It is May 24, 2000, and we are going to Tuscarawas County in Ohio to New Philadelphia. It is exactly what you think of when you say small-town America, with lots of farmland and friendly people. Elizabeth Reiser who goes by Liz is a 17-year-old high school student who is looking forward to graduating and finding out all that life has to hold for her. Her good friend 18 year old Brandi Hicks asked Liz to come over and stay the night with her. On this day Brandi who was in the school choir was going to the choir banquet and wanted Liz to go with her. Even though it was a school night, her mother relented and said yes. That evening, the two friends visited a video store in New Philadelphia after the choir banquet to rent some videos for a movie night. When they left the store and started to get into the car, a man approached them. The man claimed he had no means of getting home and asked the girls for a ride, telling them he lived nearby.  The girls hesitated and told them they really needed to get home.  The man then offered them $20 as an incentive. The girls did not want to give this stranger a ride, but he urged them to, and they relented. They were young, naive, and always looked for the best in people. After all, he only needed to go across town and then they could go back and watch the movie they had rented. Neither Brandi nor Liz would ever get to watch that movie. 

Join Cam and Jen on this episode of Our True Crime Podcast entitled “Awash in Forgiveness: The Murder of Liz Reiser.”

Listener Discretion by @octoberpodVHS

Music by our EP @theinkypawprint

Special thanks to the sponsor of this episode: sleepcreme.com. Order your bottle today at sleepcreme.com. That’s sleepcreme.com. Use code “OTC PODCAST” (all one word) at checkout to save twenty bucks on the first order!


Sources: 
https://www.amazon.com/Through-My-Tears-Awash-Forgiveness/dp/1493691384

https://beckireiser.blogspot.com/2008/05/frustration-with-justice.html

https://www.morningjournal.com/2000/05/26/man-confesses-to-killing-teen/

https://casetext.com/case/state-v-vaca

https://www.timesreporter.com/story/entertainment/books/2014/03/21/book-reiser-family-s-story/987546007/

https://veritycreates.medium.com/the-murder-of-elizabeth-reiser-and-how-her-best-friend-battled-to-survive-f455b23d9590

https://www.chicagotribune.com/2000/07/23/death-penalty-44/

https://veritycreates.medium.com/who-killed-corona-girl-three-decades-on-police-want-to-know-d6cbe32139dc

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7554908/

https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/world-news/teen-played-dead-being-thrown-25062826
https://thecinemaholic.com/elizabeth-reiser-murder-where-is-matthew-vaca-now/