5 year old calls 911, parents are dead

[Conundrum 1]

Quote

NEW SMYRNA BEACH, Fla. -- A Volusia County man who wrongly believed a couple had reported him for growing marijuana and possessing steroids broke into their house and fatally shot the two before killing himself, police said.


WESH-TV, Orlando

Aeneas Hernlen, 29, died at a Daytona Beach hospital on Tuesday. His wife, Julie Hernlen, 31, was killed Monday.

The couple's 5-year-old daughter, awakened by gunshots shortly before 3 a.m. Monday, found her parents and called 911.

David Edward Johnson, 33, committed suicide at his home later that day, Volusia County sheriff's investigators said. No suicide note was found.

Authorities said Johnson shot the Hernlens because he believed the couple had turned him into law enforcement in November. Sheriff's investigators have said the Hernlens had nothing to do with Johnson's arrest.

In January, the Hernlens tried to get an injunction against Johnson, claiming he drove in front of their home and made threats.

But the judge assigned the case denied the request, saying "no violence was alleged and it was hard to prove stalking with the allegations" presented, according to court papers.

"Looking back on it, I would have liked to have done it differently," Circuit Judge Richard Graham said. "But you review each case on a case-by-case basis."

Here's the 911 transcript:

Quote

OPERATOR: 911, what is your emergency?

CHILD:Um, hello.

OPERATOR: Hello. Is everything OK?

CHILD: My mommy and daddy

OPERATOR: Uh-huh.

CHILD: I think there is a bullet on the floor.

OPERATOR: And the what?

CHILD: And there is blood, coming out of my dad's mouth and he fell off the bed.

OPERATOR: He did? Where's mommy at?

CHILD: She is, I don't know, I think they're dead.

OPERATOR: What do you mean sweetheart?

CHILD: I don't know.

OPERATOR: OK, your daddy's on the floor. How old are you?

CHILD: I'm 5 years old and I have a dog in a house.

OPERATOR: OK baby, OK. Let me get someone right over to you. Did you, did you go in your mommy and daddy's room?

CHILD: Uh-huh, and there is blood.

OPERATOR: All over the place?

CHILD: Not all over. There's blood on the plant and blood on the floor.

OPERATOR: Oh my goodness and you have your little doggie with you?

CHILD: And three cats.

OPERATOR: And three cats too?

CHILD: Three cats and one dog.

OPERATOR: OK, are you the the only one there besides mommy and daddy?

CHILD: Well I said "Mommy" and "Daddy" and they didn't even answer.

OPERATOR: OK, OK, what I want you to do honey. I want you to stay on the phone with me. What is your name?

CHILD: (tells operator her name)

OPERATOR: Oh that is a very pretty name.

CHILD: (blocked out)

OPERATOR: Oh, I'm so sorry, that is a beautiful name. What is your doggie's name?

CHILD: Lizzah

OPERATOR: OK, and what made you wake up tonight?

CHILD: There was, I think I heard a gunshot.

OPERATOR: You heard a gun?

CHILD: Yes, and I see a bullet lying on the floor. I think it's a bullet.

OPERATOR: Really!

CHILD: Mmm-hmm

OPERATOR: Who has a gun in the house?

CHILD: I don't see a gun but I'm scared.

OPERATOR: Oh sweetheart! . . . I will not let anything happen to you.

CHILD: Can you send a deputy down here?

OPERATOR: I promise I will . . . and you're only 5 years old?

CHILD: Mmm-hmm

OPERATOR: You are so smart for 5 years old. Wow! . . . are you off from school this week?

CHILD: Um, no, I go to school next year.

OPERATOR: You do? Oh my gosh, you're not even in kindergarten yet?

CHILD: Nope.

OPERATOR: Oh, what's your doggie's name?

CHILD: Lizzah

OPERATOR: Lizzah, what kind of doggie is she?

CHILD: She's a lab.

OPERATOR: Oh my God, I love those. Those are so beautiful. Is she a black lab or is she a yellow lab?

CHILD: A black lab.

OPERATOR: Oh, you are so smart.

CHILD: With, um, brown eyes.

OPERATOR: Oh my goodness, how old is she?

CHILD: She is like 3 years old, or, 2 years old, I don't really know.

OPERATOR: Wow! . . . You can remember for a really long time.

CHILD: Yup.

OPERATOR: Oh my goodness. Was there anybody else in the house tonight besides you and mommy and daddy tonight? Like an uncle or anything?

CHILD: No, there's no robber in the house.

OPERATOR: OK, well I didn't think there would be a robber sweetheart. Did you have anybody staying over the night with you guys tonight?

CHILD: Nnn- nnn

OPERATOR: OK. So and the doors are all locked? And everything like that . . . Where are you in the house?

CHILD: Well, I was in my room sleeping till I heard a noise shot and it woke me up.

OPERATOR: Oh my goodness. Uh, what part of the house are you in at now?

CHILD: I'm in the one, it's yellow, all yellow house, of green, green with it, a little bit of green, and a pink door.

OPERATOR: Oh my goodness, that sounds really cool. Did you pick out the pink door?

CHILD: Um, no, my mom picked out the door.

OPERATOR: Look, I bet you that is beautiful. Does mommy and daddy have a car in the driveway?

CHILD: Mmm-hmm, two cars.

OPERATOR: Two cars? What kind of cars do they have?

CHILD: Umm, my mom has a Toyota

OPERATOR: What color is that Toyota?

CHILD: Umm

OPERATOR: Is it dark, or grey, or silver?

CHILD: It's um red.

OPERATOR: Red? OK, what kind of car does daddy have?

CHILD: He has a Jeep. It's black and . . .

OPERATOR: OK, listen to me (name). Is your phone the type that you can take with you and walk around?

CHILD: Um, this . . .

OPERATOR: There should be an officer at your front door. I need for you to take your phone with you and walk over to the door and open it for me, OK? And I will stay on the phone with you, OK?

CHILD: But um . . .

OPERATOR: I will not hang up.

CHILD: I'm naked.

OPERATOR: Oh, well do you want to grab a towel or something? I don't think the officer's going to care baby. We just want to make sure that mommy and daddy are OK, all right?

CHILD: Mmm-hmm.

OPERATOR: Grab a blanket or something. Stay on the phone with me, stay on the phone, alright?

CHILD: OK.

OPERATOR: My name is Donna, by the way. You are doing a wonderful job (blocked), wonderful job.

CHILD: And I know what to do for (incoherent)

OPERATOR: You did great!

CHILD: I knew

OPERATOR: You were wonderful, absolutely wonderful. You should be very proud of yourself.

CHILD: I'm to the door, I'm unlocking it.

OPERATOR: OK, you let me know when the officer talks to you. OK you go ahead (blocked), talk to the officer.

OFFICER: (background) You talking to the dispatcher? OK, tell her I'm here now and you can hang up.

OPERATOR: Bye sweetheart.

CHILD: Um, he's here.

OPERATOR: OK sweetheart, you be good, OK? Bye-bye.

so sad. They played the tape on the radio yesterady. Her sad little voice is heartbreaking.

[bivar 0]

(crying)

----------------------------------------

[bch7773 0]

thats terrible for the kid to have seen that. hopefully shes young enough to not be traumatized.

MB 3528, RB 1182

[Rebecca 0]

poor little baby. and so brave.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[skymama 37]

yeah, that's just down the road from my area. Very sad.

She is Da Man, and you better not mess with Da Man,
because she will lay some keepdown on you faster than, well, really fast. ~Billvon

[wmw999 2,545]

Yeah, me too. And what a great job the 911 operator did.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[justinb138 0]

Did the police get the guy that did it yet?

[Rebecca 0]

Nope. He killed himself.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[USNLawdog 0]

Makes you think about how horrible people can be to one another, over something so stupid. One good thing out of this is that the little girl survived. This very easily could have been a triple murder. I can only imagine the feelings the LEO must have had at that scene. The operator did a damn fine job of keeping the girl calm and occupied too. No matter what training you have nothing can ever prepare you for a situation like that.

"I've taken the liberty of drafting your confession, you will be given a fair trial and then taken out back and shot."

[Rebecca 0]

She seemed remarkably calm all on her own. Tough kiddo.

you've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel loquacious?' -- well do you, punk?

[Lindsey 0]

He thought (the guy who shot them), incorrectly, they had turned him in for selling marijuana or something? I heard that on some channel this morning. Is that right? How insane....

Makes the trivial day-to-day drama seem really insignificant, doesn't it....

linz

--
A conservative is just a liberal who's been mugged. A liberal is just a conservative who's been to jail

[PrairieDoug 0]

Wow.

Reminds me of a bumper sticker I saw last week... "If you aren't appalled, you haven't been paying attention."

Doug

[justaflygirl 0]

What a precious little child, God is holding her close and He will carry her thru this!

[jumpergirl 0]

I heard that on the news this morning when I was getting ready for work. Then they played it again on the radio when I got to work. How heartbreaking and terrible for that little girl. My thoughts and prayers are with her.

[lawrocket 3]

Gad. I was bawling on the way to work when I heard that.

My wife is hotter than your wife.

[ifall 0]

I heard it as well on the radio last night on the way home from work. I commend that operator for keeping the girl calm. I feel such sorrow for her though. Luckily, I heard today she has a big family to support her.

[windcatcher 0]

oh man...
I hope that little girl isn't traumatized for life, and hopefully they find someone to take real good care of her now that her parents are gone

Mother to the cutest little thing in the world...

[skylord 1]

How about we start a collection for this poor little girl for college. I'm a very busy person, and if someone could set up an account and do all the coordination, I'll make the first contribution.

This was awful, and I don't ever want to listen to the audio. I've done that for too many airplane crashes. This girl will be traumatized, she is incredibly aware and level headed.

What an incredible job the dispatcher did. My, this was the saddest story I've heard in many, many years.

Bob

Bob Marks

"-when you leave the airplane its all wrong til it goes right, its a whole different mindset, this is why you have system redundancy." Mattaman

[ladyskydiver 0]

The poor parents and that poor child.

Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

Quote

How about we start a collection for this poor little girl for college. I'm a very busy person, and if someone could set up an account and do all the coordination, I'll make the first contribution.

This was awful, and I don't ever want to listen to the audio. I've done that for too many airplane crashes. This girl will be traumatized, she is incredibly aware and level headed.

What an incredible job the dispatcher did. My, this was the saddest story I've heard in many, many years.

Bob

I do believe it IS the saddest thing I've ever heard in my life. That poor girl. She's so brave, and smart.

If I do hear of a fund established for her, I think I will donate.

I never say that fuzzy wuzzy "my heart goes out to so-and-so" stuff, but in this case it really does. My heart would go out to this girl if it wasn't broken by the tragedy that was inflicted on her.

From the transcript, it seems that unfortunately she IS too old to be "unscathed" by this. She knows enough of death to say that she thought her parents were dead.

Horribly sad. I wish nothing but good things for this girl for the rest of her life after what she's now going through. She certainly deserves it.

-Jeffrey

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[brothermuff65 0]

thats just so sad it makes me cry for her

till later have fun & love each other seeya mb65johnny gates

[mr2mk1g 10]

Christ. I deal with inquests and deaths all the time, some cold shit, but that transcript is a real tear jerker.

That little kid was so incredibly clever and dealt with the situation in a way that would put the majority of adults to shame. The poor girl; what a terrible introduction to the horrors of this world.

So sad.