The Murder of Darlene Saddler
For this case, I watched an episode of Unusual Suspects. It’s season 8 episode 8, titled ‘Murder Down Memory Lane.’
A 5-year-old girl witnesses the murder of her mother.
Background
At the time of her death, Darlene Saddler was only 49-years-old. She had raised 4 kids, mostly by herself after several failed relationships and marriages.
Darlene’s husband had moved to Bakersfield after they separated. Darlene was living in Santa Ana, California, with her two daughters, April, 16, and Abby, 5.
Darlene Saddler
The 911 Call
On September 18, 2008, Darlene’s son, Jonathan, arrived at her house around 2pm. Jonathan said Darlene usually greeted him at the door, so it was unusual when she didn’t.
Jonathan found the front door unlocked, and walked inside. He found his mom lying on her kitchen floor with a knife sticking out of her neck.
Luckily, Abby was alive and had been in her bedroom. Jonathan called the police, and explained that he found his mom on the floor, and that his sister had been inside the house.
The dispatcher asked to speak to Abby. Abby said that she saw blood, and saw her mom get killed with a knife. Abby was able to described the man as skinny, and had worn black clothes and a black mask. The dispatcher also asked Abby what color the man’s hair was, and she said blue. (The blue hair was never explained).
The Crime Scene
When the police arrived, they found Darlene lying between the sink and the stove. The knife in the base of her neck had been from the knife block in the home.
The knife hadn’t been the only weapon used. Darlene had been shot 3 times in the head before she was stabbed. A spent shell casing was found on the kitchen counter, but the other two weren't found. The police believed that the killer had taken the other casings.
There was a large blood smear on the front door leading away from the crime scene. There was also smaller blood drops in the hallway. It was clear that the killer had been cut during the attack. The blood samples were fast tracked to the lab.
The police put Darlene’s time of death around 9:30am, just 5 hours before Jonathan had arrived at the house.
The Family
Abby was interviewed by a detective from a child abuse team that was trained to interview children. Abby told the interviewer that she had tried to put bandaids on her mom. Abby was asked about the killer’s black clothing, and she said he looked like a ninja.
Abby also drew two drawings. The first one was of her mom with her eyes closed. The second was of the knife that had been used.
Darlene’s family was interviewed. Jonathan told the police that he had been at work until he arrived at his mom’s house. He consented to giving a DNA sample.
April, Darlene’s 16-year-old daughter was interviewed next. April said she had a tense relationship with her mom. April said they were constantly fighting, but she did seem genuinely devastated that her mom was dead. April had an alibi, and had been dropped off at school by her mom at 7:15am.
April did tell the police that she believed her step-dad had killed Darlene. Darlene and her current husband had met about 10 years earlier. They got married, and together, they had Abby.
Darlene’s husband moved to Bakersfield after their separation, but had tried to reconcile before the murder. They had put a down payment on a house in Santa Clarita. Just a few weeks before she was killed, Darlene was having second thoughts. She told her husband that she didn’t want to move their daughters away from school and their friends.
Jonathan told the police that Darlene had been threatened after not wanting to move. Jonathan said she was terrified of her husband. She was killed just 4 weeks later.
The DNA
The police went to speak to Darlene’s husband in Bakersfield. He said he had last seen Darlene a few weeks ago. He said they fought, but had a typical marriage.
He explained that he was at work on the day of the murder. His alibi seemed to check out, but the police thought that he could’ve hired someone to kill Darlene. He did give the police a DNA sample.
The lab results came back. The blood in Darlene’s house had come from 3 different people. The blood in the kitchen was Darlene’s, the blood on the door came from an unidentified male, and the smaller blood drops came from an unidentified female.
The DNA was tested against members of Darlene’s family.
A List of Suspects
The next suspect the police interviewed was a young man that had lived with Darlene. Darlene was friends with his mom, and had agreed to let him stay when he had a falling out with his parents.
He had moved in with them in 2006, when he was 18. The 18-year-old started to fool around with April, who was just 14 at the time. Darlene believed that he might’ve raped April, and kicked him out. He was angry after Darlene kicked him out.
He denied killing Darlene, and said that he and April did have a relationship. His DNA was tested against the blood on the door frame. It wasn't a match. Darlene’s husband wasn’t a match either, and neither was Jonathan.
The blood drops from the unidentified female came back as belonging to April. April said the blood was from a time when she cut herself. She had become depressed, and even showed the police her wrists. The police seemed to believe her.
The next suspect was a man staying in a sober living home in the neighborhood where Darlene lived. The man had fled to Bakersfield, and the police became suspicious because Darlene’s husband lived there. The police collected the man’s shoe, which had a substance on it. The substance was actually oil, and there was no connection between the two men.
Abby was interviewed again. She told the police that her mom had an altercation with her friend at the grocery store. Abby said the man had made a stabbing motion to Darlene.
The man was identified as Darlene’s old friend, who she had once dated. The man said he joked about hurting Darlene because she had kicked him out of the house. He said he had been with his girlfriend the night before, and went to a doctors appointment the morning of the murder. This man’s alibi was checked out, and he was cleared. His DNA was tested, but it wasn’t a match.
Teenage Love
Three months after the murder, April, who temporarily living in a foster home, contacted Jonathan.
April told Jonathan that she believed that her ex-boyfriend, Brian Landry had killed Darlene. Jonathan said April became hysterical on the phone.
In August, Brian had told Darlene that he wanted to marry April. Darlene became angry, and banned Brian from the home. April said she had decided to break up with Brian anyway, and hadn’t contacted him since.
Brian lived in Cypress, California with his dad. He was also attending school, and had wanted to join the military.
The police checked April and Brian’s phone records. The police discovered that April had lied to them and to Jonathan. April and Brian had been in contact the night before the murder and the following morning.
The police checked Brian’s social media. On his MySpace page, Brian posted several videos and photos with firearms. He had also posted a photo of himself wearing all dark clothing similar to what a ninja, as Abby said, would wear.
The Revelation
The police needed a DNA sample from Brian, but they didn’t want him to know that they were onto him.
Brian had reported to the Cypress PD that his bike had been stolen. The Santa Ana PD asked Brian to come in to look at photos of bikes. During the interview, Brian touched several items and drank from a bottle of water. The items were face tracked to the crime lab. The DNA from the door frame was a match to Brian.
On April 16, 2009, Brian was interviewed by the police. He was asked about his relationship with Darlene. Brian said it was fine, and that he helped her around her house.
Brian claimed that on the day of the murder he went to a religion group at school with a friend. The police confronted Brian, and told him that his DNA was found in Darlene’s house. Brian asked the police if they needed to Mirandize him. They did, but Brian waived his rights, and told them what had happened.
Brian told the police that the murder was April’s idea. Brian said April kept asking him to do it. She said if he didn’t do it, she’d kill her mom and herself when she turned 18.
On September 18, 2008, Brian said he biked from Cypress to Santa Ana. He put a handgun, and dark clothing in his backpack. He got dressed across the street from the Saddler’s home. Brian said he arrived around 9am, and Abby and Darlene still weren't home from dropping April off. Brian said he stuck his hand in the mail slot to unlock the door.
Brian said April texted him to ask him if things were going according to plan. Brian said Darlene was maybe home for 5-10 minutes, and was making food in the kitchen. Darlene’s back was to Brian, and he walked up to her, and shot her.
Brian said Abby was home, so he escorted her to her bedroom. Brian returned to the kitchen, shot Darlene 2 more times, and stuck the knife in her neck to “severe her spine” to “make sure it was done.”
Brian told the police that he collected the shell casings, and believed the one he left behind had gone down the sink. Brian had cut himself, and left the blood on the door as he ran out the door. Brian texted April telling her it was done.
Brian and April were both arrested.
The Convictions
After Brian was arrested, the police searched his home. Inside, they found a handgun that was a gift from his grandmother. The gun was a match to the shell casings found.
In 2012, Brian was convicted of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. He was sentenced to 25 years to life.
April Saddler pled guilty to all charges, but was charged as a juvenile.
Jonathan said April still tries to contact him, but he doesn’t want anything to do with her.
Brian Paul Landry
FINAL THOUGHTS
April not only told someone to kill her mom, but she knew that her sister would be at the house. April wanted so badly to live her life without rules or consequences. She didn’t think about anyone but herself. April manipulated Brian, but he is just as sick and twisted as her.
I hope Abby, Jonathan, and the rest of Darlene’s family are moving on with their lives. I can’t imagine what Abby went through. She was so brave, and had a hand in helping solve this case.
Sources
https://www.ocregister.com/2009/04/20/16-year-old-boyfriend-arrested-in-moms-killing/
https://casetext.com/case/people-v-landry-17
