New video shows the moment that Sherri Papini, who mimicked the plot of Gone Girl, finally broke down during questioning by investigators four years after the ordeal, telling them: ‘Talking to other guys has got me here.’
In the clip, Papini attempts to declare her innocence saying: ‘I didn’t do anything wrong,’ despite being presented with overwhelming evidence to the contrary. She also declares her love for her husband, who is present, while holding her head in her hands throughout the interview.
On Monday, Papini, a mother-of-two, was sentenced to 18 months in prison and will be forced to pay more than $300,000 in restitution.
The following day, video released by the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and broadcast on Good Morning, America, showed the moment where Papini’s scheme finally unraveled in August 2020.
In November 2016, Papini disappeared from her Redding, California, neighborhood while out for a jog.
The married mom of two returned weeks later almost hundreds of miles away ‘dazed, battered and bruised,’ and insisted she was held captive for 22 days by two fictional Latina women.
Investigators began to uncover Papini’s past leading up to her disappearance, including the involvement of her ex-lover, James Reyes, prosecutors said she convinced to help her amid domestic abuse allegations against her husband. She was finally arrested in March 2022 and pleaded guilty to the allegations in April 2022.
In the new video, a Shasta County Sheriff’s investigator tells Papini: ‘We have everything that says that [James Reyes] told the truth.’
Papini is seen in the video, holding her hands up to her face, as she is presented with the evidence.
Her husband, Keith Papini, who had been adamant in believing her claims of abduction is by her side.
The detectives continue to deconstruct her scheme saying: ‘The reason you can describe the room is because you stayed in the room for hours on end.’
‘The reason why you lost so much weight… is because you stopped eating,’ the detective continued.
Speaking about the broken nose she suffered during her ‘kidnapping,’ the detective said: ‘The reason why your nose was broken is because of a hockey stick.’
During this period, Papini remains silent, holding her head in her hands.
The investigators go on: ‘Now the parts that don’t make sense is that you’re accusing two females who abducted you when it was James… The part that you were branded, James did it.’
Sherri Papini, shown with her head in her hands, as detectives tell he that they know that the man she was with during her ‘kidnapping’ was her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes
Papini’s husband, Keith, being interviewed by detectives after he was confronted with the evidence that his wife staged her disappearance
During a sentencing hearing, prosecutors said that it was vital that Papini serve out her full sentence in prison
Papini pictured as he leaves the court after being sentenced to 18 months in prison on September 19, new video shows the moment that she learned that cops had figured out her elaborate plan
Papini arrives at the federal courthouse for sentencing accompanied by her attorney, William Portanova, in Sacramento, her sister now says that Papini has no remorse or guilt for her actions
Sherri with her husband Keith on their wedding day. The mother of two told her ex-lover she had to run away because Keith was abusing her
For his part, Reyes had earlier told investigators about the branding and the broken nose: ‘She did a lot of that while she was here. She just hit herself with something… I helped her. I mean, I didn’t punch her or anything.’
When asked exactly what he did do, Reyes says: ‘I shot a puck off her leg.’
The first time we here from Papini during the interrogation is when she says: ‘I didn’t do anything wrong.’
The detectives continue to bombard her with the facts of the case saying: The DNA that was on you belongs to James Reyes… We talked to him, he’s been on polygraph, we talked to everyone, we have the rental agreements, phone records, car rental agreements.’
Papini, through tears, tells the officers: ‘Talking to other guys has got me here.’
When asked to elaborate on that statement, she says: ‘I love my husband and I made mistakes talking to other men.’
Later, the video shows the detectives interviewing Keith Papini. He’s told: ‘Obviously you’ve heard the questions. You’ve seen some of the photos.’
Keith Papini says: ‘You’ve heard my side but now you’re telling me ok you guys can go home now, well because I don’t want her around my kids or around me at all at this point.’
James Reyes told police that Papini caused self-inflicted injuries while staying with him, including hitting herself to create bruises and burning herself on her arms
She had pleaded guilty to faking her own kidnapping and lying to the FBI. Papini could have faced five years for lying to the feds and 20 years for faking her own kidnapping, with constitutes mail fraud.
In a statement following her sentencing, Papini’s sister, Sheila Marie Graeff Koester, thanked the public and the media for their coverage of the story.
Koester said that following her sister’s ‘miraculous return,’ she stuck by her story and maintained that she was suffering from mental trauma following her ‘kidnapping.’
Koester said: ‘Even after her arrest, she persisted in her years-long continuous pattern of lies and deception.’
It wasn’t until Papini decided to plead guilty that she admitted her deceit to her family.
Shockingly, Koester went on to say: ‘Sadly, despite what she has expressed to the media, she feels no remorse or guilt for the untold damage she has caused.’
Koester added: ‘It deeply pains me to say this, but my sister is very disturbed, and I hope, for her children’s sake, once she is released she will finally get the treatment she clearly so desperately needs.’
The mother of two must turn herself in by November 8. In addition to her prison sentence, Papini will undergo 36 months of probation.
Keith – with whom she shares children Tyler, 8, and Violet, 10 – filed for divorce on Wednesday – two days after she pleaded guilty
Papini disappeared from her Redding, California, neighborhood while out for a jog. The married mom of two returned weeks later almost hundreds of miles away ‘dazed, battered and bruised,’ and insisted she was held captive for 22 days by two Latina women.
Investigators began to uncover Papini’s past leading up to her disappearance, including the involvement of her ex-lover prosecutors said she convinced to help her amid domestic abuse allegations against her husband.
During a sentencing hearing, prosecutors said that it was vital that Papini serve out her full sentence in prison. In court filings they wrote: ‘There needs to be just punishment for her conduct.’
While her lawyers argued that a house arrest would be more appropriate, in addition to one month behind bars.
The fine is for the losses incurred by the California Victim Compensation Board, the Social Security Administration, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
Leaving the court alongside his client, lawyer William Portanova, told the media: ‘The court did not miss the mark. He knew her heart by the time he sentenced her. He’s trusting her with what we consider to be a fair sentence even though it’s longer than we wished.’
He went on: ‘We know that under the next several years of supervised release, Sherri will continue to demonstrate to the court that he’s made the right bet.’
When Papini arrived back home, she told the hoax of her disappearance and convinced the world of her story before she was formally charged earlier this year.
Investigators began to uncover Papini’s past leading up to her disappearance, including the involvement of her ex-lover prosecutors said she convinced to help her amid domestic abuse allegations against her husband.
The mother of two was arrested in March after fooling the whole world about her disappearance.
Her husband reported her disappearance in November 2016 when she failed to pick their children up from school. Her cell phone and earbuds were later found on the running track she used.
Weeks later she was found tortured and starved by her captors, whose faces she never saw, before being dumped by the side of the road on Thanksgiving.
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