Sponsorship and Foundation Updates
📌 The episode is sponsored by Rocket Money, an app used by the host for over two years to cancel unused subscriptions and lower bills.
📢 The Higher Hope Impact Report for 2024 is available, detailing transparent spending of every donation made to the foundation.
💖 Viewers' support enables the host to contribute more to the foundation, which has big plans and grants underway for 2025.

Profile of AJ Hael
🌟 Angelica Marie (AJ) Hael, born August 9, 1996, was described as wise beyond her years, gentle, kind, and loving towards animals.
🧗‍♀️ She was incredibly fearless and adventurous, starting rock climbing at age 4 and developing a brave spirit.
📚 Academically brilliant, AJ broke reading records in the fourth and fifth grades and was determined to finish her double major in IT and computer programming in just three years.

Timeline of Disappearance and Investigation
📅 AJ disappeared on March 2, 2015, after her mother and sisters left for spring break pickup; AJ was home alone, as stepfather Wes Hael was staying separately due to drug use.
📱 Strange, cryptic texts were sent from AJ’s phone, followed by a short, vague note in her handwriting, causing alarm for her mother.
💔 Evidence suggesting foul play included her wallet being left with money inside and half-folded laundry, indicating she was interrupted unexpectedly.

Key Suspects and Evidence
🚨 Corey French (ex-boyfriend) became a major suspect after finding a piece of AJ's credit card, followed by the discovery of her jacket (with her name embroidered) hidden at his house by friend Andre Bar.
🕵️‍♂️ Stepfather Wes Hael actively steered the investigation toward Corey, even harassing him after police released him, claiming Corey was obsessed.
🤥 Wes Hael lied about the last time he saw AJ (claiming lunchtime at a gas station where no footage existed) and was found to be a convicted felon with prior charges including strangulation, rape, and kidnapping.

Conviction and Aftermath
🚗 GPS data from Wes’s work van placed it at the abandoned house where AJ’s body was discovered 25 miles away on April 4th (after the device was turned off March 2nd).
☠️ AJ’s cause of death was determined to be acute heroin poisoning, three times the lethal limit, and evidence suggested sexual assault occurred.
⚖️ In January 2022, after a trial delayed by COVID-19, the jury found Wesley Hael guilty of first-degree murder and concealment of a body in just 45 minutes.
⛓️ Wes was sentenced to life in prison plus 15 years; his first stepfather, Zach, was escorted out of the sentencing hearing after lunging at Wes.

Key Points & Insights
➡️ Control Finances with Rocket Money: Utilize all-in-one personal finance apps like Rocket Money to identify and cancel forgotten subscriptions and lower recurring bills easily.
➡️ TJ’s Character: AJ Hael was an exceptionally bright, fearless, and kind young woman who excelled in academics and sports, making her premature death particularly tragic.
➡️ Failure of the Court System: The video strongly suggests that the court system failed AJ when Wes Hael was not convicted of prior felony charges (rape, kidnapping), which could have prevented her murder.
➡️ Wes Hael’s Manipulation: Wes actively manipulated friends and law enforcement, using searches and media attention as a cover while planting evidence to frame Corey French for his own crimes.

📸 Video summarized with SummaryTube.com on Jan 16, 2026, 13:22 UTC