Sherri Papini is changing her story again…
As Perezcious readers may know, the 42-year-old disappeared on November 2, 2016, while jogging near her Redding, California, home. She resurfaced 22 days later on the side of a road about 150 miles south of her house in Yolo County, looking thin, bruised, and bound with a chain around her waist. At the time, Sherri told officers she was abducted at gunpoint by two Hispanic women, who allegedly tortured her, branded her, and had her tied up in a bedroom for over three weeks. However, authorities figured out four years later that the kidnapping was all a hoax. She supposedly lied about everything. And in reality, she was with an ex-boyfriend the entire time. A real-life Gone Girl situation.
Related: Colombian Influencer Shot Dead By Man Posing As Delivery Driver!
Sherri was arrested in 2022 for orchestrating her own abduction. Later that same year, she pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in jail for committing mail fraud and lying to a federal officer about being kidnapped. She also was ordered to shell out over $300,000 in restitution for losses incurred by the California Victim Compensation Board, the Social Security Administration, the Shasta County Sheriff’s Office, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Sherri only served under 11 months and was released from jail in August 2023.
Nearly two years later, the mom of two is sharing her story of what happened in Investigation Discovery’s documentary Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie, and it’s shocking! Sherri completely reversed her stance on the fake kidnapping plot. She now claims she was abducted and that the man to blame for her kidnapping is her ex-boyfriend, James Reyes! What!
According to Sherri, they dated back in 2003 but had an emotional affair over a decade later — not a physical one. However, he allegedly crossed a line and kidnapped her for weeks. She claimed:
“There was no consent. And he still did it. The injuries that occurred. The bites on my inner and outer thigh. The footprint on my back. The brand. The melting of my skin. I can’t do that myself, and I am telling you there was no consent.”
During the investigation, there was male DNA discovered on Sherri’s clothes, which is what led law enforcement to Reyes. He has maintained his innocence, though! Reyes denied kidnapping her, saying she was a “friend in need asking for help.” While talking to the police, he insisted all of her wounds were self-inflicted, but he admitted to branding her and throwing a hockey puck at her leg at her request.
Yet Sherri now alleges he was her captor? Why did she lie, not name Reyes, and plead guilty? She said in the documentary she was afraid of him. Reyes allegedly warned her he was watching the coverage of the case to see if she identified him as her kidnapper:
“Keeping his identity concealed was keeping me safe.”
That said, Sherri shared that she tried to sprinkle hints for police. She even described one of her fake kidnappers as Reyes’ mom:
“Doing the sketch of James’ mom was like trying to lead them right to James without revealing James’ identity.”
As for pleading guilty, Sherri thought she would be charged with more offenses and receive additional time in prison if she didn’t take responsibility. She also was worried her then-husband Keith Papini would find out she was having an emotional affair with Reyes. The pair had a rocky marriage, with Sherri alleging they “both participated in some pretty toxic behaviors.” She claimed Keith, who divorced her in 2023, cared a lot about their image — and obviously, her cheating would not be a good look:
“But just because you can smile for a picture doesn’t mean that you’re not dying inside. Just because you look glossy on the outside doesn’t mean that that’s not what’s going on behind closed doors.”
Hmm…
Understandably, folks are going to doubt what she has to say. So, Sherri did take a lie detector test on the show about the alleged kidnapping. It featured questions like “At James’ house in 2016, were you free to leave at any time without fear of violence?” and “Did you ask James to brand you?”
While the test doesn’t indicate the truth, it shows whether her body had a “significant response” to statements, indicating she failed the polygraph. The results? Sherri did have that response to some questions, but the test ultimately determined her new account of being held captive by Reyes was true. The administrator even said by the end:
“I do believe you. I’m sorry that happened to you.”
And he is not the only one! Her therapist, Dr. Stephen Diggs, believes her version, too! He stated in the doc:
“I absolutely believe she was abducted. I believe that she has broken through a very difficult defense mechanism of lying and she is now, most of the time, quite honest.”
Diggs explained her relationship with Reyes started from wanting “a fleeting moment of getting her needs met.” Although Sherri expected to return to her “subservient” role, that is not what happened. He continued:
“I absolutely believe that Sherri did not ask for this. She did not want this to happen.”
Mo de la Mora, a friend of Sherri’s in prison, even backed her story! She recalled that no one in the facility liked Papini in the beginning. However, everything changed with the Lifetime movie Hoax: The Kidnapping of Sherri Papini came out in January 2023. Mo said:
“Everybody was up in the TV room, and she was just horrified because everybody was talking s*** about her … especially the part about the racist angle. You’re talking about the majority of the Hispanic community in the prison. So they came up to her, ‘Bitch, what the f**k you got against Mexicans?’”
But when Sherri told her story, she changed the other inmates’ minds:
“And that’s the thing: It’s a tall order if you’re lying. It’s a tall order for somebody to make up something. But she wasn’t. She came at them with the truth… The ones that heard her story, by the time they left that conversation with her, they understood that all that s**t was bulls**t… And they knew that what they [the authorities] were trying to say about her did not fit. It does not make sense.”
Wow. Does anyone buy her new story? It’s hard to imagine she’s telling the truth at this time since she lied in the past. But does this change anything for you? Sound OFF in the comments below!
[Image via Sherri Papini: Caught in the Lie/Investigation Discovery]
-
Categories
