The Nancy Grace Story: The truth behind why a 'pregnant' teen was beaten to death by her 16-year-old ex and dumped into a river
Anne "Annie" Kasprzak was 15 when her badly battered and disfigured body floated up the Jordon River on March 11, 2012. It was 24 hours after she was reported missing. Last seen going to bed at her Utah home, when her body was recovered, she didn't look the same. Her face was unrecognizable and the police had to use DNA, scar and dentist records to identify her. Her skull was fractured and her forehead shattered.
The homicide gained immense media attention and within a few days, the police made an arrest.
The cops arrested 31-year-old Daniel Robert Lehi Ferry in connection to the murder and said that he had killed Anne after she had refused to have sex with him. He had a long rap sheet and seemed like an obvious choice. Draper Police detectives believed that the girl was assaulted inside a home and then taken to the Jordan River Parkway where she was killed. Dennis Kasprzak, Anne's father said he had never heard of Ferry before.
They also arrested 31-year-old Veanuia Vehekite, based on information provided by a female witness who was set to testify against the two men. However, they were cleared of all charges through the course of the investigation. It wasn't until two years later that they found out that it was actually her 16-year-old ex-boyfriend Darwin Christopher Bagshaw who had brutally murdered Anne.
Just like any other teen, Anne loved to listen to music and hang out with friends. She loved her family and was a superhero to her little brothers and sister, her obituary stated which added that she had a caring heart.
Initial reports stated that investigators had found a bloody sneaker on a pedestrian bridge belonging to the girl. She was last seen wearing a red flannel shirt and blue jeans. One of her fingernails was pushed back and she appeared to have defensive wounds on her hands, according to a Daily Mail report.
An autopsy report revealed that she had been struck repeatedly on the face and head with an object. The investigation into Bagshaw revealed that the teen had told him that she was pregnant and that they had to run away together. However, Anne wasn't pregnant. In a fit of rage, he had hit and killed her with a shovel. He had gotten blood on his shoe in the process and according to reports, asked a friend to lie for him saying that the stain came from the time Anne had a nose bleed. However, when the police found the texts asking for the favor, the friend's story fell apart.
"The cops might come back to your house. I need you to tell them that Anne got a bloody nose cause she did, but you were lying down and she got some on my shoe and they took my shoes for testing and I need you to tell them that so I don’t get blamed," he reportedly said.
In 2016, during his trial hearing, he pleaded guilty to killing her. Although the prosecutors noted that he had planned the killing, his defense said that it was spontaneous. The victim's family had described him to be quiet and awkward and had known him for more than a year. After being sentenced to a 15-year-to-life prison term, he apologized to the family. "I'm very sorry for everything that happened," Bagshaw said, according to a report by Salt Lake Tribune: "I want to apologize to Anne's family."
Catch the entire story of the shocking crime on Oxygen's all-new series, 'Injustice with Nancy Grace' on Saturday, July 27, at 6 pm ET/PT.