Angela Sanford told police she stabbed Joel Leyva in self-defense. But when investigators looked at her phone, they found his number saved under a single chilling word: Sacrifice.

Joel’s body was discovered in the desert, stabbed 13 times with a ceremonial dagger. What started as a meetup turned into what prosecutors described as a twisted ritual.

Angela was convicted and sentenced to 20 years for Joel’s murder. But the case leaves a haunting question behind: how does someone become convinced that human sacrifice is the answer?

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