My name's Dennis,
I'm 41 years old. I live in Belton, Missouri.
[Dillon]
He makes any situation
fun to be in.
[Sheri]
his kids.
[Kevin]
that loves God.
He was just an all-round good guy.
And I don't know what happened.
I'm addicted to meth.
[foreboding music playing]
[David]
That's all he has on his mind.
[Taylor]
When he's done using one, he'll go to the other.
[woman on phone]
What you doing there, sassy pants?
[Dennis] Boo. Want a kiss?
[Taylor sighs]
It's disgusting.
His days are numbered. I honestly believe that.
[Sheri]
He has no license. He has no vehicle.
He has no home.
He's out of control...
in every aspect of his life.
He walks the streets from the time he wakes up,
till when he passes out.
[Carol]
He was a good baby.
He just stole my heart. It was my son. He was my baby.
He had brown eyes, and didn't have much hair.
They said it looked like I got a butch haircut or something.
[Dennis]
and everybody called me Butch ever since.
As a kid coming up, my goal in life
was just to gain respect and, uh...
the attention of my father.
[woman]
He was always just doing something
that his dad would be proud of him for.
[calm music playing]
But his dad never did ever really told him
that he was proud of him for anything.
Most of my life, I felt like I didn't exist in his eyes.
[ominous music playing]
His dad would just smack the kids around.
I used to get my ass kicked for not writing my "S" right
at the end of "Dennis".
[Dennis]
If I got beat up in a fight,
I got beat up when I got home.
[woman]
because his father always told me he was worthless.
[Sheri]
Dennis was always very loyal to his father.
He would never turn on his father.
I remember watching my dad...
beat up my mom several times.
[ominous music playing]
[woman]
His dad was dealing in, you know, marijuana.
And he wanted Butch to be in that too.
[foreboding music playing]
[Dennis]
that's when I gained his respect and his love.
From that point,
I had his undivided attention 100 percent.
He loved me.
I focused my energy on just selling drugs,
'cause that's what made my dad happy.
I was hustling.
I have my own apartment.
Heck, had a Blazer, four-wheel drive,
monster truck,
I had a Monte Carlo, had a Camaro.
I started using drugs.
Partying, and I thought it was great.
[light music playing]
[light music continues playing]
[Dennis]
Then I caught a federal case, and...
life went to hell.
[foreboding music playing]
He, more or less, took the fall for his dad,
because his dad should've been the one in prison, not him.
[woman]
is when, um...
Dennis Sr. tried to rape...
Dennis Jr.'s wife.
[Sheri]
[somber music playing]
She said the [bleep] tried to rape her.
When I was doing time for his punk ass.
[Dennis whimpering]
[Dennis]
to try to get his
and he tries to rape my wife.
[sobbing] That punk [bleep]
decision, way back then
to protect somebody that wouldn't protect me.
For all the
Then he tried to tell me the [bleep] is on top of it.
[clatters]
[sobs]
[Dennis cries]
[Dennis] I hate that [bleep].
I hate that son of a bitch.
[foreboding music playing]
[Sheri]
didn't really love him like a son should be loved.
[woman]
I didn't want to turn out...
like my father.
[light music playing]
Soon as they opened the prison gates, I...
I didn't let no grass grow under my feet.
If I was gonna change, I had to change...
the Butch image.
I wanted to be a good person.
I wanted to be somebody
that my kids could be proud of.
[light music playing]
[ominous music playing]
[Sheri]
that he must've had before he became self-confident
and things were good,
that he was failing, that he was a failure.
[ominous music playing]
[Dennis]
I got the... I don't give a [bleep] attitude.
I knew that my dad was being sucked away from me.
[gloomy music playing]
He walked out and didn't look back at us.
[tearfully] He didn't care how bad we were struggling.
[Taylor]
Oh, my God. [sniffles]
[foreboding music playing]
Daddy, I'm here today
because my love for you is never failing.
[Taylor] I'm here because after all of these years,
I have never given up on you.
I've stayed faithful and strong, just like you taught me to.
I remember the day at the bus station,
the day you were released from prison.
As a little girl...
[sniffles] ...I anticipated that moment
for the first seven years of my young life.
[somber music playing]
I waited for you, Dad.
I ran into your arms and I knew,
I no longer had to let go.
I no longer had to release the tight grip
of my tiny little hands around your neck.
But things have changed.
The feeling of security knowing I will always have you...
to turn to, is no longer there.
[crying] When I look at you...
you are so broken.
And whether you don't love yourself...
and at times,
I feel that you don't love me.
I have cried many tears for you,
and sacrificed very important parts of my young adult life.
I will never be able to erase the awful memories
of my father's addiction.
[sniffles, sobs]
You want to go get help?
[sobbing]
[sniffles]
Yeah.
For my kids, I will. I...
-[Dennis] For my family, I will. -[Jeff] All right.
Let's do it.
-[Dillon] Love you, Dad. -[Dennis] I love you, guys.
[smooches, sighs]
[gloomy music playing]
[Taylor]
he didn't stay more than a weekend.
[light music playing]
[light music continues playing]