My name is Julianna Nuzzo and I live just out Las Vegas. My father was in the Air Force stationed in Nellis base in Las Vegas. He grew up in Manhattan with his Italian family. He has one sister who's in a mental hospital for bipolar disorder. His mother died before I was born and his father died when I was small. When he retired from the Air Force, he started working for the Las Vegas police department.

My mother was a housewife, also grew up in Manhattan. She also came from a well off Italian family. She was constantly being abused by my father, physically and emotionally. She was always taking some kind of anti-depressant, pain and sleeping pills. When I was 12 years old, she died of an accidental overdose. However, I believed that she committed suicide because the night before she said to me, "I just wanted to let you know how proud I am of you and that I will always love you."

When I was 4 years old, a new family moved in next door. They had a boy my age named Spencer. I learned to read at an early age so I skipped kindergarten, though Spencer skipped several grades. I was fascinated with fantasy novels such as Tolkein and C.S. Lewis. I enjoyed reading novels to escape my troubled home life. When my father would get angry and start beating my mother, I would go hide at Spencer's house. His mother used to read to us. Her mental state was a little off but I enjoyed listening to her. Even when Spencer was away at school, I would go visit her.

When we were 10 years old, Spencer was lured out to the football field, tied naked to the goal post and laughed at by a number of kids from school. I turned the sprinklers on and they ran away. I stayed with Spencer for a while; got home late and my father hit me for the first time. In order to defend myself against monsters like him, I started taking martial arts, Judo and other self-defense classes. My mother secretly signed me up so my father didn't know about it. By the time I graduated high school, I had earned my black belt.

I was intrigued by my mother's, Aunt's and Diana's mental illnesses. I started reading books on Psychology and human behavior. I was determined to stay out of the house and avoid my father's anger beatings. I became an overachiever and obsessed with being the best to please the adults in my life. When I was in high school, I joined the volleyball, softball and swim teams. When I wasn't in school or playing sports, I helped out at a day care. In the summer, I took college-bound classes to fulfill the general education requirements.

My senior year in high school, I went to the prom with a guy from the swim team. After the prom, he drove out to a secluded area and wanted to have sex in the car. I broke his nose and ran away. I came home and my father beat me for dressing like a slut. I packed a packed a bag and stayed with Spencer's mom for a while.

I graduated 2 weeks before my 17th birthday, class valedictorian with a full academic scholarship to Yale. My mother's parents let me live with them in Connecticut while I was in school. They were happy to have me there because I was the only family they had left. I studied Psychology and Human Behavior and obtained my Bachelor's and Master's degree. I continued to swim and take martial arts classes. My father wanted to be closer to me so he transferred to the New York Police Department and moved back to Manhattan. My Grandparents weren't too happy about that but I didn't see him very often. He was killed when the twin towers collapsed on 9/11.

After I graduated from Yale, I got a job working with social services in Manhattan counseling abused women and children. After 9-11, I moved into the city. Everyone wanted to move out so it wasn't hard finding a decent apartment for a good price. My grandparents helped me buy a secure apartment on Central Park West. They past away 5 years later and left me everything they had.

I still wanted to help people so I got my certification and started my own practice, still counseling women and children. I continued to work, on call, through social services and shelters for consultations. I also taught free self-defense classes for women at a local fitness club and volunteered in the day care. I swam every night in the pool. I had a key to the building so I could stay after hours. I didn't really do much except for working and helping people. Spencer is the only man I have ever trusted to get close to me. We usually talk on a regular basis. I went with him when he decided to commit his mother. He was with me when my father and my grandparents died.

Spencer worked on the behavioral analysis unit for the FBI. He would often call and we would talk about the cases. One night he called me but he seemed hesitant to talk. He had been kidnapped and beaten by a serial killer. He told me it was quite traumatic but I shouldn't worry. Not long after this happened, a case brought him to Connecticut, not far outside New York City. I asked to meet him for lunch when he had time after the case was over. He seemed to hesitate to meet with me but eventually gave in. Spencer introduced me to his unit chief Agent Hotchner and he said it was ok for him to take off for a couple hours. I noticed that something was wrong with Spencer. He looked tired and pale. He denied that anything was wrong but I didn't believe him. I was concerned but accepted that he didn't want to talk about it. I told him when we were saying goodbye, "Spencer, I hope you talk to someone about whatever is going on with you."

In 2006, Spencer had a 2 week vacation. We decided to meet in Las Vegas so we could visit his mother. However, his vacation was cut short due to a suspicious package that was sent to him. He had to go back to Virginia. I stayed in Las Vegas to spend some time with his mother.

Spencer called me to let me know that his mother might be in danger. He said, "I am having her brought into protective custody here. She is going to be anxious, especially about the plane ride so I was wondering if you could come here with her." So, I flew to Quantico, with Diana, to the BAU office. Spencer introduced me to his fellow agents, Derek Morgan, Jennifer Jareau (JJ), and Penelope Garcia. Agent Hotchner, whom I had previously met before, also came in.