48 Hours Live to Tell: Full Moon

Produced by Chris Young, Joan Adelman and Richard Barber

What if someone wants you dead… but you live to tell? Yvette Rodier gives a firsthand account of a random act of violence 14 years ago that claimed the life of her friend… and left her fearing for her life.

LITTLE DELL RESERVOIR

Yvette Rodier: It was a stunning summer night. The moon was out. Beautiful full moon.

I'm still afraid during full moons. Not really afraid of the moon, but just that something bad could happen during a full moon.

On Aug. 28th, 1996, I went out on a date with my Zach.

It was the very first time he'd asked me out on a date. And a part of me just thought, "Why would I go on a date with you? You're my Zach. You're my friend." But then, I thought, "Absolutely."

We just started driving up the canyon. I remember feeling that little twinge of excitement when you realize you really have a crush on someone and that they have a crush on you.

Zach Snarr… made me laugh. And that connected us from the very beginning. In high school, we just really - it seemed like we had every class together… and he'd always have some smart alec remark to make when I walked in the classroom. And I think I started to look forward to those comments. To see, well, what would he say about me today?

While we're driving, I remember thinking, "I'm gonna get a kiss tonight. Zach's gonna kiss me tonight." Zach turned into this parking lot. And he said, "Well, I've got a surprise for you."

And then he pulled out his photography equipment. Zach was gonna teach me how to take pictures. He loved black and white pictures and we were gonna get pictures of this full moon tonight.

We went down a cement pathway. …we went down probably 100 yards. And I think it was about that time that a white truck pulled up. And in Utah, at 9, 8:30 at night, cars pull up in the mountains. You don't think anything at all.

The man in the truck started walking toward us.

And he asks me, "Do you know where this path goes?"

And I answered back saying something like, "Oh, I don't know. We've never been here." Or, "I'm not sure." And that's when I turned my back. And I don't know if Zach turned his head, too. But I hope that Zach turned away. Because that's when the man pulled out a gun and just open fire.

He aimed at us and let every single bullet out of his gun.

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[Gordon_Ross]

Hi Yvette,

My name is Gordon Ross.

I just watched You tell Your story on ID. That really took a lot of courage. It really touched my heart and brought tears to my eyes, everything You've gone through and everything Zach's family has gone through.

I am so glad You're in the Criminal Justice System helping others.

You have a Beautiful Family that You Can Be Very Proud Of.

I was very near death 4 years ago.

I've helped others my whole life. I do Medical Transportation now. Helping, Encouraging, and Giving Hope to those with Cancer, Heart Disease, Kidney Failure, MS, Crippling Arthritis, AIDS, Heppetitis, Blind, Abuse Victims, Those Suffering From Addiction, and Much More. I have seen a lot of Positive Results in those whose lives I have touched thus far.

Keep doing everything You're doing.

I would like to talk to You.

May God Continue To Bless Your Family And You And Always Keep You Safe.

God Bless You.

Gordon Ross

[e-mail]

www.facebook.com/GRforJesus

[teraashley]

It is God that decides when it is our time. No one can understand Yvette's guilt or how she feel, but the Zach I know from the show would never want her to feel guilty and he would be
so poud of the beautiful women she has become. God bless the human resolve and our ability to go on and Yvette deserves a full wounderful life, Zach would want that.

[carthur60]

The murderer in this story bought his gun illegally and was in felony violation of Federal firearms laws before he ever started shooting.

[trcooper3]

Yvette,

You did not kill zack.
Jorge along with the permissive criminal justice system did.
Note that it is not called the victim justice system.
And the fact you were with Zack and agreed to go to the lake HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS MURDER.
LIVE YOU LIFE AS IT WAS MEANT FOR YOU TO BE.
AS YOUR MOTHER SAID, YOU CAN NEVER BE THE SAME PERSON,
BUT YOU CAN FIND A NEW YOU.
AND RELISH IN YOUR OWN CHILD'S COMPANY.
You might even begin to see that the experience you had has opened your eyes to become a more perfect mother.

[jackpenn]

Our judicial system is much too lenient, when they will allow someone that is a confessed, cold blooded murderer to live. When there is no doubt that someone is the murderer, they should be put to death, with no plea bargaining. I can understand when there is a reasonable doubt that someone is quilty, and then to make the mistake of taking that persons life, who possibly could be innocent, would be WRONG. Another problem with our juducial system is to have someone sit on "death row" for years and years, allowing appeal, after appeal, who has been found guilty of 1st degree murder, beyong the shadow of a doubt, at the tax payers expense is WRONG. If they have been sentenced to die, then why let it drag on and on for years. I also believe, public hanging should be brought back as the way to execute convicted killers, because it would act as a deterent to other possible killers. This was the reason for public hangings, and why has our judicial system become so lenient? Probably the reason we have so much crime in America today. "LETS GET TOUGH AGAIN ON CRIME."

[Watcher74]

Since our judicial system is based on innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, do you not think the juries who have sentenced someone to death thought they were guilty beyond reasonable doubt? So who is to decide guilt vs innocence? Humans are fallible, we all make mistakes. You read court documents about a case and think this person is beyond a shadow of a doubt guilty, then you read an update...they were cleared after 20 years of being on death row using DNA technology.

As to sitting on death row for years and years and receiving numerous appeals. How do you think they found out so called guilty people were in fact innocent? So it would have been okay to you if we would have just executed these "guilty" people even though they were in fact innocent? Taking away appeals would have made us as a people murders due to the fact we had state sanctioned murdered innocent people who had been convicted of a crime.

So many people have been convicted in slam dunk cases where there are witnesses to the crime, confessions, only to find out later eye witnesses were mistaken, confessions were coerced.

I would rather live in a country where a death row inmate has 20 years of appeals than a country who murders an innocent person right after conviction because we demand immediate execution.