The Murder of Lauren Astley
For this case, I watched an episode of 48 Hours. It’s season 26 episode 70, titled 'Loved to Death.’
A 18-year-old disappears after meeting up with her ex-boyfriend.
Background
Lauren Astley grew up in Wayland, Massachusetts, with her parents, Mary and Malcolm. Her parents divorced when she was only 6, but they shared custody of their only child.
Lauren graduated from high school in 2011, just a month before she disappeared. Lauren had plans to attend Elon University in North Carolina.
Lauren was described as musically gifted, bubbly and sassy. Her friends and family also said she was tiny, but had a big personality.
Lauren Astley
Lauren’s Last Movements
On July 3, 2011, Lauren went to work at her job at the local mall. She was seen on the mall surveillance cameras arriving around 9:45am, and leaving the around 6:45pm.
Lauren had plans to meet up with her large group of friends that night, but no one had heard from her. One friend told the group of her worried friends that they had seen Lauren’s car, a red Jeep, at the beach. Lauren wasn't inside her car, but the windows were rolled down, and Lauren’s computer and purse were inside.
Lauren’s friends and family went down to the beach to look for her. The police were also contacted. While they were at the beach, the police asked Lauren’s friends if her ex-boyfriend, Nathaniel Fujita, could’ve hurt her. The police had already been to the Fujita house, and spoke to Nathaniel and his mom, Beth.
Lauren’s friends knew that they had recently broken up, but didn’t think Nathaniel would hurt her. Nathaniel and his mom told the police that Nathaniel had been home alone at the time that Lauren disappeared.
Nathaniel Fujita and Lauren
The Discovery
On July 4, Lauren had been missing for about 12 hours.
Her body was eventually found in a marsh, about 5 miles from her home. Lauren had been strangled, and her throat was cut. There was also a bungee cord found tangled in her hair.
The police learned that Lauren and Nathaniel had dated for about 3 years. At the start of their senior year, Lauren had broken off the relationship for good.
Lauren’s mom, Mary, said that the relationship was very up and down. Lauren had been planning to attend college in North Carolina, and Nathaniel had been planning to go to college in Connecticut to play football at Trinity College.
It seemed like the couple had just grown apart, but Nathaniel’s behavior changed after the breakup. One of Lauren’s friends remembered that at their graduation party in June 2011, Nathaniel was drunk, and had tried to get Lauren to talk to him. When she refused, he punched a pole holding up the giant tent they were in. Nathaniel was asked to leave, and a month later, Lauren was found dead.
The Final Meeting
The police spoke to Nathaniel and his mom again after Lauren was found. This time, they said that Lauren had visited Nathaniel when he was home alone. Lauren’s final text message was sent at 7:05pm. It was to Nathaniel, and and it said “here.”
The police obtained a search warrant for the Fujita home. In the garage, the police found a stain, which tested positive for blood, and bungee cords. In the basement, the police found a black gym bag. Inside the bag, the police found tennis shoes that were wet, and caked in mud. Nathaniel had also hid another pair of bloody shoes and some wet and bloody clothing in a crawlspace in his bedroom.
The blood was tested by the lab, and was Lauren’s blood.
On July 5, 2011, Nathaniel Fujita was arrested and charged with murder.
The Motive
The police believed that Lauren had visited Nathaniel after his mom had asked Lauren to do so. Nathaniel’s family said that after the break up and graduation, he stopped leaving the house, and didn’t hang out with his friends.
The police said that Nathaniel killed Lauren in the garage. He then drove her red Jeep to the beach, and threw her keys in a storm drain, where they were later found. Nathaniel walked home, put Lauren in his car, and drove her to the marsh. Nathaniel then cleaned up, and his evidence all around his home.
Lauren’s family and friends had never seen any sign of violence in their relationship. But, they did say Nathaniel could be possessive, and aggressive, especially when he was drinking. The police said that Lauren was killed due to breakup violence.
Lauren had been debating on breaking up with Nathaniel for awhile. She and her friends had discussed it, and even made a list of reasons why she should. A few of the reasons were that he was aggressive, mean to his mom, and that Lauren’s mom and friends didn’t really like him.
The Trial
On February 13, 2013, Nathaniel Fujita went on trial.
The prosecution’s theory was that Nathaniel killed Lauren because she broke up with him, and they weren’t getting back together.
Nathaniel’s defense attorney, William Sullivan, said Nathaniel did kill Lauren. He said that Nathaniel had been diagnosed with major clinical depression, and had a psychotic episode on July 3, 2011.
William Sullivan said that Lauren had visited Nathaniel. He attacked her in the garage, but couldn't comprehend what he was doing due to his episode. The prosecutor, Lisa McGovern said that Nathaniel knew what he was doing because he took Lauren out to the marsh, threw her keys in the storm drain, and then attempted to clean and dispose of the evidence. A witness also said that they had seen Nathaniel driving home from the marsh, and that he had his music blasting.
Lauren and Nathaniel’s friends testified about Nathaniel’s behavior at the June graduation party. Nathaniel’s friends said that Nathaniel just stopped coming around their friend group. Nathaniel’s psychiatrist also testified about Nathaniel’s episode when he killed Lauren.
On March 5, 2013, after a 3 week trial, the closing arguments were read. The jury deliberated for just one day. Nathaniel Fujita was found guilty of first degree murder with deliberate premeditation. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility pf parole.
Lauren’s dad, Malcolm, actually walked over to Nathaniel’s family and hugged them after the verdict was read. Mary said she just wants to know why and how long Nathaniel had been planning this.
Nathaniel Fujita at trial and his father in the background
Other
The Lauren Dunne Astley memorial fund was created to educate teenagers about healthy relationships.
FINAL THOUGHTS
I think Nathaniel probably did have depression, but I think he knew exactly what he was doing when he killed Lauren. He not only killed her, but as the prosecution said, put her into the marsh, placed her car in the parking lot, and hid evidence. I think his depression worsened after he and Lauren broke up, but he killed her after she just went to check on him. Lauren still cared for him, but he repaid her by taking her life.
Sources
https://laurendunneastleymemorialfund.org
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/loved-to-death/
https://abcnews.go.com/US/chilling-details-emerge-lauren-astleys-killing/story?id=14377421
https://www.thatslife.com.au/murdered-by-her-first-love
