On June 3, 2014, 19-year-old Lea Porter vanished just before entering her 20s. On the eve of her adulthood, the teenager was reported missing in Westminster, Colorado, under bizarre circumstances. The next step was a lengthy investigation by the police; however, the body of the teenager was never discovered. Investigation Discovery’s “Valley Of The Damned Killer Confession describes the shocking murder as well as the peculiar circumstances that led the killer to confess to the crime. We have the answer if you’re interested in knowing more about the investigation and where the killer is currently.
How Did Lea Porter Die?
Lea Porter grew up in Cotopaxi, Colorado, alongside her brother, Maxx, with whom she formed a strong connection. After high school, Lea decided to pursue the field of massage therapy. She was enrolled in the same school as Maxx. Lea depended on Maxx that, after he had completed her degree, it was hard to adapt to college by herself. She lost control over herself and soon found herself in a bad situation. Unable to finish the college program, Lea quit her education and was able to move into the home of an old man by the name of Jesse Mine, a tattoo artist. Jesse Mine was believed to be the main reason behind her addiction to heroin.
Maxx recognized her condition but was unable to do anything to relieve Lea from her habit. At the age of 19, Lea was living in Denver when she vanished in Westminster, Colorado, On June 3, 2014. The night before the disappearance, Lea had dinner with her partner in Castle Rock in Colorado. The couple later were in a heated argument when her boyfriend informed her that he was moving to the East Coast. Without a place to stay, Lea then left Castle Rock and went to Denver in search of a place to remain.
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Maxx and Lea’s mom, Rene, knew something was not right when Lea didn’t answer her phone or even reply to her texts. Believing that something had gone badly wrong, the family phoned her high school buddy, Christopher Waide, who was in her presence in Denver. Waide claimed that he didn’t hear from Lea when she left with an unknown person in a white vehicle. Even with the involvement of the police but there was no trace of the missing girl, and detectives could not discover any clues to follow. It appeared as if Lea Porter had vanished into the air.
Who Murdered Lea Porter?
Christopher Waide was arrested and found guilty of Lea’s murder. Following the teenager’s disappearance, the police discovered they had found out that Waide was the only person who saw her alive. In an interview, he explained to police that the day before her disappearance, the two of them, Lea, went for dinner for a walk in the Boston Market before returning to his home. Then, he stated that Lea received a text message late in the night that prompted her to walk away with an unknown person in a white vehicle.
In the course of their search for Lea’s vehicle in the parking lot of the Waide’s building. After examining the car, they discovered it included all her college belongings. But, the officers were unable to discover a clue as the vehicle was not filled with DNA or blood samples. After further investigation, the police discovered that Waide served in the military but was dismissed after revealing that he dreamed of murdering and raping females. This led police to be extremely concerned about him, and they were granted a warrant to search his residence.
A visit to the home of Waide discovered blood spots that were quickly cleaned, including a prominent one in his bed. The search led police to women’s underwear. The history of computer usage by Waide shocked the police when they discovered explicit sex websites and child pornography. However, the blood spots did not match Waide to the disappearance of Lea, and the police didn’t have any evidence that could link him to the crime.
On the other hand, Lea’s former classmates allegedly confessed to Maxx that Waide was obsessed with the alarming idea of kidnapping girls to use as sexual slaves, who would rape and then murder them. Believing Waide to be the culprit in Lea’s disappearance, Maxx made contact with the suspect for a tarot reading. Waide, who is a firm fan of tarot, was in agreement. At first, Waide refused to tell Maxx any information about Lea, claiming that he had nothing to do with Lea’s murder. In the course of the tarot séance, the situation changed for Waide, and he wound with a confession to Lea’s murder. Waide stated that the victim would repeatedly ask for money the day that Lea’s murder took place. He refused and claimed Lea assaulted him using knives.
Believing that he was in danger, In a bid to save his life, Waide said that he had choked Lea in self-defence, which made Lea unconscious. He added that he was unable to gauge the strength of his chokehold, which meant that when he released Lea, she appeared to be dead. Naturally, Maxx got enraged and kicked Waide prior to calling the 911 number and obliged him to confess to the police. After that, when asked what prompted him to confess to the killing, Waide said, “The cards were saying to me that my guilt could destroy me if I admitted it.” In the wake of confessing, Waide was promptly arrested and charged with murder first-degree.
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Where is Christopher Waide Currently?
Alongside the first-degree murder charge, Christopher Waide also faced charges of sexual assault and evidence alteration. The presence in possession of children’s pornography was added to the list of suspects. Conscient that Waide could face an extended prison sentence should he be found guilty, Waide cut a deal with the prosecutor. He agreed to plead guilty to sexually exploiting children and second-degree murder in exchange for the prosecutors absolving him of any other charges. He was also willing to help police find the dumpster where he had hidden Lea’s body.
Based on his second-degree murder and sexual victimization guilty plea, The Judge sent Christopher Waide to 48 years in prison in November of 2015. Waide is serving his sentence in the Limon Correctional Facility in Lincoln County, Colorado, and is scheduled to be paroled in 2048.
When the police became aware of the location Waide had hidden Lea’s body, they searched the dumpster as well as the Commerce City landfill for 40-45 days. However, they were able to find Lea’s cell phone as well as clothing. Lea Porter’s remains have not been found, and her relatives have been searching for the missing teenager.