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of thirteen she had endured a terrible sledding accident. It had required a great deal of rehabilitation and she had a permanent two-inch scar on her neck.
    Gabe later explained how he and Jessica met, and many things that Gabe said had to be believed with caution. Gabe recounted, “We were both twenty-six years old. She introduced herself and we went to a Sadie Hawkins dance, the worst date of my life. But she’s a wonderful person.”
    This was odd. At that point he didn’t seem to be that attracted to her, or enjoy being in her company all that much, and yet he acknowledged she was a wonderful person.
    Gabe and Jessica began dating. Alicia Bitton shared an apartment with Jessica when they were students at BYU in 2002. Both Jessica and Alicia lived in the Cinnamon Tree apartment complex along with many other BYU students. Alicia recalled that Gabe was friendly and a nice-looking young man. She added that he was fun to be around, always willing to help someone out and genuinely seemed to care about others. Alicia noted that Gabe was very active in the same LDS church that Jessica also attended. Alicia thought that Gabe and Jessica were very happy together.
    While Gabe was at BYU, he joined the Air Force Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) program at that university. Part of the reason may have been that by being in ROTC, he received a substantial sum of money from the air force to cover his costs of tuition, food and housing. Another reason was that Gabe liked the idea of being an air force pilot. It fit the image he had created for himself as an adventurous young man. And he also wanted to live up to the image he had of Jesse McCoy, who had been on dangerous missions in exotic locales. Being a member of ROTC, Gabe was expected to keep up his grades at BYU and enter the air force after graduation from college.
    Colonel Roger Maher was Gabe’s ROTC detachment commander and professor of aerospace studies. Colonel Maher was responsible for 320 cadets that year. Maher recalled later, “I had Gabriel Morris in a class. As a professor of aerospace studies, I realized that Gabriel was one of the most exceptional young men that I had met that year. He was bright and he was positive. Optimistic and very personable. We actually had a great year together.
    â€œGabe was willing to do anything that was asked of him. A good team player who demonstrated leadership qualities. Gabriel was very humble and even-tempered. He pledged a service organization, the Arnold Air Society, and was very engaged in helping people.”
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    Gabe and Jessica Pope became serious in a very short space of time and Jessica took him to meet her parents, Bill and Rita Pope, up in Blackfoot, Idaho. Bill had some suspicions about Gabe and asked if he intended to marry his daughter. Bill was aware that Jessica had a substantial amount of money because of the insurance settlement. He worried about his daughter being taken advantage of on that account.
    Gabe assured the Popes that he and Jessica were just friends. And then in something so typical of Gabe, he proved how false that statement was. Without Bill and Rita Pope knowing about it, Gabe asked Jessica to marry him. There was whirlwind activity before the wedding and then they were soon married at an LDS temple in July 2002.
    Bill and Rita Pope were stunned by this turn of events. Gabe had just assured them that he and Jessica were not romantically involved. Now the Popes had a new son-in-law on their hands. Before they knew it, Bill and Rita Pope were heading out to Bandon, Oregon, where Gabe and Jessica had a reception. Gabe’s mom, Robin, was there, as was her new husband, James, and Jesse McCoy and his wife as well. It remained to be seen just how well Gabe would treat the Popes’ daughter, Jessica.

CHAPTER 10
    Jesse McCoy recounted, “I got out of the service about the time Gabe got married to Jessica. We talked all the time on the phone and he told me