The Murder of Tory Minnick
For this case, I watched an episode of Snapped. It’s season 17 episode 4.
A 21-year-old woman is found dead at the bottom of the stairs.
Background
Tory Minnick was born in February 1990. She grew up in Pennsylvania, and was living in the small town of Jerome, about an hour and a half from Pittsburgh.
Tory worked as a certified nurse’s aid at a home for the elderly. Tory was described as popular, outgoing and athletic.
Tory Minnick
A New Relationship
In high school, Tory was in a serious relationship with a boy named Kody Donaldson. They even got engaged at one point, but Kody said it was a teenage decision, and they decided to take a break for awhile.
Tory then met Erin Everett, who also worked as a certified nurse’s aid. Erin was instantly drawn to Tory, and was still figuring out her sexuality. Erin was a shy person, but worked up the nerve to ask Tory out. Tory said yes, and soon Tory was moving in with Erin, in the basement apartment of her parent’s home.
Erin’s parents were very religious. When Erin introduced, and asked if Tory could move in, she introduced her as a friend. Patty, Erin’s mother, said she immediately knew that the two of them were more than friends. She wasn’t too happy with it at first, but soon came around.
Tory often went home on the weekends, when Erin had to work. She didn't feel comfortable staying in the home by herself. When Tory went home, she reconciled with Kody, and was considering moving in with him.
Erin Everett and Tory
Erin, Tory and Kody Donaldson
The Masked Intruder
On March 25, 2o11, Erin called her mom, to report that someone had broken into their home.
Patty said she and her husband called 911 on the way home, and beat the police to their home. Erin ran outside, covered in blood. She told her parents that an intruder wearing a ski mask, had broken in through the upstairs door, and attacked Tory.
Patty went to the basement, and saw Tory at the bottom of the stairs. She was naked, with only a bloody blanket covering her face. Tory had been hit in the head with a hammer, and shot twice in the head. She was pronounced dead.
Erin was taken to the hospital. She had blood on her, and had bruising on her back.
Erin’s Story
Erin was interviewed by the police at the hospital. She told them that she and Tory had both worked late the night before, and both slept in that morning.
Erin’s parents left for a church function before noon, while she and Tory were still in bed. Erin said she heard breaking glass, and then saw the man in the ski mask run down the stairs. He started to attack Tory, and pushed her away, when she tried to stop him.
Erin told the police that the man was Kody, Tory’s ex. She heard him say “if I can’t have her, nobody can,” before shooting Tory, and fleeing the scene.
Kody was pulled over as he left his job at the CVS warehouse. He told the police that he and Tory were still together, and planning to move in together. Kody was then told that Tory was dead, and he appeared devastated.
Kody had an airtight alibi. He had been at work at the time of Tory’s death. He was eliminated as a suspect.
Hell Hath No Fury…
The police soon turned back to Erin. They went back to re-examine the crime scene. They soon discovered that the broken glass was on the porch, not inside the house, like it should be if someone had kicked the glass from the outside.
The police brought Erin down to the station, and told her that they knew a masked intruder wasn’t involved in Tory’s death. They asked her where the gun came from. Erin said the gun had been upstairs.
Erin went on to say that she shot Tory twice, as she slept, but she didn’t die. That’s when Erin grabbed a hammer, because Tory was moaning, and she “felt bad.”
Erin’s initial plan to was drag Tory up the stairs, and put her in the trunk of her own car. Erin then panicked, and staged the break in.
A Twisted Love Square
Erin wasn’t done with her story yet. She told the police that she had been communication with her friend William ‘Billy’ Nair, and that the original plan was to have him help her get rid of Tory’s body.
Billy had dated Erin’s cousin, but soon developed a crush on Erin. The two of them would communicate often, and Erin would share her problems with Tory with Billy.
It was pretty clear to the police that Tory’s death was premeditated. To make matters worse, Billy had texted Erin step by step instructions on how to load and shoot the gun. He then asked Erin for naked photos, and of proof that she killed Tory.
Billy was brought into the police station. He denied being involved, but did admit that he had deleted his text messages the previous day. The police were able to retrieved the deleted messages, which confirmed Erin’s story.
Erin was arrested, and charged with murder. William Nair was charged with conspiracy to commit homicide. However, the prosecution later agreed to plea deal in exchange for his testimony.
The Trial and Conviction
Before Erin’s trial began, she was offered a plea deal as well. She would plead guilty to first degree murder, and be sentenced to life in prison. There is no possibility of parole in the state of Pennsylvania.
Erin decided to go to trial. It was a non jury trial, and it began on November 12, 2014. The decision was made for a non jury trial, because Erin had been in a relationship with a woman, and the small town where they lived was very conservative.
The prosecution said that Erin was a cold blooded killer, and that Tory’s murder was obviously premeditated. The text messages between William and Erin showed that.
Billy pleaded guilty to lesser charges, and took the stand. He told the judge that he thought Erin was all talk, and didn’t believe she’d actually kill Tory. He basically was no help, and sadly was given a sentence of two years probation for obstruction and criminal use of a communication facility.
Erin’s defense claimed that Erin had been abused by Tory. Erin’s mom Patty testified that she had seen the abuse first hand, but that her daughter loved Tory, and would have never left her.
In this episode, Kody said that if there were any physical altercations, they wouldn’t have been brought on by Tory. There were no police records to back up the abuse claim.
Erin testified that the relationship turned abusive around Christmas 2010. She said Tory had sexually assaulted her, and hit her. Tory would always apologize, and Erin said she forgave her, until she found out that she had been seeing Kody again.
Erin said Billy Nair nagged her to kill Tory, and that one day she finally did it.
On November 14, 2014, Erin Everett was found guilty of first degree murder. She was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, as the state of Pennsylvania doesn’t offer parole.
Kody said Erin had just a blank stare on her face as the verdict was read.
Erin, in a more recent photo
William ‘Billy’ Nair
FINAL THOUGHTS
While there could have been abuse in the relationship, I don’t believe it was all Tory. I believe Erin was at least emotionally and verbally abusive. Obviously, Erin’s mom is going to say that Erin was abused. Maybe she really did see it, or hear it, but, she was also trying to save her daughter from going to prison for life.
What Erin did was horrific. We may or may not ever really know why she did it. I believe that Erin was jealous, and that Tory was going to leave her, once and for all. Erin planned to do this, and on March 25, she killed the person she claimed to love. She deserves the sentence she received, and Billy just seems like rotten scum.
Sources
https://thecinemaholic.com/tory-minnick-murder-where-is-erin-everett-now/
https://www.wtae.com/article/judge-first-degree-murder-in-hammer-slaying/7468739
https://www.pennlive.com/news/2016/04/jealous_woman_convicted_of_kil.html
