Drew Hessler wanted the perfect proposal for his girlfriend, Ava Reynolds. He chose the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis after a Saturday evening Mass. Hessler had everything planned. He and Reynolds would stay after mass to look at the beautiful mosaics inside the church. When they got to the altar, he planned to drop to one knee and propose. Not wanting to miss a thing, Hessler hired a professional to capture it all. But when the big moment came, things took the most shocking and disturbing turn.
Reynolds created a TikTok account just to share the proposal story. As Hessler dropped to one knee, a man identified as Bradley Drakesmith stepped into the shot and made a shocking confession.
“Sorry. Hey, I’m sorry. I’m a murderer,” Drakesmith says in the video. “I need help. I’ve killed people. Plenty of people. I do not want to kill anyone else.”
Someone tries to usher the man out of the way, but he won’t leave. We can also hear someone shouting that the church is closed, even as Hessler and Reynolds’ special moment unfolds right behind him.
“Please God,” Drakesmith says in the clip as he drops to his knees. “Please forgive me for my sins. I am sorry for hurting other people. I do not want to hurt another human being as long as I live. I have asked you for forgiveness from this. Please help me.”
@avareynolds23 #pov #fyp ♬ original sound – Ava
At first, it almost seems like a joke but with absolutely zero humor. But then it’s easy to see something is very wrong with this scenario.
Reynolds posted a follow-up video in which she and Hessler explain that they do not know Drakesmith and had never seen him before. And the story gets even stranger. According to his LinkedIn profile, Drakesmith works as an attorney. He also had a recent affiliation with an area charitable organization.
Reynolds explained that after posting the video, one of Drakesmith’s neighbors apparently contacted her and said her boyfriend saw Drakesmith a few weeks before with blood on his knuckles. He allegedly told the neighbor he’d gotten into a fight with his cousin. Neither the neighbor nor the boyfriend has seen Drakesmith since.
Wow.
If this story seems too wild to be true, it’s apparently not. Other people commented on the TikTok with their own stories that had similar elements.
“My husband and I had our first kiss in a parking lot in the middle of the night…the next day, they found a body in the trunk of a car in the same parking lot,” someone wrote. “So I totally get it!”
@avareynolds23 Replying to @Rosanna STORY TIME on when our proposal was ruined by a man confessing to m*rder!!! #fyp #stl #proposal #wedding #storytime ♬ original sound – Ava
Others went right for the bright side.
“OK so hear me out — in the short run he ruined your proposal, but in the LONG RUN, this is actually gonna be one of the most iconic proposal stories to retell year after year. Blessings upon y’all. I hope your love and life is just as unique,” another person commented.
St. Louis-based ForeverMoore Photo & Film shared a statement with CafeMom regarding the viral proposal video. The company praised the photographer, Chaz, for handling the moment with professionalism and grace.
“As many have now seen, an unanticipated guest appeared during the proposal. This interruption was not planned, staged, or expected in any way. In our nine years of business, we have never experienced anything quite like this,” ForeverMoore explains.
“We felt it was important to deliver the full video to the couple exactly as it happened. We are deeply grateful for Ava and Drew’s understanding and for the kindness they have shown throughout this unusual experience,” ForeverMoore adds.
As a thank-you, ForeverMoore owners Aaron and Sabrina offered the couple a complimentary engagement session “complete with brand-new, murder-free memories to cherish.”
As for Drakesmith, is he really a murderer? We’re not sure. We hope not. He doesn’t have much of a criminal history aside from a few traffic tickets. Reynolds and Hessler contacted the police, so if he did kill anyone, hopefully authorities will find out.
There are so many unknowns, but despite a weird videobombing, a happy couple walked out of the church engaged. They have quite an origin story to share for years to come. Congratulations to the happy couple.
