Killer

Statement of Cherie Sykes (victim)

re: Defendants H. W. Nebe and D. K. Fallows

Penal Codes

182 (Conspiracy);

187 (Murder);

664/187 (Attempted Murder);

206 (Torture);

207 (Kidnapping);

236 (False Imprisonment);

273a (Abusing or Endangering Health of Child)

Location: Undisclosed

Present: Deputy D.A. John Nguyen

LAPD Lieutenant Milo B. Sturgis

Dr. Alexander Delaware (victim’s psychologist)

Court Reporter Deborah Marks

Mr. Nguyen: So why don’t you just tell us everything in your own words. Take your time.

Ms. Sykes: It all happened quickly. I knew him — the husband bailiff, Nebe — from the court and he always seemed kind of mean. But I never thought he’d — anyway, him I knew, her I didn’t. The wife. So when she showed up at my apartment at night wearing a bailiff uniform and saying I needed to sign court papers I had no reason not to believe her. Even though it was late, I figured they worked all kinds of shifts, I mean what did I know, she seemed nice, she had a uniform. And a gun … Anyway … I went looking for my glasses, I’m always misplacing them. So I could see what I was signing. Because after all that time in court, listening to lawyers I learned one thing: You have to dot your i’s and cross your t’s. I’d left them in the bathroom. For putting on my makeup. So when I was looking for them in there, she waited out front and she seemed nice and friendly and Rambla seemed to like her and while I was looking for my glasses she asked if she could pick Rambla up and I said sure and then when I finally found my glasses in the bedroom and came back out, all of a sudden there’s two of them. Her and the younger woman and now it was the younger woman who was holding Rambla and Rambla didn’t like her, she must’ve had a bad feeling about her, kids are like that, they can tell.

(23 second pause for Ms. Sykes to compose herself)

CS: Sorry. Okay. So the young one had Rambla and Rambla was struggling and then all of a sudden she puts her hand over Rambla’s mouth and on top of the shock about everything I got scared that she was pinching off Rambla’s nose so I yelled at her to let Rambla breathe which I know sounds kind of strange, I should’ve had a problem with her having Rambla in the first place but I was just thinking my baby needed to breathe. So she shows me Rambla’s nostrils are clear but she doesn’t let go of Rambla and I make a move to get Rambla and the older one — Willa — she’s shoving me back and pointing a gun at me and then before I know it she spins me around and handcuffs me and puts a gag in my mouth.

(32 second pause, Ms. Sykes drinks water)

CS: So … we all leave the apartment, this is like a nightmare, I’m thinking it can’t be happening. But it is, it’s crazy, it’s like a bad dream out of nowhere and I’m figuring my sister’s behind this, at that point I didn’t know, I mean I never knew — what had happened to my sister — until you guys told me after you … liberated me. Us. So at that point … anyway, we get outside I’m still figuring I can alert someone but it’s late, it’s dark, no one’s out there and they parked their car real close to my building so it doesn’t take long to get to it. They shove me in the trunk and I’m thinking you’ve got no car seat for Rambla, Rambla needs a car seat.

(14 second pause)

CS: Where was I—

Dr. Delaware: A car seat.

CS: The drive took, I don’t know … it seemed like forever … I worried the whole ride, then we got home — their home, not mine — I saw them take Rambla out of the car seat. So they brought it. Which was good, at that point I just wanted anything to be good. They had diapers, too. Mine. My baby stuff. So. Okay. I thought they were going to take her and kill me but at least they cared enough about my baby … then they put us in the garage. So they didn’t kill me. So at least we’re together. So what’s the point? They uncuff me and chain me up to the wall with this like animal trap thing but they let me hold Rambla the entire time they’re doing it and I can reach Rambla’s crib but if I put Rambla down and she decides to crawl far from me there’s nothing I can do.

Mr. Nguyen: Did that ever happen?

CS: No. Not once. Not one single time. Rambla stayed right next to me.

(26 second pause)

Dr. Delaware: You talk about them putting you in the garage. Is it still Willa Nebe and Kiara Fallows?

CS: Oh. No. When we got there he was there also. The one I knew from the court. Those glasses of his, hiding his eyes. That really shocked me. Two bailiffs are doing something like this? But then I figured it out they were married. And crazy. Anyway. Rambla never left me. She never stopped wanting me. No matter what they said about me being a terrible mother. A terrible person.

Dr. Delaware: They told you that.

CS: All the time. Over and over. That was their reason. They knew what I was. From their work. Being in court, day after day. Hearing about miscreants and bums. That’s what they called it. Miscreants and bums and lowlifes who didn’t deserve to have kids. When so many people who deserved kids couldn’t.

Dr. Delaware: Like them.

CS: That’s what I assumed. Then she would come in and it got crazier.

Mr. Nguyen: She, being …

CS: The young one. Kiara. She was the scariest. I guess. I mean they were all scary, but her …

Dr. Delaware: She was especially scary.

CS: Because the other two — Willa and Hank — at least they said they cared, they had a reason for being crazy, some sort of crazy moral judgments, their work, I don’t know. But at least they gave me a reason. With her it was clearly a joke, she couldn’t care less. A mean joke, she’d come in, bring the food, that was her job, bringing the food and emptying the toilet but she’d always do it in a mean way. Spill food. Spill you-know-what out of the toilet and make sure I saw it and I had to clean it up because with Rambla crawling around it was disgusting. And she’d always make sure it was just far enough so I could clean it but I had to stretch and hurt my ankle, you know?

Dr. Delaware: Sadistic.

CS: Definitely. Also, what she’d say to me was sadistic. I mean with Willa and Hank it was always a test. The test, that’s what they actually called it. I was being examined. To see if I was fit. That gave me hope. At least at first. That I’d pass and they’d let me go. But of course …

(2 minute pause)

CS: I’m sorry, I was just thinking about what could’ve happened. I try not to think about it. Even though you tell me it’s okay to think about it, Dr. Delaware, it’ll get better. I mean I believe you, I trust you, from the moment I met you I had a good feeling about you. And now … thank you so so so much. And you, too, Lieutenant Sturgis. (laughter) And you, too, Mr. Nguyen. I guess you’re all fighting for me. (more laughter) I guess I should thank you too, miss. For taking notes. For putting my words down for posterity. Anyway …

Dr. Delaware: You had hopes you’d pass the test—

CS: And they’d let me go and that would be that. But down deep I knew. I mean I knew who they were. How could they let me go? And then I’d think about what would happen to Rambla. Someone else raising her. Because they judged me. And then she’d come in. Kiara. Not only would she spill stuff including from the toilet. She’d laugh and sneer and totally ignore Rambla. And then — the second day I think it was — she told me what the real plan was. That Rambla was for her. The other two were her uncle and aunt but they raised her so they were more like parents. But they were shitty parents. That’s what she called them. Strict and controlling and shitty, she hated them, one day she was going to take care of them. And then she winked and her face turned into this evil wink. Like she meant it. But like try to prove it. And then, the second day, she said, “They want her for me.” She never even looked at Rambla or smiled or was nice to Rambla. “They want her for me.” Her uncle and aunt are figuring a child will teach her responsibility. She laughed about that. A lot. Then she did it again. That evil wink.

(14 second pause)

CS: Okay, deep breath. Like what you taught me yesterday, Doctor. Deep deeeep breath … okay. Okay … so then she tells me one day Rambla will be hers and she can do anything she wants with Rambla, she doesn’t give a shit about kids, kids are a pain, maybe she could train Rambla to do circus tricks, make some money from her. Wink wink. Then she says, So guess what, bitch? It’ll all be up to me and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Lieutenant Sturgis: Did you ever tell this to Willa or Hank?

CS: I thought about it. Then I figured she’d just say I was lying and they’d punish me, maybe by taking Rambla away. I figured I had to behave myself. For my baby.

(90 second pause)

Mr. Nguyen: Are you okay to continue?

CS: That’s really it. I mean they locked me up and tortured me and I knew they were going to kill me and take my baby and then you showed up and liberated me and I’ll forever be grateful, if I ever have another baby it’ll be named after you. If it’s a boy. If it’s a girl, I’ll figure something out … maybe Alexa. Maybe Mylie.

(Laughter from JN, AD, and MS)

CS: I mean that was as unreal as the whole experience. Being liberated. I mean it really was.

Mr. Nguyen: So they made it clear that the primary reason for abducting you was to take control of your child.

CS: Well … I mean the other two claimed it was the test. But after the beginning — maybe the first two days — they stopped coming in and it was just her.

Mr. Nguyen: Kiara Fallows.

CS: Yes. Like she’d been made the one in charge. Like it was part of her training. Bringing the food. Giving and taking. She became God. Evil goddess. And she made it clear she was in charge, she even called me that. I’m sorry, you wouldn’t know what “that” means. A problem. She called me a problem. Said they were clearing away problems so she could learn to be a good mother. Then she laughed. And spit. Not on Rambla but at Rambla. Rambla understood, kids understand. It was getting to the point where each time she’d come in with the food my baby would scream. And she liked that. Kiara. Rambla would scream. And she’d laugh.