Sherri and Keith Papini.Photo: Courtesy Keith Papini
Sherri Papinivanished without a trace on Nov. 2, 2016.
Papini was taken to a hospital where she met Shasta County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Kyle Wallace, one of the investigators handling her case.
“First walking into the hospital room, Sherri was pretty hostile, which I didn’t expect,” Wallace told ABC’s20/20in a two-hour episode titled “The Vanishing Act,” which airs Friday, Sept. 30 at 9:01 p.m. ET. (An exclusive clip is shows below.)
Sherri Papini pleaded guilty in April, 2022.Rich Pedroncelli/instagram
When her husband Keith entered the room, Papini was heard bawling, telling him, “I just wanted to see someone I know,” she said. “I just wanted to see you. I wanted to see someone I know.”
Papini’s kidnapping story collapsed in March of 2022 when law enforcement announced that her purported kidnapping was actually an elaborate hoax. Police learned that Papini had fabricated the incident and had been hiding out with an ex-boyfriend in Southern California.
Last week, Papini, now 40, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and will have to pay back $309,902 in restitution to the California Victim Compensation Board, the Social Security Administration, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI forlosses incurred because of her lies.
Andrew Seng/The Sacramento Bee via AP
During sentencing, U.S. District Judge William B. Shubb called Papini a “manipulator.”
“People don’t like to be conned,” he said, addressing Papini, theSacramento Beereported. “And I don’t believe those people who were deceived would believe that one month or eight months is sufficient.”
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Shubb said the longer sentence was meant to deter others from committing similar crimes.
“If I get away with it, I’ll get $49,000,” he said. “If I don’t get away with it, I’ll spend one month or eight months…We have to send a message that crime doesn’t pay.”
Keith and Sherri Papini.Courtesy Keith Papini
In a handwritten statement before her sentence was handed down, Papini apologized for her behavior.
“I am guilty of lying and dishonor. I trust in this court … and I trust in you,” she said. “What was done cannot be undone. I am choosing to humbly accept all responsibility.”
Papini must report to prison on Nov. 8.
ABC’s20/20: The Vanishing Act, a two-hour episode, airs Friday, Sept. 30 at 9:01 p.m. ET.
source: people.com
