Sheriff slams Sherri Papini after her kidnapping hoax confession and says she’s ‘only sorry she got caught’
A SO-called 'super mom' who admitted to staging her own kidnapping has been slammed by the cop in charge of the case as a deceitful "narcissist" who is undeserving of any sympathy.
Sherri Papini, 39, admitted in a statement released by her lawyer on Tuesday that her story about being kidnapped and held captive for more than three weeks in 2016 was completely fabricated.
The mom-of-two vanished while out jogging in Redding, California on November 2, 2016, but mysteriously reappeared 22 days later on Thanksgiving Day, claiming to have been abducted and held captive by two gun-wielding Hispanic women.
No arrests were ever made in the case with police struggling to identify a motive for the seemingly random crime.
Papini was then arrested last month following a six-year investigation after it was found she'd actually been staying with an ex-boyfriend during the period she was believed to have been missing.
In her statement on Tuesday, Papini said she was "deeply ashamed" of her actions and pledged to "work the rest of my life to make amends for what I have done."
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The statement was released shortly after she struck a deal with prosecutors, in which she agreed to plead guilty to two counts of mail fraud and lying to a law enforcement officer - charges that carry maximum sentences of 20 years and five years, respectively.
Under the terms of the agreement, Papini will also be required to pay more than $300,000 in restitution to federal, state and local agencies. Prosecutors said they would recommend reduced sentences in exchange.
Shasta County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson, who spent years investigating the case, told The US Sun he isn't buying Papini's apology, insisting "she's only sorry because she got caught."
"The bottom line is, this case was about some very strong narcissistic behavior, along with deception, deceit and selfishness," Johnson said, "so I have a very hard time believing she's sorry.
"She had several opportunities to come clean during the various phases of this investigation and she never did it.
"Now all of a sudden we're supposed to believe she's remorseful for what she did?" he asked. "Well, I just don't believe that."
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Johnson also confessed he has "mixed emotions" about Papini's confession. While he called her admission a sign that investigators did their job well and "pinned her in a corner", he was disappointed she was afforded to opportunity to strike a plea deal, having wasted so many years of police time and stoked fear in her local community.
"I'm really struggling to have any compassion or sympathy for her at all which is what a plea deal usually goes towards," the sheriff said.
"I'm frustrated with that part because I'd like her to see her held accountable, and when you strike a plea deal you usually receive much less of a sentence."
'TOUGH PILL TO SWALLOW'
In a previous interview with The US Sun shortly after Papini's arrest, Johnson blasted her for wasting the more than half a decade of police time and resources that were spent investigating her "bogus claims."
Johnson also called Papini "selfish" and "callous" for sowing needless fear in the local community, adding that he had "zero sympathy" for her in the wake of her arrest.
In light of her confession, Johnson said his opinions of Papini remain unchanged.
The sheriff said he has absolutely no sympathy for Papini but does empathize with the family members she "duped" while perpetuating her lies, including her husband Keith.
"I can't imagine what they must be going through, figuring out and now knowing that she deceived them all well," Johnson said. "I can't speak for them but I do have sympathy for the family.
"They must be in a state of shock still ... They've been supporting her all this time and she's been lying. That's got to be a tough pill to swallow."
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Skepticism had long surrounded Papini's abduction claims, despite her detailed account to authorities about what happened.
Johnson said investigators were suspicious for some time that Papini's story may have been fabricated, but still they worked for months on end to chase every lead and carry out their due diligence to "get their facts straight."
Papini disappeared on November 2, 2016, leaving family members fearful she'd been abducted while out jogging.
Hours before she vanished, Papini sent a message to her husband Keith asking if he would be home for lunch, but he said that he wouldn't be.
She then failed to pick up her kids from a daycare center and was reported missing later that afternoon.
Keith told Good Morning America at the time: "Everybody who knows my wife knows that there's no reason for her to leave ... She was definitely taken against her will."
A motorist then found Papini on November 24 in rural Yolo County, around 150 miles from her Redding home.
She was emaciated and bound at the waist by a chain, which was tethered to her left wrist with a zip tie. Hose clamps were fixed to her ankles in what the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office later described as “pain compliance restraints.”
Papini was also covered in bruises, had her long blond hair shaved off, a "brand" on her right shoulder, and had suffered a broken nose.
'ATTENTION HUNGRY WOMAN'
However, in a statement last month, Attorney for the Eastern District of California Phillip A. Talbert said the almost six-year investigation into the case has revealed that Papini fabricated the entire story, even going as far as to harm herself to substantiate her claims.
Investigators said they were able to determine that Papini was with an ex-boyfriend, James Reyes, who was in on the ruse from the beginning.
The bogus kidnapping was reportedly plotted on pre-paid cell phones, an affidavit released by Talebert's office this week claims.
Described in the report as an "attention-hungry woman" who had numerous affairs, Papini ask her former lover to pick her up and then spent the next few weeks at his apartment, Reyes confessed to cops.
The ex-boyfriend also allegedly told police how he hired a rental car to drive her back to her family's neighborhood on Thanksgiving Day, 2016.
"When a young mother went missing in broad daylight, a community was filled with fear and concern," Talbert said.
"Shasta County Sheriff's Office immediately began investigating, calling on the assistance of the FBI. Countless hours were spent following leads, all in an effort to bring this woman back to her family.
Talbert added: "Three weeks later, she was found 146 miles south of where she disappeared, and the focus went from trying to find her to trying to find her abductors.
"Ultimately, the investigation revealed that there was no kidnapping and that time and resources that could have been used to investigate actual crime, protect the community, and provide resources to victims were wasted based on the defendant's conduct."
Nobody else has been charged in relation to Papini's staged kidnapping.
Jackson said there is no evidence that Keith Papini knew about the hoax that was planned by his wife. Reyes is also not expected to face charges.
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Ahead of her sentencing, the sheriff added: "She's only sorry now because she's caught and she was never sorry, before. Now that she's facing charges and facing prison now all of a sudden she's sorry? I don't buy that.
"And we'll see if the judge buys it or not when it comes to sentencing."
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