TERHUNE
TERHUNE WAS IN COURT
TODAY
TODAY FOR
TODAY FOR THE SENTENCING AND SAW ALL OF THAT HAPPEN, ALL
OF THAT UNFOLD.
KATIE, I THINK ANY MOM
WATCHING AT HOME
TONIGHT WOULD
PROBABLY HAVE DONE
THE SAME THING IF SHE
HAD TO SIT THERE IN
COURT AND LISTEN TO
SUCH HORRIFIC DETAILS
ABOUT HER DAUGHTER'S
DEATH AND THEN TO BE
IN THE SAME ROOM WITH
THE MAN WHO DID IT."
KATIE TERHUNE:
"ABSOLUTELY KIM. AND IT
HAD BEEN VERY QUIET IN
THERE. YOU COULD HEAR
PEOPLE CRYING SOFTLY.
AND WHAT HAPPENED
WHEN SHE THREW THE
BOTTLE WAS THAT THE
PROSECUTOR WAS SPEAKING AND GOING THROUGH A TIMELINE OF
WHO WAS STABBED WHEN
WHEN IT GOT TO THE
POINT OF HER DAUGHTER,
SHE SORT OF ERUPTED
AND SHE CAME UP OUT OF
HER CHAIR AND THREW
THIS METAL WATER BOTTLE
ALL THE WAY ACROSS THE
ROOM. SHE WAS SITTING
ON THE COMPLETE
OPPOSITE SIDE AS TIMMY
KINNER AND CRASHED
INTO THIS WOOD
PANELING VERY NEAR HIM.
AND THEY KIND OF
HUSTLED
HUSTLED HIM OUT OF THERE. SHE JUST SORT OF BROKE DOWN IN TEARS
AND HAD TO BE SORT OF
RESTRAINED BY SOME OF
THE BAILIFFS AND
SECURITY GUARDS."
KATIE TERHUNE: "THEY
ALMOST PULLED HER TO
THE GROUND BECAUSE
SHE WAS STILL TRYING TO
RUSH AT HIM.
SHE WAS TRYING TO GET
TO HIM AS THEY WERE
PULLING HIM OUT OF THE
ROOM. SHE THREW
ANOTHER, LIKE A KLEENEX
TISSUE BOX TOWARDS
HIM. AND ALL THE
BAILIFFS AND SECURITY
WERE SORT OF ON HER,
TRYING TO PULL HER TO
THE GROUND, PULL HER
OUT OF THE ROOM TO TRY
AND STOP THE SCENE."
KIM FIELDS: "YOU WERE
LIVE TWEETING DURING
THE PROCEEDINGS AND A
TESTIMONY
FROM RUYA'S MOM THAT
REALLY HIT ME HARD, YOU
TWEETED THAT RUYA
LOVED TO READ. THAT
THAT WAS MENTIONED IN
COURT TODAY AND THAT
SHE LOVED TO COMB HER
MOM'S HAIR.
BUT NOW RUYA'S MOM
KEEPS HER HAIR SHORT
BECAUSE SHE JUST CAN'T
BEAR THE THOUGHT OF
NOT HAVING RUYA WITH
HER." KATIE TERHUNE:
"AND YOU KNOW THESE
TWO WERE REFUGEES
FROM ETHIOPIA. RUYA'S
MOTHER TALKED A LOT
ABOUT HOW SHE WANTED
A BETTER LIFE FOR HER
DAUGHTER, A SAFE LIFE, A
HAPPY LIFE. SHE EVEN
WENT INTO SOME OF HER
OWN PAIN AS A CHILD.
SHE LEFT HER OWN FAMILY
VERY YOUNG, HAD TO
WORK, DIDN'T REALLY GET
TO GO TO SCHOOL. AND
SHE SAID SOMETHING
THAT REALLY STRUCK ME.
SHE SAID MY DAUGHTER
WAS GOING TO GO TO
SCHOOL, MY DAUGHTER
WAS GOING TO DANCE.
AND SO SHE JUST WANTED
SOMETHING OF HER LIFE
THAT SHE DIDN'T GET TO
HAVE OF HER OWN AND
THEN SEE IT END. IT'S
AWFUL." KIM FIELDS: "IT'S
TRAGIC
TRAGIC AND SO HEARTBREAKING. AND THEN SHE MENTIONED
THAT SHE GOES TO THE
CEMETERY EVERY
MORNING AND EVERY
NIGHT BECAUSE IF SHE
DIDN'T SHE FEELS LIKE SHE
WOULD LOSE TOUCH
WITH HER DAUGHTER."
KATIE TERHUNE: "SHE
DOESN'T WANT HER
DAUGHTER TO THINK
THAT SHE'S FORGETTING
WHAT HAPPENED OR
THAT TIME CURES THAT
PAIN BECAUSE IT DOESN'T.
AND THAT WAS CLEAR
TODAY.
I MEAN SHE WAS AS
EMOTIONAL TODAY AS IF
IT WAS HAPPENING THAT
MOMENT. SHE WAS
SCREAMING ON THE
FLOOR
FLOOR OF
FLOOR OF THE COURTROOM, SHE WAS CRYING, SHE WAS CALLING
OUT HER DAUGHTER'S
NAME."
KIM: "OF COURSE, OF
COURSE. AND THEN, SO
MUCH HAPPENED TODAY
IN COURT THAT YOU SAW
FIRST-HAND AND YOU
ALSO LISTENED TO THE
FIRST 911 CALL THAT
CAME IN THAT NIGHT
MADE BY AN 8-YEAR-OLD
BOY WHO WAS AT THAT
BIRTHDAY PART AND
STABBED HIMSELF."
KATIE TERHUNE: "THAT
WAS REALLY STRIKING
BECAUSE IT'S ONE THING
TO HEAR SOMEBODY SAY
THIS PERSON, THIS AGE
WAS STABBED, THIS
PERSON WAS HURT THIS
WAY. IN THE
BACKGROUND OF THIS
911 CALL YOU COULD
HEAR SCREAMING. YOU
COULD HEAR CRYING. AT
ONE POINT HE BREAKS
DOWN AND IS TELLING
THE DISPATCHER, I'M
SCARED. I WANT MY MOM,
WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?
ARE YOU COMING? HE'S
STILL HERE. IT'S
HEARTBREAKING TO HEAR
THE FEAR IN HIS VOICE
KNOWING
KNOWING THAT THIS IS A SERIOUSLY INJURED LITTLE BOY WHO'S JUST SEEING
MEMBERS OF HIS FAMILY
REALLY BADLY INJURED,
OTHER CHILDREN
SEVERELY INJURED AND
ONE OF THEM EVEN
KILLED. SO IT REALLY PUTS
INTO PERSPECTIVE THE
TERROR THAT HE WAS
GOING THROUGH."
KIM FIELDS: "THAT NIGHT
IN JUNE OF 2018 WHEN
WORD GOT OUT OF WHAT
HAPPENED, A LOT OF
PEOPLE THOUGHT THAT
THEY WERE TARGETED
BECAUSE OF THE COLOR
OF THEIR SKIN, BECAUSE
OF THEIR RELIGION. IT
LATER CAME OUT THAT
THAT WAS NOT THE CASE,
THAT THIS BIRTHDAY
PARTY WAS RANDOMLY
TARGETED BY TIMMY
KINNER.
KINNER. A
KINNER. A LOT WAS MENTIONED TODAY ABOUT HIS MENTAL
HEALTH, ABOUT HIS
CRIMINAL BACKGROUND.
AND THAT FINALLY GIVES
US A LITTLE BIT OF
BACKGROUND, INSIGHT
INTO PERHAPS WHY THIS
HAPPENED."
KATIE TERHUNE: "THE
DEFENSE TEAM TALKED
ABOUT THAT. HE WAS
DIAGNOSED AS
SCHIZOPHRENIC. HE WAS
DIAGNOSED BIPOLAR. IT
SOUNDED LIKE HE HAD A
VERY TROUBLED
CHILDHOOD HIMSELF,
JUST REALLY A BAD
BACKGROUND. HE WAS
ABANDONED AS A CHILD
AND GREW UP IN A
PRETTY NEGLECTFUL
HOME BUT ALSO
SHOWING SOME SIGNS OF
PRETTY SEVERE MENTAL
ILLNESS VERY, VERY
YOUNG. SO I THINK THIS
IS A CASE WHERE, I DON'T
THINK HE WAS TARGETING
THAT FAMILY IN
PARTICULAR, THAT GROUP
IN PARTICULAR. I THINK
HE'S A DEEPLY TROUBLED,
MENTALLY ILL MAN."
KIM FIELDS: "JUST REAL
QUICK, I'M CURIOUS. DID
TIMMY KINNER HAVE ANY
REACTION, KATIE? DID HE
SEEM REMORSEFUL AT ALL
WHEN HEARD RUYA'S
MOM TALK OR WHEN HE
HEARD THE 911 CALL? DID
HE SEEM LIKE HE WAS
SORRY?" KATIE TERHUNE:
"IN HIS STATEMENT HE
SAID THAT HE WAS SORRY
THAT HE WISHES HE
COULD TAKE IT ALL BACK,
THAT THAT'S NOT TRULY
WHO HE WAS. BUT FROM
WHAT I SAW, I DIDN'T SEE
A LOT OF REACTION FROM
HIM EVEN DURING THE
VERY EMOTIONAL PARTS,
LIKE THE 911 CALL OR
WHEN THE MOTHER WAS
SPEAKING. A LOT OF
TIMES WHEN THE VICTIMS
WERE SPEAKING, HE
WOULD LOOK DOWN AT
THE TABLE AND NOT LOOK
AT THEM. SO IT'S HARD
TO KNOW WHAT'S IN HIS
HEART, BUT I DIDN'T SEE
ANY OUTWARDLY SIGNS
OF HIM BEING TRULY
SORRY." KIM FIELDS:
"WELL, KATIE THANK YOU
SO MUCH. AND IF YOU
WANT TO READ MORE OF
KATIE'S FIRST HAND
ACCOUNT FROM TODAY
IN COURT, JUST GO TO
HER TWITTER ACCOUNT,
VERY DETAILED AS IF YOU
WERE IN COURT
YOURSELF. KATIE THANK