They Let Him Die — New Federal Lawsuit Names Arizona Governor in the Timothy Stone Case
When Timothy Paul Stone collapsed alone in a Phoenix motel bathroom, his three sons — Winston, Timothy Jr. and Marcel — had already been taken by police and handed to a woman their grandparents say was a stranger. Today, Timothy is dead and the boys are still missing.
In this update to our original Timothy Stone episode, we break down the Stones’ newly filed federal wrongful‑death and civil‑rights lawsuit. The complaint names the State of Arizona, Governor Katie Hobbs, Attorney General Kris Mayes, and multiple agencies and officers, and argues that officials “let him die to cover up a kidnapping” and could face liability under Arizona’s felony‑murder rule.
In this episode, we walk through:
The key allegations in the 1st Amended Complaint
How the felony‑murder rule works, and why the family believes it applies
The timeline from the motel welfare check to Timothy’s death
What we still don’t know about Winston, Timothy Jr., and Marcel’s whereabouts
If you have any information about the whereabouts of Winston Stone, Timothy Paul Stone Jr., or Marcel Orion Stone, please contact the FBI at 1‑800‑CALL‑FBI (1‑800‑225‑5324) or the/National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1‑800‑THE‑LOST (1‑800‑843‑5678).
Court documents and source links are available at NoTearsForBlackGirls.com (see the Resources section for the Timothy Stone case).
All individuals and agencies named in this episode are entitled to the presumption of innocence. The lawsuit described here contains allegations only.
CREDITS:
Created, Written, & Produced by John Reedburg
Hosted & Narrated by Samantha Paul
Production Company: John Reedburg Media
SOCIAL MEDIA LINKS:
https://www.youtube.com/@NoTearsForBlacksGirls
facebook.com/notearsforblackgirls
instagram.com/notearsforblackgirls
tiktok.com/@notearsforblackgirls
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Before we begin, this episode
contains discussions of child
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abduction, wrongful death, and
ongoing harm to missing
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children.
Listener discretion is advised.
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On December 1st, 2025, I brought
you the story of a Black father
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named Timothy Paul Stone.
For two hours and 24 minutes, we
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walked through the last 54 days
of his life. 54 days of waking
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up every morning wondering if
his three boys were still alive.
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54 days of calling police,
judges and government officials.
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54 days of begging.
A system that says it protects
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children to actually protect
his.
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When that episode ended, his
sons Winston, Timothy Junior and
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little Marcel had been missing
for 692 days.
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Tonight, they are still missing.
But in the days after that
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episode dropped, something
shifted.
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A new document landed in a
federal courthouse in Phoenix,
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30 plus pages that don't read
like a dry filing, but like an
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indictment of an entire state.
And our producer, Jon Reedberg,
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picked up the phone earlier this
week.
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John called Reverend John W
Stone, Timothy's father.
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When Rev Stone answered, he was
in his car heading to a Staples
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in Phoenix to print out that
document, an amended civil
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complaint filed December 8th,
2025 in the United States
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District Court for the District
of Arizona.
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He tells John it's 35 pages
long, that he wrote it himself,
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that he's been studying law for
40 years, that this complaint
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is, in his words, first rate.
And then before he talks about
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law, he talks about love.
He tells John that he and
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Timothy were soul mates.
Not in the romantic way.
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We usually use that word in the
way a parent sometimes locks in
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with one child.
The one who calls you first with
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good news and bad news, the one
who laughs at the same corny
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jokes, the one who shares your
brain.
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Sometimes you have a lot of
stuff in common with a
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particular child, he says.
That doesn't mean you love your
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other children less.
It just means you hit it off
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with one of them because you're
compatible in a lot of areas.
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That was the story with Timothy.
He talks about how Timothy
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became one of the first black
men to serve as a sales engineer
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at Cox Communications, leading a
team.
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How he balanced that work with a
body that had been managing type
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1 diabetes since he was two
years old.
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How he did all of that while
raising three boys, two of them
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on the autism spectrum.
He tells John that Timothy was
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born on February 28th, 1990.
That he died three days after
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his 34th birthday in a leap
year.
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I've been preaching for 40
years, he says.
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I've done funerals.
I've been at hospital beds.
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I thought I had seen and felt
everything, but when I was told
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he had been deceased, it
literally took my breath away.
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I fell out.
He pauses, and you can almost
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feel the weight of those words
pressing against the inside of
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the car windshield as he drives.
When the kids were abducted, he
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says, he and I worked day and
night together for him to, 54
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days after they were taken,
suddenly die.
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It just crashed my world.
I really didn't want to be here
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anymore.
He is 69.
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His wife, Reverend Shirley
Stone, is 75.
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This is something we will take
with us to the grave.
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He says.
We think about it every day.
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You don't see the world the same
anymore.
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If you're new to this story,
here is what happened.
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January 9th, 2024, El Mirage,
AZ.
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In the early hours of that
morning, Timothy is rushed to
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the ICU at Boswell Hospital in a
diabetic emergency.
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His insulin has been tampered
with or hidden.
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His blood sugar is in the 8
hundreds.
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He survives.
He is discharged.
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That afternoon.
He gets a ride home from his
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father.
When he walks into his
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apartment, his three boys are
gone. 12 year old Winston, 10
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year old Timothy Paul Stone
Junior, three-year old Marcel
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the live in babysitter.
A woman named Brittany Houston
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has taken them without
permission, without notice.
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She has already loaded them into
Timothy's own car and driven
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them across town.
She does not take them to a
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relative with joint custody.
She delivers them to their
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mother, Saraya Laurent Mccree,
Timothy's estranged wife, at a
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Cube Smart storage facility in
Mesa.
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This is not a misunderstanding.
Months earlier, Timothy had
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secured valid Protection Orders
from a judge listing himself and
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the boys as plaintiffs and
Saraya and her sister Eris
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Dupree as defendants.
The court found there was a
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credible risk of kidnapping and
abuse.
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Saraya had abandoned the boys
for 10 months, No visits, no
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calls, no support.
She was ordered to stay away
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from them.
Timothy comes home from the
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hospital, finds the apartment
empty and does what you are
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supposed to do when you have the
law on your side.
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He calls 911.
El Mirage Police Sergeant
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Matthew Jacobs responds.
Timothy shows him the Protection
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Orders, the file numbers, the
dates, the judge's signature.
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He makes it clear Brittany had
no permission to give the
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children to anyone, especially
Saraya or Harris.
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Jacobs acknowledges the orders,
acknowledges that Saraya is
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under court order to stay away,
then leaves the children where
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they are.
Over the next 54 days, Timothy
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does everything a person is told
to do to get help.
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He calls El Mirage police over
and over.
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He calls Mesa police because
that's where the storage
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facility is.
He calls Child Protective
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Services with his father.
He drafts a certified criminal
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complaint, notarized and sent to
Arizona Governor Katie Hobbs and
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Attorney General Kristen Mays.
He emails El Mirage Police Chief
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Paul Marzaca.
He writes to El Mirage Mayor
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Alexis Hermosillo.
On January 29th, the governor's
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office replies and promises to
review their complaint.
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That same day, Chief Marzoka
emails back saying I have my
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investigations Bureau looking
into this matter and then hours
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later tells Timothy he will not
be rescuing the children or
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arresting the kidnappers.
He claims Timothy was
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incapacitated when they were
taken.
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As if that excuses everything.
Timothy and his father lay out
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the law.
They quote kidnapping statutes,
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child abuse statutes.
They warn police that refusing
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to arrest the kidnappers and
blocking the boys rescue could
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make the city an accomplice.
No one comes.
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On February 1st, under
unbearable stress, Timothy calls
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Saraya.
He threatens her if she doesn't
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return the children.
She calls 911.
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Mesa Police officer Damien Ryden
responds to Cube Smart, calls
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Timothy, and, according to the
lawsuit, threatens him with
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physical harm if he tries to get
his own children back.
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Shortly afterward, an El Mirage
officer calls Timothy with the
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same threat.
On February 21st, a process
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server finally manages to get
inside the locked Cube Smart
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facility and physically hands
Syria the protection order she
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had been dodging in Nevada.
She reads it.
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She ignores it.
She keeps the children.
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On February 29th, Timothy and
his father file an emergency
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motion with Judge Michael
Parascondola, the same judge who
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had issued the Protection Orders
the year before.
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They beg him to order the
children rescued.
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He sets a hearing for March 4th.
Timothy believes, truly
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believes, that if he can just
survive until that hearing,
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someone will finally have to
act.
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On March 2nd, 2 days before that
hearing, El Mirage police call
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his parents.
Officers have gone to his
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apartment and found him on the
floor.
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He is dead.
On paper.
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The death certificate calls it
natural causes to Reverend
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Stone.
There is nothing natural about
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it.
In the call with John, he tells
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our producer.
My take on it is they didn't let
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him die, they actually killed
him.
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He describes how, according to
Timothy's roommate, the same
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three officers they've been
trying to sue over the
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kidnapping went into Timothy's
room, closed the door, locked
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the roommate out and emerged 5
minutes later to pronounce him
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dead.
We don't know exactly how it
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came down, he says, but we know
this because they allowed the
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kidnapping to go on.
The officials ended up
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torturously murdering Tim.
According to John and Shirley's
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amended federal complaint, after
Timothy died, his body was
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signed over to a so-called
Research for Life program and
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then cremated.
The Stones say they were never
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asked for their consent, never
given a chance to view their
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son's body before the cremation,
and that in the end, all they
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received was a small cardboard
box of ashes they had to fight
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for.
Up to this point, you've mostly
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heard from Timothy's parents
what they were told, what they
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saw, what they allege in this
federal complaint.
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Saraya Mccree, the boy's mother,
hasn't sat down for any
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interview about Timothy's death
or about these lawsuits.
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She hasn't answered questions
from reporters, but she has
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spoken in the comments section
on Facebook under Timothy's
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GoFundMe post under her own
name.
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Saraya writes, quote, complete
lies.
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His body has been donated to
research for life and the
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cremation is free.
I have all the proof and
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paperwork and quote.
In another comment on that same
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thread she says quote all this
for money.
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Y'all can't even mourn his
death.
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So sad and quote and replying
directly to another user.
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She writes quote he knew where
the kids were.
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I'm their mother lol so I know
the real situation.
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End Quote.
Those are Surreya's words on a
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public GoFundMe post about
Timothy's death.
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The stones tell a very different
story.
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They say they have never been
shown any of this supposed proof
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and paperwork about body
donation.
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In their amended federal
complaint, they allege that
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Timothy did not consent to
donation, that his body was
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cremated against the family's
wishes, and that when they tried
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to claim his remains, they were
blocked by the Funeral Home and
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by law enforcement.
And when it comes to the boys,
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they say no one from the police,
the Funeral Home or from Saraya
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ever called to say, here is
where your grandsons are, Here
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is who has them.
Even though by her own comment,
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Surya is saying she knew exactly
where the kids were because,
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quote, I'm their mother.
Set against Surya Mccree's
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Facebook comments, this is how
Timothy's father understands
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what happened to his son.
Those are Reverend Stone's words
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about his boy's death.
That is the truth He is asking a
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court to recognize.
The amended complaint he was
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printing at Staples that morning
takes that grief and turns it
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into legal language.
It names in black ink.
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Arizona Governor Kathleen Marie
Hobbs sued in her official and
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individual capacity, a former
social worker and state
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legislator who ran publicly on
her record of protecting women
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and children.
Arizona Attorney General Kristen
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Mays sued in her official and
individual capacity, the state's
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top law enforcement officer, A
former regulator and journalist
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now branding herself as a
defender of consumers and
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democracy.
El Mirage Mayor Alexis
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Hermosillo, El Mirage Police
Chief Paul Marzocca Sergeant
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Matthew Jacobs of El Mirage
Police, Mesa Police Officer
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Damien K Ryden, El Mirage
Municipal Court Judge Michael
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Parascandola, Maricopa County
Superior Court Judges Melissa
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Zabor, Jennifer Ryan Touhill and
Michael Herod.
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CubeSmart, the storage company
whose Mesa facility became, in
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effect, a holding Center for
kidnapped children.
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00:12:53,520 --> 00:12:57,040
MetLife, the insurance giant
that, after months of
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00:12:57,040 --> 00:13:00,640
documentation, refused to
disqualify Soraya as the
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00:13:00,640 --> 00:13:04,400
beneficiary of Timothy's life
insurance, even as it sat on
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00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:07,920
proof of abandonment threats and
recorded admissions.
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And the three women who
according to the complaint,
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00:13:11,320 --> 00:13:16,240
started it all, Soraya Laurent
Mccree, the estranged wife,
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00:13:16,880 --> 00:13:21,320
Heiress Dupree, her sister, and
Brittany Houston, the non
219
00:13:21,320 --> 00:13:25,280
relative babysitter who out on
bond for crimes against her own
220
00:13:25,280 --> 00:13:29,080
children, used Timothy's medical
crisis to clear him out of the
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00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:32,920
apartment, then took his boys
and delivered them into danger.
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00:13:33,760 --> 00:13:37,080
The complaint alleges a
coordinated scheme that these
223
00:13:37,080 --> 00:13:40,760
individuals, from babysitter to
governor, entered into an
224
00:13:40,760 --> 00:13:45,080
agreement by what they did and
by what they refused to do that
225
00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,920
resulted in the ongoing
kidnapping of three children and
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00:13:48,920 --> 00:13:50,760
the torturous death of their
father.
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00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:55,440
Those are allegations in a civil
lawsuit, not findings in a
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00:13:55,440 --> 00:13:58,480
criminal trial.
Every person named in that
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00:13:58,480 --> 00:14:02,520
complaint is entitled to defend
themselves, to deny wrongdoing
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00:14:02,800 --> 00:14:06,800
and to be presumed innocent of
any crime unless and until a
231
00:14:06,800 --> 00:14:10,600
Criminal Court says otherwise.
But if you read what Reverend
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00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:14,920
Stone has filed, what you cannot
call this is a custody dispute
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00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:18,840
that got out of hand.
At one point in that car ride,
234
00:14:18,840 --> 00:14:21,880
as he talks to John, you can
hear him shift from grieving
235
00:14:21,880 --> 00:14:25,600
father to the man who has been
reading statutes for 40 years.
236
00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:30,160
He asks John, you know how
felony murder works, right?
237
00:14:31,000 --> 00:14:34,520
He gives him an example.
Let's say you have a Bar and
238
00:14:34,520 --> 00:14:37,840
Grill.
He says 3 or 4 guys come in with
239
00:14:37,840 --> 00:14:40,840
guns and stick you up.
During that time, one of your
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00:14:40,840 --> 00:14:44,520
customers has a heart attack or
trips over a can and dies.
241
00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:47,520
The people robbing you get
felony murder charges.
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00:14:48,160 --> 00:14:50,400
They don't have a separate trial
on felony murder.
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00:14:51,120 --> 00:14:53,800
They get it automatically
because of the underlying crime.
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00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:59,640
But once they leave, he says, if
nobody dies, once they leave,
245
00:15:00,040 --> 00:15:01,840
the Commission of the crime is
complete.
246
00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:04,160
There's no more Commission of
the crime.
247
00:15:05,040 --> 00:15:08,360
Then he turns to kidnapping.
Kidnapping is one of the only
248
00:15:08,360 --> 00:15:11,640
crimes.
He says that when you kidnap
249
00:15:11,640 --> 00:15:16,320
someone, if somebody dies during
that kidnapping, the entire time
250
00:15:16,320 --> 00:15:19,760
counts.
If you kidnap that person and
251
00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:23,240
you keep them for three months,
every single day you keep them
252
00:15:23,560 --> 00:15:26,840
is a new charge.
The Commission of the crime is
253
00:15:26,840 --> 00:15:28,960
ongoing.
It doesn't stop until you
254
00:15:28,960 --> 00:15:32,280
release the victim and then he
applies it to his son.
255
00:15:33,360 --> 00:15:37,440
In this particular situation, he
tells John the way it works is
256
00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:41,520
when they kidnap the kids and
Timothy died trying to rescue
257
00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:44,160
them, they all face felony
murder.
258
00:15:45,280 --> 00:15:48,760
When we talk about felony murder
here, we're not talking about a
259
00:15:48,760 --> 00:15:51,280
feeling.
We're talking about a rule in
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00:15:51,280 --> 00:15:54,720
criminal law.
In many states, including
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00:15:54,720 --> 00:15:58,040
Arizona, if someone dies while
you are committing certain
262
00:15:58,040 --> 00:16:01,560
serious felonies, everyone
committing that felony can be
263
00:16:01,560 --> 00:16:05,040
held responsible for murder,
even if no one meant to kill,
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00:16:05,400 --> 00:16:08,360
and even if the death looks
natural on paper.
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00:16:08,960 --> 00:16:14,800
Robbery, burglary, rape, and in
Arizona, kidnapping.
266
00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:19,000
Arizona's law also treats
kidnapping as a continuing
267
00:16:19,000 --> 00:16:21,840
crime.
The felony doesn't end until the
268
00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:25,000
victim is safely released.
So if a death happens while that
269
00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:28,040
kidnapping is still in motion,
the clock hasn't stopped.
270
00:16:28,880 --> 00:16:32,080
In Reverend Stone's mind,
Timothy's heart didn't just give
271
00:16:32,080 --> 00:16:36,760
out, it failed under the weight
of an ongoing felony that never
272
00:16:36,760 --> 00:16:38,360
should have been allowed to
happen.
273
00:16:39,280 --> 00:16:43,040
In his words, this case is not
about officials letting Timothy
274
00:16:43,040 --> 00:16:46,920
die, it's about them killing him
by keeping the kidnapping going,
275
00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:51,240
he tells John.
You have the opportunity to be
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00:16:51,240 --> 00:16:54,560
the first media person to post
the fact that for the first time
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00:16:54,560 --> 00:16:58,080
in the history of the United
States, a sitting governor and a
278
00:16:58,080 --> 00:17:01,600
sitting attorney general are
facing felony murder level
279
00:17:01,600 --> 00:17:04,280
charges.
And it's not hypothetical.
280
00:17:04,720 --> 00:17:09,480
This is as per the law.
Legally today, what exists is a
281
00:17:09,480 --> 00:17:13,640
civil wrongful death and civil
rights lawsuit, not a criminal
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00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:17,200
indictment.
No prosecutor has yet walked
283
00:17:17,200 --> 00:17:20,839
into a courtroom and read out
state of Arizona versus Governor
284
00:17:20,839 --> 00:17:26,160
Hobbs on a felony murder count.
What he's saying is this, if
285
00:17:26,200 --> 00:17:29,760
ordinary people can be charged
with felony murder when someone
286
00:17:29,760 --> 00:17:33,200
dies during a corner store
robbery, then the facts he has
287
00:17:33,200 --> 00:17:38,280
alleged an ongoing kidnapping.
A man who dies under that stress
288
00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:42,640
and officials who in his view,
kept that kidnapping alive
289
00:17:43,080 --> 00:17:46,360
should expose the people at the
top to the same rule they've
290
00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:50,800
used on everyone else.
And if any prosecutor ever had
291
00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:53,320
the courage to file those
charges against a sitting
292
00:17:53,320 --> 00:17:56,200
governor and attorney general,
it would be something this
293
00:17:56,200 --> 00:18:00,400
country has never seen before.
When our producer asks him
294
00:18:00,400 --> 00:18:03,320
whether this was simply a case
of officials letting Timothy
295
00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:06,280
die, Reverend Stone cuts that
phrase off.
296
00:18:07,160 --> 00:18:10,680
My take on it, he says, is they
didn't let him die.
297
00:18:11,320 --> 00:18:15,840
They actually killed him.
He talks about officers who, in
298
00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:20,560
his words, refused to go get the
kids, obstructed justice on so
299
00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,240
many occasions and then showed
up at Timothy's apartment the
300
00:18:24,240 --> 00:18:28,720
night he died.
To me he says this isn't
301
00:18:28,720 --> 00:18:31,080
neglect.
They kidnapped the kids and
302
00:18:31,080 --> 00:18:35,160
caused purposely, intentionally,
his torturous death.
303
00:18:36,320 --> 00:18:39,520
That is how he sees it.
That is what he is asking a
304
00:18:39,520 --> 00:18:42,480
federal judge and one day a jury
to see.
305
00:18:43,360 --> 00:18:47,400
But in all of this, in law and
procedure and unprecedented
306
00:18:47,400 --> 00:18:50,040
allegations, there are three
boys.
307
00:18:50,560 --> 00:18:54,560
I want you to picture them not
as names in a caption, but as
308
00:18:54,560 --> 00:18:59,720
people. 13 year old Winston, the
oldest, the one who sits up a
309
00:18:59,720 --> 00:19:03,160
little too straight when adults
are talking, trying to be a man
310
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:04,760
before he's finished being a
boy.
311
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,400
I imagine him on a hard bench
outside a courtroom, swinging
312
00:19:09,400 --> 00:19:12,960
his feet in the space between
floor and seat, listening to
313
00:19:12,960 --> 00:19:16,920
raised voices behind a closed
door, wondering if this time
314
00:19:16,920 --> 00:19:21,480
someone will actually fix it. 11
year old Timothy Junior,
315
00:19:22,000 --> 00:19:26,920
autistic, sensitive to sudden
noise, to changes in routine.
316
00:19:28,160 --> 00:19:31,320
I see him lining up toy cars in
perfect rows along the edge of a
317
00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,360
coffee table while his dad
measures out insulin at the
318
00:19:34,360 --> 00:19:37,080
kitchen counter.
The soft click of the pen and
319
00:19:37,080 --> 00:19:41,400
the rhythm of tiny wheels
tapping, wood beating in time. 4
320
00:19:41,400 --> 00:19:46,800
year old Marcel, still baby soft
in the cheeks, falling asleep on
321
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:51,080
Timothy's chest during cartoons,
one small hand hooked in the
322
00:19:51,080 --> 00:19:54,800
collar of his work shirt as if
gripping tight enough means
323
00:19:54,800 --> 00:19:57,840
Daddy can never leave.
Those are the boys who were
324
00:19:57,840 --> 00:20:00,280
turned into leverage in a legal
chess game.
325
00:20:00,880 --> 00:20:03,560
Those are the boys this lawsuit
is really about.
326
00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:08,120
We know from the complaint and
from Reverend Stone's calls that
327
00:20:08,120 --> 00:20:11,640
for a time they were being held
at a Cube Smart storage facility
328
00:20:11,640 --> 00:20:14,200
in Mesa where Saraya was
employed.
329
00:20:14,840 --> 00:20:17,640
We know that when process
servers and police knocked on
330
00:20:17,640 --> 00:20:21,520
her door in Las Vegas, she
refused to open it, dodging
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00:20:21,520 --> 00:20:24,000
service until they could no
longer find her.
332
00:20:25,200 --> 00:20:27,880
We know that when she was
finally served at Cube Smart on
333
00:20:27,880 --> 00:20:31,040
February 21st, she read the
order and kept the children
334
00:20:31,040 --> 00:20:33,720
anyway.
We know that on April 10th,
335
00:20:33,880 --> 00:20:38,760
2024, Reverend Stone received 2
phone calls from Aris Dupree and
336
00:20:38,760 --> 00:20:41,560
one from Saraya in one
voicemail.
337
00:20:41,800 --> 00:20:44,680
Aris says she was present when
she and Saraya told Brittany to
338
00:20:44,680 --> 00:20:47,160
kidnap the kids and bring them
to Nevada.
339
00:20:47,880 --> 00:20:51,840
She says Timothy deserved his
torturous death and that she is
340
00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,800
happy he is dead.
In another voicemail, Surya says
341
00:20:55,800 --> 00:20:58,880
she knew that the decedent was
going to die.
342
00:20:59,880 --> 00:21:02,560
Those recordings now sit in an
evidence file.
343
00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:05,400
No one has been arrested on
those admissions.
344
00:21:06,120 --> 00:21:08,760
We know that MetLife spent
months corresponding with
345
00:21:08,760 --> 00:21:12,480
Reverend Stone asking him to
send every document he had.
346
00:21:12,760 --> 00:21:16,680
Protection Orders, police
reports, certified complaints,
347
00:21:17,000 --> 00:21:19,720
Facebook posts where Surya
admits she was kept from the
348
00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,680
children for 10 months, the
exact span of time she was under
349
00:21:23,680 --> 00:21:27,440
a protection order.
MetLife encouraged him to keep
350
00:21:27,440 --> 00:21:30,720
sending evidence, told him they
would hold the death benefits in
351
00:21:30,720 --> 00:21:33,240
a liability account while they
reviewed.
352
00:21:34,640 --> 00:21:38,560
On September 11th, 2024, MetLife
sent him a letter.
353
00:21:39,360 --> 00:21:42,520
It said that because the El
Mirage police report did not
354
00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,400
list the allegations he had
raised, they would not be
355
00:21:45,400 --> 00:21:47,880
disqualifying Soraya as the
beneficiary.
356
00:21:49,120 --> 00:21:51,960
The same Police Department that
refused to rescue the children
357
00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,920
wrote the report MetLife decided
to trust.
358
00:21:55,840 --> 00:21:59,640
We know that after all of this,
three Maricopa County Judges
359
00:21:59,800 --> 00:22:03,880
Zabor, Ryan, Tuhill and Herod
held a private meeting where
360
00:22:03,880 --> 00:22:07,320
they decided how to handle the
emergency motions Reverend Stone
361
00:22:07,320 --> 00:22:10,080
had filed in his first wrongful
death case.
362
00:22:11,240 --> 00:22:16,120
We know that on September 12th,
2024, Judge Zabor, who wasn't
363
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:19,360
even assigned to the case, held
what the complaint calls an
364
00:22:19,360 --> 00:22:23,080
illegal negotiation with the
kidnappers, spoke to Saraya on
365
00:22:23,080 --> 00:22:27,120
the phone and, in Reverend
Stone's words, encouraged her to
366
00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:30,120
keep herself and the children
concealed in Nevada.
367
00:22:31,360 --> 00:22:34,760
We know she then, according to
the complaint, tried to charge
368
00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:39,760
the Stones more than $300 in
fees just to be allowed to see
369
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:42,880
the children.
We know that after that hearing,
370
00:22:43,280 --> 00:22:45,800
the first wrongful death case
fell apart.
371
00:22:46,760 --> 00:22:50,720
Reverend Stone withdrew it only
to refile in federal court.
372
00:22:51,440 --> 00:22:54,400
And we know that as of the
filing of this amended complaint
373
00:22:54,400 --> 00:22:59,720
in December 2025, the children
remain kidnapped and endangered.
374
00:23:00,680 --> 00:23:04,840
Those are the words on the page
somewhere right now.
375
00:23:05,280 --> 00:23:08,240
There are three black boys who
have been gone from their
376
00:23:08,240 --> 00:23:13,040
grandparents for nearly two
years, two of them on the autism
377
00:23:13,040 --> 00:23:16,800
spectrum, all three of them
growing up in an alternate
378
00:23:16,800 --> 00:23:19,240
reality.
Maybe they've been told their
379
00:23:19,240 --> 00:23:22,280
father didn't want them.
Maybe they've been told he chose
380
00:23:22,280 --> 00:23:25,000
another family.
Maybe they know only that
381
00:23:25,000 --> 00:23:28,480
something broke, that the air
around the adults hummed with
382
00:23:28,480 --> 00:23:32,320
fear, and then their world
shrank to a new set of walls and
383
00:23:32,320 --> 00:23:36,720
new rules that never made sense.
Maybe they're sitting in a Las
384
00:23:36,720 --> 00:23:39,800
Vegas apartment, curtains
permanently drawn.
385
00:23:40,600 --> 00:23:44,280
Maybe they're in a small town in
another state, enrolled under
386
00:23:44,280 --> 00:23:47,400
new names, told not to talk
about before.
387
00:23:48,320 --> 00:23:52,000
Maybe they are not in school at
all, kept off the grid so no one
388
00:23:52,000 --> 00:23:54,040
can notice three boys who don't
fit.
389
00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:56,960
They do not know that their
names are in a federal
390
00:23:56,960 --> 00:23:59,080
complaint.
They do not know that their
391
00:23:59,080 --> 00:24:02,520
names sit on a website that has
been quietly accusing Arizona's
392
00:24:02,520 --> 00:24:05,760
leadership of felony murder
level conduct for more than a
393
00:24:05,760 --> 00:24:08,600
year.
They do not know that a 69 year
394
00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:12,400
old pastor and a 75 year old
grandmother are spending their
395
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,640
last years in front of computer
screens instead of in rocking
396
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:19,960
chairs, drafting motions instead
of knitting because they refuse
397
00:24:19,960 --> 00:24:21,600
to let their grandchildren
vanish.
398
00:24:22,960 --> 00:24:25,840
When John asks Reverend Stone
what he wants people listening
399
00:24:25,840 --> 00:24:28,200
to do, he doesn't talk about
money.
400
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:34,120
He doesn't talk about politics.
First thing he says is you don't
401
00:24:34,120 --> 00:24:36,880
let this die.
You keep saying their names.
402
00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,800
You keep this on the front page.
Then he gets specific.
403
00:24:41,480 --> 00:24:45,080
If you live in Nevada,
especially in Las Vegas, he says
404
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,240
pay attention.
You see three boys who look like
405
00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:53,920
mine around 1311 and four with a
woman who seems nervous, who
406
00:24:53,920 --> 00:24:57,040
doesn't let them talk.
You see kids who say they used
407
00:24:57,040 --> 00:25:00,200
to live in Arizona or who flinch
when someone mentions the
408
00:25:00,200 --> 00:25:02,800
police.
Don't just brush that off.
409
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,760
If you have any information
about the whereabouts of Winston
410
00:25:06,760 --> 00:25:12,000
Stone, Timothy Paul Stone Junior
or Marcel Orion Stone, you can
411
00:25:12,000 --> 00:25:15,240
contact the FBI.
The number for tips is
412
00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:31,440
800-225-5324.
Again, 800-225-5324.
413
00:25:32,360 --> 00:25:35,120
You can also contact the
National Center for Missing and
414
00:25:35,120 --> 00:25:39,520
Exploited Children at
800-843-5678.
415
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:45,440
That's 800-843-5678.
If you work in a school, a
416
00:25:45,440 --> 00:25:49,080
clinic, or a social service
agency and you think you've seen
417
00:25:49,080 --> 00:25:53,000
these children, you do not have
to be certain to make a report.
418
00:25:53,800 --> 00:25:57,760
You can give what you know and
let investigators do their job.
419
00:25:58,480 --> 00:26:01,360
If you work inside one of the
institutions named in this
420
00:26:01,360 --> 00:26:04,720
complaint, the governor's
office, the Attorney General's
421
00:26:04,720 --> 00:26:10,600
office, El Mirage police, Mesa
police, MetLife Cube, smart, and
422
00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:13,320
you know something that has not
yet come out, you have a choice.
423
00:26:14,120 --> 00:26:17,200
You can keep your head down and
hope this never touches your
424
00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:19,760
desk.
Or you can decide that three
425
00:26:19,760 --> 00:26:23,640
boys and the truth about what
was done to their father matter
426
00:26:23,640 --> 00:26:28,080
more than your comfort.
The amended complaint in Stone
427
00:26:28,080 --> 00:26:30,080
versus Mccree is a public
record.
428
00:26:30,640 --> 00:26:34,240
We've put a copy of it, along
with key documents in this case,
429
00:26:34,520 --> 00:26:37,920
on our website.
You can find it at No Tears for
430
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:41,360
blackgirls.com.
Click on the Resources tab and
431
00:26:41,360 --> 00:26:45,800
look for Timothy Stone updates.
You will see Reverend John and
432
00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,280
Reverend Shirley Stone's
signatures at the bottom.
433
00:26:48,760 --> 00:26:51,640
No law firm letterhead, no
partner names.
434
00:26:52,000 --> 00:26:56,200
Just two elderly parents
representing themselves, asking
435
00:26:56,200 --> 00:26:59,280
a federal court to say that what
happened to their family was not
436
00:26:59,280 --> 00:27:04,760
just sad, it was unlawful.
A black father loved his sons
437
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:07,000
enough to burn himself out
fighting for them.
438
00:27:07,680 --> 00:27:10,560
Two black grandparents love
their grandsons enough to spend
439
00:27:10,560 --> 00:27:13,880
their last years fighting a
government that, in their view,
440
00:27:13,880 --> 00:27:17,400
chose convenience over children.
And now you know their names.
441
00:27:18,040 --> 00:27:23,760
Winston, Timothy.
Junior Marcel Timothy's story is
442
00:27:23,760 --> 00:27:26,560
not over.
His children's story is not
443
00:27:26,560 --> 00:27:29,120
over.
And as long as this microphone
444
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is in front of me, this story
will not be silenced.
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Stay loved, stay blessed, stay
safe.
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I'm Samantha Paul.
This is no tears for black
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girls.