Daniel’s Chronicles Episode 01 – How it all started…

Prologue 📖

This is not a true-crime show.
And it’s not entertainment in the usual sense.

This is a series of observations, thoughts, and real stories — told without sensationalism and without pretending to have all the answers.

Sometimes these episodes will focus on systems: law enforcement, justice, procedures.
Sometimes on people — how they act under pressure, how decisions are made, and how easily a life can change direction.

I’m not here to judge.
I’m not here to defend anyone.
And I’m not here to simplify complex situations into good and bad.

This series is about looking closer — at reality, at context, and at consequences.

Some episodes will be calm and reflective.
Some may be uncomfortable.
But all of them are meant to be honest.

There will be no dramatic music, no shock value, and no rushed conclusions.
Just one perspective, shared openly.

This is Daniel’s Chronicles.
And this is where it begins.

How it all started… 🌟

I could write that since childhood I always preferred the good guys, that villains never impressed me — but you probably already know that.

I was fascinated by American law enforcement: the tools they use, patrol cars with powerful engines, the front push bumpers for PIT maneuvers, different types of weapons, and the equipment inside the cruiser itself.

The lights — not just on the roof, but in front, in the back, on the sides — almost like a Christmas tree, if only they used different colors 🎄.

Procedures like sobriety tests, different agencies — PD, Sheriff’s Office, SWAT, Marshals, and so on. And even the way officers say NYPD, LAPD, SFPD — it simply sounds better than the European “Stop, police.”

In general… everything 🙂
You can even compare patrol cars: a Dodge Charger (USA) versus a Kia Ceed or Opel Astra (EU).

I’m aware that not every police officer is great — there are bad apples everywhere. Maybe not always on the scale of Baltimore, but I’ve also seen footage of an officer stealing part of the cash from an arrestee.

Would I want to be a police officer in the U.S. (ignoring the fact that I have a different nationality)? I don’t know — but I do know that I would join the Reserves Program.

The first interrogation video and Sterns 🎥

In 2019, I came across the interrogation of Colonel Russell Williams. The narrator explained what techniques the detective used to extract information from the suspect and lead him to a confession.

Later came more videos explaining techniques, but I also became interested in what the suspects themselves were saying.

Occasionally, in my free time, I also watched dashcam and bodycam footage. Then I took a long break from this topic — until the Depp vs. Heard trial, which I watched — followed by another break… and finally, in 2024, YouTube suggested an interrogation video to me.

The thumbnail showed a man in handcuffs, dressed in a white jumpsuit. At the time, I knew nothing about the case, and Florida itself didn’t interest me much. I prefer a different state 🙂.

The video was five hours long, but for most of it he was just sitting or sleeping. The subject turned out to be Stephan Sterns. I didn’t really understand what was going on, because it turned out this wasn’t his first interrogation. So I watched the earlier ones — or rather listened to them, since they were audio-only. I also found the Grizzly True Crime channel, where everything was easier to follow because it was all in one playlist.

At first, I watched the videos from the end of the list, which turned out to be stupid, so I went back to the beginning. As I learned more about the case — every new piece of evidence, every document — it all became terrifying. Because this wasn’t fiction like in movies, TV, or streaming shows. This was something that actually happened. What I was reading and listening to were real events, not a script.

Of course, I didn’t obtain the evidence myself through FOIA requests — I assume a citizen of another country probably can’t do that, and why would they. I relied on what YouTubers managed to obtain, because what’s publicly available in court records is usually just the charges, the course of the case, and sometimes the arrest report.

There are no words to describe how I felt knowing what poor Madeline Soto went through for years — and that after her 13th birthday, she was murdered 💔.

Just like Orlando used to remind me of the NBA team Orlando Magic since childhood, now it brings completely different associations. Even Miami — which I associated with Miami Vice and Will Smith’s song “Miami” — is no longer that Miami from the movies. Even Jacksonville feels different to me now.

What I did admire in this case was the work of the detectives. I sent emails to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office and to the Kissimmee Police Department. In each email, I thanked the detectives by name and everyone involved for their work. They didn’t reply, but I hope they read it. I didn’t expect applause — that some guy from Poland sent them thanks.

I promised myself that I would follow the Sterns case all the way to the verdict.

After Sterns 🕵️‍♂️

I didn’t dive that deeply into any other case to the point of reviewing documents — it all takes a huge amount of time. Occasionally, I watched some interrogations from other cases, like Wade Wilson and a few others I don’t remember now.

I even tried to put myself into the mind of a murderer — to understand what someone like that might feel or think while killing another person. Because it’s one thing when someone kills in self-defense, and another when someone takes a life without reason. I couldn’t do it. I can suffer with the victims, not with the perpetrators.

The example of Stephan Sterns — who took a plea deal just to avoid the death penalty — shows that he was capable of taking another person’s life, but wanted to live himself and didn’t even have the courage to fully admit to the most serious charge.

What surprised me was how open FOIA is, especially in Florida. In Europe, everything is secret and confidential. Recently in Poland, they announced that an arrest warrant had been issued — but they didn’t show it anywhere. So you could be sitting next to a wanted person and not even know it. A perfect example of European absurdity. You get arrested for some minor nonsense, and your photo instantly circulates around the world.

Later, in my free time, I watched Vinnie Politan on CourtTV, more bodycam footage — arrests of people impersonating police officers, DUI/DWI cases, people screaming, fighting, and kicking officers.

Then came booking videos — how all the jail procedures look. I learned that in the U.S., it’s actually very easy to end up in jail, spend the night there, and then have a First Appearance, which — from what I saw — happens at lightning speed. The judge speaks so fast that I had the impression the defendant had no idea what was going on. I wouldn’t have known either.

That’s when I understood that a long list of charges doesn’t always mean someone will be convicted of everything. It’s almost like officers add more charges and maybe something will stick.

Example: aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. It turned out the couple was divorced, they argued, and the woman threw a wooden spoon at her ex — and that was the charge she received. I remember the judge reducing it to a lesser charge.

Mugshots 📸

At the end of July, a certain website suggested a page called “Orange County Mugshots” and showed me a photo of a man.

The name “mugshots” surprised me. WTF? Someone sells mugs with photos of arrested people? WHY?

I need to explain that I didn’t know this word. I associated “mug” with a ceramic cup, and “shots” in photography with taking a picture. Only later did I learn it had nothing to do with mugs.

As you keep reading, I may lose respect in your eyes, you might even hate me — so I don’t know if I’m doing the right thing by writing this. But remember: I’m telling the truth. No one asked me to say this — I’m cutting off the branch I’m sitting on myself.

I opened the page and realized it showed photos of arrested people. Basic information was listed: name, age, booking number, booking date, and charges.

I started scrolling and reading charges: battery, battery, battery, possession, battery, possession… and then a serious one appeared — a long list written in a way that was hard to understand. ChatGPT broke it down for me.

I read her first name, middle name and last name — I know those are normal names in the U.S., but to me, her names sounded beautiful, something that moved something inside me.

It may seem strange that I noticed the name and charges before the photo. Remember — I’m different.

Maybe I’m old-fashioned, because I believe women should always be respected, treated well, protected, surrounded with safety, and adored — even though I know they can be cruel too, from personal experience.

But when I looked at Her’s photo, I asked myself: what brought such a petite, beautiful woman to face charges like these?

I found publicly available documents, and then I understood this was not an ordinary story. I didn’t know much — later it turned out I knew almost nothing. This was real life, real pain.

And that’s when an idea was born…
This woman should write a book based on her life. Because she is worth it. And if a studio ever makes a movie or series based on that book, it would reach a wider audience. And even if her story changes the life of just one person — that would mean it was worth it.

How to deliver the message ✉️

I wondered how to send a message to a complete stranger across the ocean — someone who didn’t know me at all.

I couldn’t exactly put a letter in a bottle, throw it into the Vistula River, and hope it reaches the shores of Florida, where a beachgoer would find it and deliver it to OCJ.

ChatGPT suggested services like JPay and GTL, but those don’t work at OCJ.
On the jail’s website, I found information about traditional mail — not very helpful. But then I remembered that the Stephan Sterns message reports were generated through SmartInmate. I visited the site and quickly started registering.

Of course, it couldn’t go smoothly — they required a U.S. phone number to send an SMS verification code. Once again, ChatGPT was helpful.

Registration completed, I searched her and sent a request. Now all that was left was to wait — would she accept it, or reject it?
I was full of anxiety. What would I do if she rejected it? Be pushy and keep sending requests until one was accepted? I was as stressed as before an exam.

Then the day came. You need to know that I’m sentimental. Maybe my memory isn’t great anymore, but I remember exactly the moment I received the email saying that She accepted me as a contact. I still remember where I was at that moment, and it won’t fade easily.

I got home, logged into SmartInmate, bought my first credits, clicked “new message,” selected the recipient — and boom… document verification required.

I started cursing in my head, because it had gone too easily. I knew that at some point, life would flip me the middle finger again.

I only have Polish documents, so I assumed they’d reject them. But fine — I took photos of the front and back, merged them, and sent them. Boom — approved. No complaints. Maybe no one even checked.

Message written, I clicked “send” — and it worked. Something that seemed impossible became real. I didn’t know how she’d react — maybe she’d ignore it, maybe she’d tell me to fuck off — but I sent it.

Later, I realized I hadn’t written everything, so I sent a second message.

And after that…

Well… there were many moments,
Something happened that I never planned and never even imagined would happen ✨.