This episode of The Apex and the Abyss contains graphic descriptions, audio, and language that may be unsettling to some individuals.

Listener discretion is advised. Every once in a while when I'm researching a case, I will come across statistics that stagger

me. For instance, according to a study done by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence,

or N-C-A-D-V, one in four women and one in seven men have been victims of a degree of violence by their partner.

This could include such acts as beating or strangling, but nevertheless some form of violence.

According to the same study, over 20,000 phone calls are placed to domestic violence hotlines on a daily basis. These numbers were

outrageous to me. How could so many people feel threatened or be victims of such abuse? It's

heartbreaking to think that based on statistics, that in a room full of people, many of them have

been on the receiving end of some sort of domestic abuse.

Of course, there are varying degrees, but one does not outweigh the other.

What can be done about it? Or better yet, what would make someone believe that striking

someone down with words or a fist is the only solution to an issue. I think more often than not, many of the

outbursts and situations that are correlated with these studies boil down to one thing.

Control. I feel like I have been talking about this word a lot recently. Unintentionally,

it just has been the forefront of many crimes I have come

across. Someone loses control for an X, Y, or Z reason, and then they snap. The outcomes may be

different, but it always boils down to the same thing over and over and over again. The story presented in this episode will be about the fear of losing power of the narrative,

the fear of humiliation, the fear of looking less than adequate, and the loss of control.

You're listening to The Apex and the Abyss, and this is the story of Yardly

Love. The killing has shattered the idyllic calm of this campus nestled in the foothills of

Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains, and now we're learning more about what happened at this

off-campus student apartment early Monday morning before an urgent call went out to police.

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