This is Hidden Killers Live with Tony Bruske, Stacey Cole, and Todd Michaels.

Jesse Butler, as who we're talking about, he was arrested.

He was charged as an adult.

He faced 78 years in prison.

On 11 felony counts, including SA, attempted SA and domestic assault by strangulation.

Two victims, video evidence, medical records showing injuries so severe, one girl needed surgery

on her neck, and then something happened. A judge granted youthful offender status.

The charges didn't disappear, but the consequences did. Butler walked out with 150 hours of community

service counseling sessions and supervision until his 19th birthday, which is going to be in August

of 26. If he follows the rules until then, his record gets wiped clean. No prison, no registry,

nothing. The victim's families say they were never consulted about the plea deal.

Their attorneys say both girls were ready to testify.

That choice was taken from them.

Now protesters surround the courthouse at every hearing.

A state lawmaker is demanding a grand jury investigation,

and the families are asking a question that doesn't have a good answer.

Who exactly did the system protect? To dig into what went wrong and what it signals, Robin Drake is with us.

FBI, retired FBI special agent, had the FBI's behavioral analysis program,

and someone who's seen firsthand how institutions either serve justice or fail the people they are supposed to protect.

I want to start with this family and the girls.

The families have said that the victims here, the ones that were essayed and choked out one nearly 30 seconds away from death,

had to have surgery, will forever have a scar that she gets to look at every day and go,

...