All of Kendra’s messages were attacking not just attacking Lauryn, but her boyfriend, Owen McKenny. She would send these messages attacking Lauryn’s relationship, making her question everything. These messages were revolting, predatory, and extremely explicit. When I heard the reports about what Lauryn was sending her regarding Owen, I genuinely had to pause the show and digest everything I was hearing. 

     Throughout the entirety of the documentary, you hear how Kendra would help the officers investigate this crime; she would hold her crying daughter in her arms and would deceive everyone into blaming others. It is sickening to see firsthand the manipulation Kendra inflicted on everyone around her. 

     The first suspect for these actions was a known close friend of Owen, Khloe Wilson. She was a known bully and tended to be jealous of Lauryn due to her relationship with Owen, causing many to suspect that she was sending these messages. After constant interrogations from the police and a full search of her phone, the experience left her traumatized and violated.

     When we were introduced to the persona behind the unknown number, my instant question was, “Where does Kendra find all of this time?” Turns out, Kendra had been fired from her job for two years and had been hiding it from her entire family. So all of the times when her daughter and her husband assumed she was at work, she was hiding and cyberbullying her daughter and friends for up to eight hours a day. Most people don’t even put eight hours into their own jobs, but Kendra spent this time harassing her 14-year-old daughter. 

      The deception and manipulation do not stop there. Kendra makes an appearance in the documentary, attempting to explain the reasoning behind her crimes. She says, “Every single one of us makes mistakes… Realistically, some of us have probably broke the law at some point or another and not got caught. But if you get caught, you are in the same situation I am in, but for a different thing.” In no way, shape, or form is a crime as minor as shoplifting, similar to the disgusting deception she inflicted on her daughter’s life. It’s mindblowing to me how she tries to excuse her crimes as “an accident” and outright admitting that if she had not been caught, she would likely have kept doing it. 

 

It’s a heartbreaking sight to see Lauryn’s reaction to her mother’s manipulation. Her deceptive claws cut in so deeply that even after discovering her mother was behind the unbearable bullying she had faced, she still forgave her mother and only wanted to be reunited with her. Even after Kendra was sentenced to five years in prison, Lauryn kept in close contact with her mother and is counting down the days until she can be reunited with her.

 

Personally, I don’t think the five years Kendra served did any justice for Lauryn and those affected. Kendra is now free, as we saw her presence in this documentary, and she is using her freedom to attempt to justify her crimes to those around her. The mere fact that she still does not see the weight of her actions just proves that prison did not help her in any way. Kendra needs therapy and space away from her daughter. Even prison allowed her the email capabilities to keep in touch with Lauryn. She needs complete radio silence to give Lauryn the time and distance to heal.