Coquille is right by the beach.

It's about 15 20 miles from the Pacific Ocean, a couple hours north of the California border.

Coquille is a small farming community logging mill working kind of a town.

Coquille is a to stop life town.

It's kind of tucked into the forest.

There's a few restaurants and shops, but there's nothing particularly charming about it.

This is a really, really small, close community.

Everybody knows everyone.

The body of a teenage female, tentatively identified as Leah Freeman, was discovered. 00:00:59.340 --> 00:01:5.810 What really split this very tight knit community apart was a tragic criminal case. 00:01:6.160 --> 00:01:16.650 It involved two high school sweethearts, Leah Freeman and Nick McGuffin, because they have nothing else to go on and I'm the boyfriend.

It was the signature event that happened in Coquille.

It was the event that brought people together and split them apart.

Nick McGuffin would become one of the town's most notorious figures.

Burger McGuffin guilty of manslaughter.

He became infamous, My Name's and Nick McGuffin.

I'm from Coquille, Oregon.

The reason why we're sitting here for me in my eyes, is to bring awareness to this case.

I'm doing this, not for myself.

But I'm doing this for Leah and for her family to get resolution. 00:02:0.530 --> 00:02:4.150 I'm an innocent man, and I want the false narrative to go away. 00:02:5.140 --> 00:02:10.330 Hey, I think it was about 2 to 3 when we moved down to Cokie.

Oh, my mom works in the medical field.

And my dad, he started a business produce market, right?

My mountain bike, delivering the newspaper with the big old paper bag on it.

And I wasn't the biggest.

I was next fourth grade teacher, and I believe it was 1992.

He was a great student.

He enjoyed learning.

He was creative in high school.

I was just kind of like any average student wasn't different really than anybody else.

And they played for the coquille football team and it was a big thing.

They're in Tokyo Friday night football, just like it is most small towns.

Nick, the high school kid. 00:03:0.000 --> 00:03:2.630 He was always in love, in a way, you know, we always had a girl. 00:03:2.630 --> 00:03:3.850 The girls liked him. 00:03:5.990 --> 00:03:10.470 I had met Leah when I was walking through the gym and she was in volleyball practice.

She was a freshman and I was a senior, and she sees me looking at her, and she kind of gives me this look.

Leah was beautiful.

That was my first impression.

She was just a short, bright personality, and Julia was like a sparkle.

She had a glow door.

It was somebody that I wanted to get to know they spent some time together and started dating.

I know that Leah really cared about him a great deal.

I think that when you're young, you developed strong feelings really quickly, especially if it's with an older guy who shows a lot of interest in you.

My Mustang was not anything special.

Head a little straight six in it.

There's a little three speed transmission. 00:04:1.800 --> 00:04:5.620 A lot of times we and I would just drive around and listen to music. 00:04:8.560 --> 00:04:18.020 So I remember a certain song that her and I always listened to was Macy Gray.

I try came out in 99 way, had a lot of deep conversations.

We had a future plan.

I know we love each other.

I loved her.

Without a doubt.

I think that there were times when Leah would get jealous of Nick hanging out with other girls or that sort of thing, they would argue about it.

But they always seem to resolve it and stay together.

He was definitely a flirt.

It was kind of in every girl.

But he did seem like he really cared about her.

Actually it if you go to prom with me. 00:04:57.810 --> 00:05:0.550 She had a gorgeous white dress. 00:05:0.990 --> 00:05:2.970 She had her hair done perfectly. 00:05:3.990 --> 00:05:6.630 I'm glad we went on, but we got the pictures that we did together. 00:05:7.050 --> 00:05:9.480 I think Leo makes me look better. 00:05:9.800 --> 00:05:12.400 He seemed like, okay, kind of guy.

But still, the age difference was there.

And then I found out that they were being sexually active.

That was disturbing.

It costs in conflict between Lee and I because she wanted to see him.

She wanted him to be your boyfriend, and I didn't Together they were very compatible.

Like any young couple, they had their issues arguing whatever.

But they both wanted to be together.

June 28th 2000.

I'll never forget that date.

It started out like any normal day.

I got my mustang and I went to her house. 00:05:59.720 --> 00:06:0.760 Remember telling me. 00:06:0.770 --> 00:06:2.560 We need to, you know, clean the outside of the car. 00:06:3.720 --> 00:06:6.540 We were spraying each other with the hose, splashing each other with soap. 00:06:7.130 --> 00:06:9.700 I remember we were having a good time.

A decision was made to take her fish Sherry's house at seven and pick her up at nine.

I hadn't seen her for a while.

We were still really good friends, but we just didn't hang out as much because she was with Nick a lot.

She was at Sherry's and she wanted to go jogging, and I assure you to go with her.

Sherry asked her mom and her mom said, No, because every time you do, Nick comes and picks Leah up and you end up walking home alone.

So Leah heard that, and I guess she got mad and started to walk off.

So she left, and then I followed her out to the road.

Then that's when I told her, It's not about you.

I guess a lot of it was about the guy she was with, You know, he was like trying to take her away to do things that I wasn't really welcome.

She was mad.

She had her arms full and I can actually still picture it.

That was when she was mad. 00:06:58.850 --> 00:07:0.070 You knew she was mad. 00:07:0.690 --> 00:07:3.720 Leah took off, upset, clearly upset. 00:07:3.730 --> 00:07:10.690 And the less she was petted toward the high school spotted by numerous witnesses along the way.

You don't think anything like that's gonna happen in a small town?

Definitely nothing sinister.

You would ever think what happened in Tokyo.

Hi, everyone.

George Stephanopoulos here.

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