THE QUEEN OF THORNS
A Netflix Original Documentary Series
Episode 4: “I’m Not Sorry”
[Transcript - 31:42 - 48:17]
[Title card: May 22, 2018 - Shelby County Courthouse, Memphis]
[Talking head: Nancy Grace, Legal Commentator]
Nancy: I’ve covered trials for thirty years. I’ve never seen anything like what happened in that courtroom. When the convicted stand to give a statement, you know what you’re about to hear: I’m sorry for what I did, I had a rough childhood, I apologize to the families. They usually don’t mean it. These scum bags take the deal because they have no other choice. But they at least pretend. Oh… but not Miss Crystal.
[Cut to: Courtroom sketch artist’s drawing of Crystal standing]
[Talking head: James Patterson, Author and Trial Observer]
James: She looked back at the victims’ families, then at the judge, and the first words out of her mouth were “I’m not sorry and I’ll do it again.” The entire courtroom gasped. It’s funny because a lot of the press quoted her as saying “I’d do it again. As in, I would if I could travel back in time. But that’s not what she said. She said I’ll do it again. As in, if I ever see the light of day again, I will.
[News footage: Crowd outside courthouse]
[Voiceover: Documentary Narrator]
Narrator: Crystal Barnett had just pled guilty to seven counts of first-degree murder. Under Tennessee law and the plea deal she struck, she faced 20 to life for each count, to be served concurrently. The plea required her to allocute, which means confess and explain her crimes. Most defendants also choose to use their statement to apologize for the crimes they’re confessing to. Crystal Barnett had other plans.
[Talking head: Martha Washington, Terrell’s Mother]
Martha: [Crying] She stood there and defiled my baby’s memory. Called him a rapist in front of everyone. My boy was going to college. He had a future.
[Cut to: District Attorney Robert Hayes]
DA Hayes: I immediately objected, asked the judge to stop her. But Judge Morrison... he let her continue. Said explaining her motive was part of the deal. I’m not sure how that includes slandering the dead, but… [spreads hands in helplessness]
[Dramatic recreation: Actress portraying Crystal at podium]
Crystal [actress voiceover]: “I refuse to insult your intelligence by feigning remorse. I’m not sorry. And I’ll do it again.”
[Talking head: Dr. Candace DeLong, Criminal Psychologist]
Dr. DeLong: In my professional opinion, this was the ultimate expressions of her narcissism. A calculated final performance. She knew exactly what she was doing.
[News footage montage: Headlines reading “KILLER’S SHOCKING CONFESSION” and “NO REMORSE”]
[Talking head: Emily Rodriguez, Women’s Rights Advocate]
Emily: Look, I don’t condone murder. But when she started talking about Terrell Washington... A lot of women in that courtroom knew exactly what she meant. The boy everyone knows is dangerous but nobody stops because he can throw a ball.
[Courtroom audio - poor quality]
Crystal’s voice: “Terrell Washington was a prolific date rapist. Everyone at school knew. The girls he hurt were put on a pedestal, so long as they pretended they liked what he had done to them. But the few who protested, who said they didn’t enjoy the “date” or wondered aloud why Terrell had so viciously thrown them on the ground when they were so willing to have sex with him–they were collectively punished. Called ungrateful. Called sluts. Beat up by other girls and ostracized by the boys. Even the teachers knew, I won’t be convinced otherwise. But they all kept calling him a “good boy.” Like he would save us all with his college scholarship. So people acted like him being a predator wasn’t a big deal. I made it a big deal.”
[Talking head: Marcus Conlon]
Marcus: I was there nd you could feel it in the gallery–the overwhelming tide of emotion from the women. Some of them had tears running down their faces as they stared at Crystal in wonder. Not because they were sad. Because they agreed with her..
[Cut to: Keisha Williams, Jackson Reed’s girlfriend]
Keisha: I went to school with Crystal and Terrell. What she said... [long pause] I honestly don’t know. They were rumors like that about all the popular boys. But usually coming from girls who lied all the damn time about every damn thing. It ain’t like we looked the other way. We looked dead at the girls making trouble and knew they weren’t reliable. That’s just the way of it.
[Talking head: Judge William Morrison (Retired)]
Judge Morrison: I’ve been criticized for allowing her to continue. But every defendant is required to allocute in open court. This is the people’s justice and part of her deal was to tell the people what she did and why. I’ve heard men confess to worse and explain less.
[Dramatic recreation continues]
Crystal [actress voiceover]: “Kwon Park filmed himself raping animals. Dogs mostly. Strays. People’s beloved pets that ‘ran away.’ I’m definitely not sorry about the way he screamed. I only wish I knew who helped him and give them the same. Anyone who performs, observes, or facilitates bestiality should die. And if I find out about it, they will.”
[Talking head: Nancy Grace]
Nancy: She’s confessing to being judge, jury, and executioner. And the scary part? Some people were nodding along.
[Social media montage: Tweets and posts supporting Crystal]
[Talking head: Dr. Janice Murray, Feminist Scholar]
Dr. Murray: We need to be very careful here. Crystal Barnett is not a feminist hero. She’s a killer who happened to target predators. But the reaction to her statement reveals something important about how many women feel the justice system has failed them.
[Courtroom audio continues]
Crystal’s voice: “The homeless man who attacked me was removed before he could attack someone who couldn’t defend herself. I handled him so the next girl wouldn’t have to.”
[Talking head: Jackson Reed]
Jackson: She looked at me while she said that part. Like she was still trying to justify it to me specifically. Like I should thank her.
[Cut to: Crowd reactions outside courthouse]
Woman #1: “She did what the system wouldn’t do!”
Man #1: “She’s a serial killer! How is this even a debate?”
Woman #2: “Maybe if the police did their jobs, she wouldn’t have had to!”
[Talking head: District Attorney Hayes]
DA Hayes: After her statement, Judge Morrison sentenced her to the agreed-upon seven concurrent life sentences. The courtroom erupted. Half cheering, half booing. I haven’t seen anything like that since the OJ trial.
[News footage: Crystal being led away in shackles]
[Talking head: Anonymous Juror, face obscured]
Juror: What disturbed me most wasn’t what she said. It was how many people agreed with her. We found Facebook groups, Twitter accounts, calling her a hero. Thousands of members. All of them mad at us jury members cuz they thought we should have just “let her go.” Like, excuse me?
[Social media montage: #TeamCrystal #JusticeForWomen #IrinaSterlingWasRight]
[Talking head: Dr. Candace DeLong]
Dr. DeLong: She created a permission structure for vigilante justice. That’s the real danger. Not Crystal herself—she’s locked up. But the women who heard her statement and thought, “Maybe she has a point.”
[Cut to: Victoria Reed]
Victoria: My brother survived five days of torture at her hands. But that kinds gets glossed over. They act like she’s some kind of hero... and that if she targeted my brother, then he must deserve it just like the rest of them.
[Talking head: Emily Rodriguez]
Emily: I’m not saying she’s right. I’m saying we need to ask why her words resonated with so many women. Why did “I’m not sorry and I’d do it again” become a rallying cry?
[Final shot: Crystal’s mugshot]
[Narrator voiceover]
Narrator: Crystal Barnett is serving seven life sentences at the Tennessee Prison for Women. She has never expressed remorse for her crimes. Her memoir, published in 2020, became a controversial bestseller. The debate she ignited about justice, vigilantism, and protecting women continues to divide America.
[Cut to black]
THE QUEEN OF THORNS
Episode 5: “The Reckoning”
[Transcript - 12:33 - 19:45]
[Title card: “After the Footage”]
[Talking head: @FeministRage - Activist, 245K followers]
Sarah: When I saw the grain silo footage... fuck. I had called Jackson Reed every name in the book. Said he deserved whatever happened to him. Then I watched him barely able to stand, beaten to hell, and heard her say that shit about Black women. I deleted my tweets. Not proud of myself. I chose wrong.
[Cut to: Dr. Patricia Chen, Former Jackson Reed Client]
Dr. Chen: I dropped him immediately after the hack. Publicly condemned him for a misogynist. But watching Crystal torture the man who helped me write my bestseller? Who never once made inappropriate advances, who was kind and discreet with all my secrets and pain that I disclosed to him… never revealing any of it even after I accused him of being a rapist? I had to reassess. Maybe I was the problem. Maybe we all were.
[Social media montage: Deleted tweets, apology posts]
[Talking head: Amara Johnson, Black Feminist Writer]
Amara: That disgusting rant she went on about beating up “middle class Black girls”? Pure white woman tears weaponized into violence. And Jackson—problematic as he is—immediately called her out. Even tied to a chair he used his position to challenge her racism. That matters. I always said white women were worse than white men. At least the men leave you be if they don’t see you as viable sex objects. The women though, they infiltrate like little snakes, using Black women as their emotional support animals. And Irina proved that live and in color.
[Grain silo footage excerpt - audio only]
Jackson: “You don’t like Black women who stand up to you.”
Crystal: “Middle class Black girls... never been in a real fight...”
[Talking head: @BookishBabe23 - Former “Plate”]
Jessica: Yeah, I was one of the women in his field reports. The “yoga instructor.” Was I pissed? Hell yes. Did he deserve to be tortured by a racist serial killer? Hell no. There’s levels to this shit.
[Cut to: Marcus Conlon]
Marcus: The amount of DMs I got saying “We were wrong about Jackson”—thousands. Obviously they don’t think he’s a saint. But Crystal showed what real predatory behavior looks like.
[Talking head: Roxane Gay, Author and Cultural Critic]
Roxane: We need to be able to hold two truths: Jackson Reed’s misogyny was real and harmful. AND he didn’t deserve what happened to him. Crystal Barnett isn’t a feminist hero—she’s a white woman who killed Black men and tortured anyone who threatened her comfort.
[Instagram photo: Jackson and Keisha at a Memphis restaurant]
[Talking head: @WokeButTired - Social Media Influencer]
Maya: I mean, look at who he chose as his girlfriend. His one and only girlfriend. Black woman, successful, choosing to be with him after everything. He used white women like they were disposable and interchangeable. But when it’s time to be serious, look who he chooses. Did the trauma make him realize what a real good woman looks like? Or was this who he always was and we just couldn’t see it?.
[Cut to: Victoria Reed]
Victoria: My Instagram following went from 350K to 900K after I started talking about our family trauma. People saw I wasn’t just blindly defending him—I was holding him accountable while also loving him. That’s what family does.
[Final talking head: Jackson Reed]
Jackson: I don’t need rehabilitation or redemption from the internet. Their condemnation meant nothing. Their approval means even less. But if this experience helps people see that the mealy-mouthed gurus they follow shouldn’t be uncritically believed, then something good came from the worst week of my life.
[Text on screen: Jackson Reed declined an invitation to the 2018 Oscars from actress Alyssa Milano to present on stage and publicly support the #MeToo movement]
[END OF SEGMENT]