple?” I knew that Mr. McCarson was a little taken back by my statement, but he didn’t show it on his face.35

“No. Not technically. She was my best friend and I loved her so much. We did go on what you could call dates, and we did…we did make out a couple of times, but I never asked her to be my girlfriend and she didn’t ask me to be her boyfriend.”36

“Alright but that still doesn’t explain the fact that you slept with Lily. Going back to the testimony that your friend Benjamin gave me, he said that poor Rosaline was devastated when you told her! I quote “she would start crying if you even mentioned it”. Obviously she had a different opinion about whether you two were a couple or not.”37

Alright now Mr. McCarson was really getting on my nerves! How dare he assume what she felt about what happened, and I swear Benny was gonna get a piece of my mind as soon as this was over.38

“It didn’t happen like that, and besides she and I have always seen other people. She has dated tons of losers, and I’ve dated a lot of girls all through out the time we’ve known each other. What happened with Lily was just…a special issue.”39

“Well Mr. Freeman would you care to explain to the jury what this “special issue” was really all about?” 40

“It was over two years ago while I was at a party, I got drunk and Lily just happened to be there and…ready. So I slept with her.” Wow, admitting this was a lot harder then I thought it would be, but I went on, “Someone must have called her because when I woke up she was driving me home. She was really upset just by the look on her face, but neither of us said anything. We got back to my place and she gave me some Aspirin and water. Then she just sat there looking at me, and when I couldn’t stand it any longer I asked what was wrong with her.”41

All I could see then was her just looking at me like I was really going through it again. Almost like a backwards déjà vu’.42

“What’s wrong with me?” she said43

“Yeah. God it’s not like you’ve never picked me up when I was drunk before! So what the heck is wrong with you now?”44

“What do you think is wrong with me Tylor?! You didn’t just get drunk you got high! You promised me you would never do that again…”45

Her face had the most devastating expression on it. It amazed me that someone could have that many feelings shown in one facial expression; betrayal, love, anger, sympathy, confusion, loss, sadness, and wanting. And though her eyes were like knives on mine she was so heartbroken. She’s right, how could I have done this to her again?46

“I what?”47

“Yeah Tylor you got high again.”48

“Rosaline I’m..."49

“Tylor that’s not all…”50

Her face went pale and she wouldn’t look at me. Oh God what else could I have done!?51

“You know the woman you slept with right?”52

“Yeah Lily Anderson, she’s a senior. Why?”53

“Lily is engaged to my stepbrother Tylor. They got engaged two weeks ago.”54

That scene began to fade from my mind as our dear friend Mr. McCarson called on me,55

“Mr. Freeman? Mr. Freeman the court is waiting for you to finish your story if you will?”56

I obviously had stopped talking. But I could have sworn that I was still talking because I was almost crying from having to see that memory again.57

“Oh….yeah. She said she was upset because I had gotten high again when I promised that I wouldn’t. I had landed myself in the hospital so many times through high school, so she was mad because I had broken my promise to her and she was just really worried. Also Lily apparently was with someone, but I didn’t know that, I just knew who Lily was at the time. But yeah that’s about it. When people mentioned it to her she was just upset because I broke my promise, but not cus’ of Lily.”58

Oh the good God in heaven should have killed me then because I just lied on the witness stand. Sort of…did that count? I just didn’t tell them that Lily was engaged. I don’t know, but I said it and it didn’t matter after that.59

“Alright…Your honor I have no more questions.” Mr. McCarson just turned to go sit back down. He was done with me? I obviously didn’t say something that he wanted me to say, or I did say something that he wanted to hear and I was screwed. I couldn’t see his face well enough when he sat down to tell which way or the other. 60

Glen then stood up. He said he would do this before we started this morning, but was I ready for it? I had told so many people the story in those last three months, but I had been almost stone cold about the whole thing. I never remember crying, or feeling anything up until they found her body. I have hardly been able to keep my cool since. But I had to. Glen said that if the jury heard my story again that it would help me. 61

He came over to the witness stand and asked me, “Are you going to be alright Tylor?” all I could do was nod and that was good enough for Glen.62

“Alright Tylor, would you mind going over the story of what happened to Mrs. Mayson with me again? I know we have talked about it but I think that the jury would benefit from hearing your story about all of it while you’re up there on the stand.”63

“Sure Mr. Kelly.”64

“Good, good. When ever you are ready Tylor.”65

I had to try so hard not to just break down in tears and run away from all of this! What had happened to me? The trail had started off so well that day. Maybe it was cus’ Mr. McCarson made me say her name. But I had sworn to myself that I would not cry, that I would answer all of the questions as best I could, and that I would not let my grief and guilt take over me again. This was not about me and I had to try to get through the rest of this trial, not just for me or Glen, but for her. The jury needed to hear her story, and they needed to know that I would have killed myself before I would even think to kill her. I don’t know how long it took but I finally gathered all of my thoughts, all of my calm, and I began.66

“Well it was about three months ago. I had been sick for over three weeks and it finally got to the point that…Rosaline…um would take me to the doctors. The night before she was supposed to take me she came over to my place to hang out and give me all of my homework that I was supposed to be doing, but I was in a really cruddy mood so the night was really bad.”67

And it happened again. That backwards déjà vu’ thing but this time it was worse. It wasn’t just looking at it happen again; to me it felt like it was happening again. My stomach was trying to hold in my dinner, my face had barely any color left in it, my head was burning, my couch was cold, there’s nothing good on TV, Baby won’t shut up, and Rosaline is just sitting here rubbing my back while I feel helpless because I have this stupid cold!68

“Rosaline would you stop touching me!” I pull my comforter over my head in annoyance.69

I can feel Rosaline throwing her hands up dramatically, I don’t care. She’s trying to be funny and it’s not working.70

“Ok, ok! Sorry if I’m trying to be nice to you when you’re sick! My gosh Tylor you are such a baby when you’re sick.”71

“Rosaline, would you just shut up for a little bit. God, sometimes I think you talk more then your mom does.”72

And now she’s heading into my kitchen to be a little emo kid cus’ she’s mad at me now.73

“Oh and now you’re mad at me again so you’re just gonna sit and cry in my kitchen. Geese and you call me the baby.”74

Something is really wrong. She’s just sitting in there. But finally she calls out, “Well I’m sorry that I’m such an annoyance to you.” 75

“Rosaline. Come on I didn’t…”76

Rosaline is now moving around trying to find something I think. I pull my covers back to look at her.77

“No Tylor. Just…just don’t worry about it I really don’t feel like getting into this with you right now. You’re sick and I’m tired, so I think I’m gonna call it a night after I walk Baby.” Now she’s turning her i-pod on and hooks Baby up to her leash as she heads for the door. “If you’re asleep by the time I get back I’ll be by around 11:30 to pick you up tomorrow ok.”78

She has got to be kidding. I can walk my own dog just fine, even if I’m sick. I get up off the couch, which was not a good idea because now my head won’t stop spinning, but I walk over to Rosaline right as she’s opening the door.79

“You don’t need to walk Baby; I can actually do that by my self you know.”80

“Tylor yeah right you can hardly keep yourself from falling over! I’ll give her a quick walk and I’ll be back in the morning.”81

She gets on her tip toes and kisses me. That’s odd, but I’m not gonna worry about that cus’ she is out the door and walking down the street before I can even blink. So what now? I hobble back to my couch and completely just pass out.82

Baby’s barking suddenly wakes me up. It’s 3:00 in the morning why the heck is Baby outside? I push myself off the couch and hobble back over to the door to let her in. As soon as I start opening the door, Baby barges in barking and howling and just going berserk! What the heck is wrong with her? I kneel down and grab the scruff of her neck to get her to calm down.83

“Baby, Baby! Baby what’s wrong girl? Huh?”84

Her neck is all wet. I pull my hand away and see all the blood that’s covering her. Oh my God…85

“Oh my God…ROSALINE!”86

I jump up running out the door. Something happened to her, I just know it! But what? Were did she go? She went to the park, that’s were we always go to walk Baby. Oh God please let her be ok, God I can’t loose her! Oh please oh please oh please…87

“Rosaline? Rosaline! Rosaline! Where are you! Oh god…”88

Is she this way? Behind that tree? Maybe she fell off of the rocks. I step down in a spot of grass and it’s all wet.89

“Ugh!”90

I look down…Oh my god it’s her necklace. It’s drenched in blood. I picked up her necklace and just sat there. She’s gone…91

My eyes were glazed over at that point. I could still see the memory playing in front of me like a movie, but I realized that I was still glued in the witness stand with the honorable Judge Larson, Mr. McCarson, Glen Kelly, and 12 men and women ranging from a freshman girl I recognized from campus all the way to a sixty year old rich guy, all of them just looking at me.92

My voice was very small but it was steady and I was ready to continue, “I had put her necklace in my pocket and I ran home. I got in the door and franticly called the police. I told them where to find the blood but they immediately told me that they were gonna send a detective to my place. I didn’t think much about it until I had cops swarming my house. They found her blood everywhere cus’ my dog was rubbing up against everything to get the blood off of her. Also…they found a knife with her blood on it.”93

“Tylor let me interrupt you for just a moment. Why was her blood on your knife?”94

I knew Glen meant well but I hated telling people why there was blood on the knife. I had my problems and she had hers, why did everyone else need to know them? And I had promised I wouldn’t tell anyone…95

“Um…she had had a bad history in high school for cutting herself because of her mom. Thank God it got to the point that she had almost completely stopped, but there were those times that she just got so overwhelmed that she would cut herself again. And I did that to her...”96

I did. I had been such a jerk to her those last couple of days and comparing her to her mom just sent her over the edge! It was my fault she was gone now. Maybe it would have been better if I had just confessed to killing her. Maybe I could have pleaded man slaughter or 2nd degree murder and all of this could have been all over. I could have just sat in prison and gone crazy living with my guilt that I’d end up just killing myself! That sounded nice…Glen had gotten me too deep into proving my innocence at that point though that my self induced guilt made no difference. He convinced me that I needed to see justice served in Rosaline’s case or else I would never find peace within myself.97

“Uh, anyway detective Goteman came over and sat with me asking all sorts of questions like, ‘When was the last time you say you saw her? Did you hear anything weird? Have there been any reports on this kind of activity recently? Did something happen between you two?’ all of the regular stuff. After about two hours of searching my house, and the park all of the police left but I was put into “protective custody” and taken to the police station for the night.. After questioning me some more the next day they finally let me go home. 98

On August 9th, 2009 Tylor Augustus Freeman was convicted of 2nd degree murder and was sentenced to 15 years in prison with small possibility of parole. After only a year though, his defense attorney Glen Kelly reopened the case claiming that some evidence had previously been obscured and after another long nine months Tylor Freeman was proven innocent and was sent home.”99

In July of 2011 Tylor’s “old friend” Benjamin Barton finally came forward and completely confessed to the murder of Rosaline Alexis Mayson and was later sentenced to life in prison for 1st degree murder and obstruction of evidence.100

Tylor unfortunately never had the chance to witness justice in Rosaline’s death. 101

Only six month’s prier to the confession had Tylor died in a head on collision while on his way to visit Rosaline’s grave for her birthday. He still had Rosaline’s necklace when he died.102