How twisted teen had sex with her boyfriend in playground before brutally killing father & step-mum with bad boy lover

BICKERING with her dada connected the telephone implicit however precocious she could enactment retired partying, Tabitha Messina sounded similar immoderate different emblematic teen trying to propulsion boundaries. 

So nary 1 could person predicted the horrors that would unfurl conscionable hours aboriginal astatine the hands of the past 18-year-old and her lover, Carlos Christopher.

Armed with an axe and a crowbar, the brace would spell connected to violently murder unsuspecting doting dada Richard 'Rick' Messina, 50, and his spouse Sandra Cover, 43, portion they slept.

Now, 18 years connected from the shocking treble murder, Tabitha has opened up from prison for caller Hayu documentary series, Snapped: Behind Bars.

A sobbing Tabitha says: "I was decidedly blameworthy for what happened... He didn’t cognize however overmuch I truly loved him and however overmuch helium meant to me.

"Now that I’m older, I’ve sat and I’ve replayed that day... I’m beauteous overmuch suffering each azygous time due to the fact that I unrecorded with that.

"It was conscionable a enactment day, you know, and it turned retired to beryllium a nightmare, and it’s conscionable thing I can’t aftermath up from. Never."

‘He was my champion friend’ 

Born successful 1988, Tabitha Messina had a bully upbringing.

Tabitha recalls: "As a dad, I couldn’t person had a amended one. He was the lone antheral I’ve ever loved, helium was my champion friend.

"I grew up successful a precise classy neighbourhood, a suburb, good schools."

Sandra Cover’s sister Brenda Gregory says: "Rick was a large carnivore of a guy, a large grin and a immense laugh. Family was everything to him." 

However, unluckily Tabitha’s parents' narration deteriorated, and they divided for bully erstwhile Tabitha was eight. 

Speaking successful the documentary, Tabitha's mum - who chose to stay anonymous - says: "I cognize it affected her."

‘She ran with a brainsick crowd’ 

As a teen, Tabitha began to spell disconnected the rails, which Richard, who by this constituent had started dating Sandra Cover, tried to prevent.

Richard’s sister Betty Montanez says: “She stayed retired each night, she ran with a brainsick crowd.

"[Richard] tried to usher her. A curfew, nary drugs."  

Tabitha began dating a classmate, called Jason Gaylord - who seemed to beryllium a bully influence. 

Tabitha says: "He was handsome, helium was charming and helium won my dada over."

Despite problems, Tabitha went connected to go the lone 1 successful her household to postgraduate precocious schoolhouse and she had precocious hopes for the future, wanting to go a vet. 

‘This was brutal. This was personal’ 

But conscionable 1 period later, everything changed. 

On Sunday 29 July 2007, the constabulary received a telephone from a acrophobic neighbour.

Upon checking Richard's location they discovered the mates dormant successful the 2nd level bedroom.

Horrifyingly, Richard had been hacked to decease with an axe and Sandra battered with a crowbar. 

Police detective Michael Demario says: "Richard’s injuries were chops which would beryllium indicative of an axe oregon a knife.

"There’s jewellery boxes that are open, dresser drawers emptied. 

"In the midst of this large disarray of a room, idiosyncratic took the clip to enactment a doily implicit Sandra’s face."

Police detective David Volek adds: "Their faces were covered - why? That’s what killers bash erstwhile they’re acquainted with their victims - they screen their face.

"This was brutal. This was personal. Too personal.

"I’ve ne'er seen that benignant of demolition to a quality assemblage that was done intentionally."

Sex... past murder

Both Richard’s cars were missing, which led the constabulary to judge determination were 2 suspects, and officers began to portion unneurotic the events that had led up to the treble murder.  

The nighttime earlier they discovered Tabitha had gone to South Euclid’s yearly Home Days Festival - a carnival lawsuit with rides, food, music, fireworks and games - with fellow Jason, champion person Tammy Taback and her boyfriend, Carlos Christopher.

According to Tabitha, the 2 couples had been hanging retired astatine a section playground aft the festival.

But their relationships were a batch much analyzable - with Tabitha and Carlos besides sleeping together. 

Tammy says: "Tabitha and Carlos themselves had told maine that they were sexually progressive with each other. 

"That nighttime I saw them sitting determination holding hands… sitting adjacent to each different successful an intimate way."

Carlos Christopher, whose dada was dormant and had been a pack person successful Brazil, would aboriginal archer constabulary Tabitha made a walk astatine him that evening. 

Detective Volek says: "Tabitha and Jason statesman having enactment connected the playground. Tammy and Carlos are making retired a abbreviated region away."

Detective Demario says: "Carlos would archer america that arsenic Tabitha would beryllium having enactment with Jason she would beryllium looking astatine him arsenic if to entice him toward her."

‘I broke his bosom that night’ 

Later that evening, Tabitha received a telephone telephone from her dada and they rapidly got into a row.

Tabitha’s mum says: "Tabi had Sandy’s phone, and she had told her dada she’d beryllium location astir 12. When helium called her… she said she wanted to enactment retired a portion longer."

Tabitha says: "I told him I hated him... I deliberation I broke his bosom that night. My dada asked maine to travel backmost location and I told him no. 

"Looking backmost astatine the fight, I said immoderate horrible things to my dada and adjacent though helium was an aggravated person… present I recognize helium was conscionable scared.

"He knew thing atrocious was going to hap if I continued down the aforesaid roadworthy I was going."

Plotting ‘revenge’ 

The constabulary were called, and asked Tabitha to instrumentality the compartment telephone backmost home. 

Tabitha says: "I was frightened to instrumentality it backmost due to the fact that I knew helium was going to trap maine successful the house."

Instead, Carlos agreed to instrumentality it back, returning a abbreviated clip aboriginal and telling Tabitha he’d got into a combat with Richard. 

Richard reported the incidental to the police, and Tabitha was told she wasn’t invited home.

Tabitha says: "[I decided] I’m going to instrumentality immoderate money, instrumentality immoderate stuff, and he’s going to consciousness atrocious for what helium did to me. It was a revenge thing. 

"Me and Carlos went to the location and I was conscionable going to instrumentality immoderate worldly and we were going to pawn it."

'Kill this b****'

They entered the location done the garage, Carlos grabbing an axe and Tabitha a hatchet and a crowbar.

Carlos claims Tabitha attacked Sandy first, earlier helium deed Richard with the axe. 

Michael Demario says: "After helium deed him a 2nd time, helium knew helium was dead. At this constituent successful clip Tabitha is inactive hitting Sandra with the crowbar.

"Now she’s connected the ground. Tabitha says to him ‘Carlos, termination this bitch’."

Carlos besides claimed he'd been acting successful bully faith, and Tabitha had said her begetter had bushed and sexually abused her - a assertion Tabitha has denied.

Tabitha says: "Carlos was truthful acold from the truth. There was ne'er immoderate intersexual maltreatment successful my household... I don’t adjacent cognize wherever that came from."

For a abbreviated clip the brace went connected the run, earlier they were arrested and transported backmost to Ohio, wherever they were some charged with 2 counts of aggravated murder. 

The weapons were ne'er found, nevertheless constabulary had the grounds they needed aft uncovering items of covering including a discarded fedora hat, and a weapon which contained the DNA of some Tabitha and Carlos, and unfortunate Sandra.

‘Ridiculous’ sentence

In May 2008, Carlos Christopher was convicted of aggravated murder, and fixed 2 consecutive beingness presumption successful prison. 

Tabitha took a plea woody of 65 years to beingness successful prison. She'll beryllium eligible for parole successful 2067.

Sounding incredibly self-pitying, Tabitha remarks: "They gave maine 65 years to beingness and I was dumbfounded... My beingness got taken from maine astatine a young age."

Tabitha’s parent says: "I deliberation the condemnation was ridiculous. They proved my girl killed nobody. She was determination but she was frightened of Carlos. She thought helium was going to termination her too. I deliberation the judges were unfair."

Finally, explaining what she would accidental to Sandra’s household if fixed the opportunity, Tabitha adds: "I would say… I’m truthful sorry. She was a bully pistillate and did not merit what [happened]. 

"To my dad’s family... I would person ne'er wanted him hurt. Not similar this. I unrecorded with it everyday."

Tabitha’s parent adds: "I privation to talk up for my daughter... Everybody painted her to beryllium a monster - she’s not a monster."

Season 2 of Snapped: Behind Bars is disposable to watercourse connected Hayu.