I just remember thinking like, there's no way.

This is my one answer.

I said, I just needed something to fix, not break my entire life and break my family and leave these kids fatherless.

I'm Scott Weinberger, investigative journalist and former deputy sheriff.

I'm Anasiga Nikolazi, former New York City homicide prosecutor,

and host of investigation discoveries true conviction.

And this is Anatomy of Murder.

We've often said that our primary goal on this podcast is to advocate for not just the victims

of violent crimes, but for the survivors as well.

That could mean the children of a murdered parent, the wife of a murdered husband,

and even the many friends and extended family members of the people lost to homicide.

We believe that their stories and their perspective on loss and justice are a crucial part

of their healing process and can maybe even provide strength to others going through similar

experiences. Today's story is as much about its survivors as it is about the victim. It's about a mother

and her then five children whose lives were forever changed by a deadly incident of gun violence.

But for Ashley Boyson, the survivor's journey has also been about reconciliation,

not only with the homicide, but also with the betrayal that led directly to that tragedy.

Back in the early 2000s, Ashley was a bright-eyed undergraduate at Utah State University.

She was working in the school gym when she met upperclassman Emmett Corrigan,

a popular Boise native bound for law school.

It was sparked right away with Emmett and I.

We both just connected on so many levels and similarities, and we were

...