1 00:00:00,600 --> 00:00:00,633  [s                              2 00:00:00,633 --> 00:00:00,667  [sof                            3 00:00:00,667 --> 00:00:00,700  [soft                           4 00:00:00,700 --> 00:00:00,734  [soft dr                        5 00:00:00,734 --> 00:00:00,767  [soft dram                      6 00:00:00,767 --> 00:00:00,800  [soft dramat                    7 00:00:00,800 --> 00:00:00,834  [soft dramatic                  8 00:00:00,834 --> 00:00:00,867  [soft dramatic m                9 00:00:00,867 --> 00:00:00,900  [soft dramatic mus              10 00:00:00,900 --> 00:00:00,934  [soft dramatic music            11 00:00:00,934 --> 00:00:02,669  [soft dramatic music]           12 00:00:02,669 --> 00:00:04,504   [suspenseful music]            13 00:00:04,504 --> 00:00:07,774  creates bonds unlike             any other profession.           14 00:00:07,774 --> 00:00:10,010    Cops share a deep               sense of belonging,            15 00:00:10,010 --> 00:00:11,644   and an attack on one of them   16 00:00:11,644 --> 00:00:13,780   is seen as an attack on all.   17 00:00:13,780 --> 00:00:14,781    In the year 2000,             18 00:00:14,781 --> 00:00:16,649    in DeKalb County, Georgia,    19 00:00:16,649 --> 00:00:19,552    that bond is put                 to a severe test.             20 00:00:19,552 --> 00:00:21,254   [gunfire blasting]               [suspenseful music]            21 00:00:21,254 --> 00:00:24,290  - This murder shook the world.  22 00:00:24,290 --> 00:00:25,625   This was unheard of.           23 00:00:26,526 --> 00:00:28,695  - Not just a murder of anyone,  24 00:00:28,695 --> 00:00:30,163 but a murder of                     a police officer,             25 00:00:30,163 --> 00:00:32,532 and not just the murder           of a police officer,            26 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:33,800    but the murder of                a police officer              27 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:36,369    who'd been elected sheriff    28 00:00:36,669 --> 00:00:39,706   that sent shockwaves through    the law enforcement community.  29 00:00:39,706 --> 00:00:41,408   [suspenseful music]            30 00:00:41,408 --> 00:00:42,575  - In November,                  31 00:00:42,575 --> 00:00:44,711  County Police Captain              Derwin Brown wins             32 00:00:44,711 --> 00:00:47,547  an upset victory in a            hard-fought election            33 00:00:47,547 --> 00:00:49,282   for county sheriff.            34 00:00:49,282 --> 00:00:50,550  - No one thought that           35 00:00:50,550 --> 00:00:53,553  Derwin Brown could win           the general election.           36 00:00:53,553 --> 00:00:55,155    - But in December,            37 00:00:55,155 --> 00:00:57,824   only the days before             he's to be sworn in,           38 00:00:57,824 --> 00:01:00,560   Brown is gunned down             in his own driveway.           39 00:01:00,560 --> 00:01:02,295   [suspenseful music]              [gunfire blasting]             40 00:01:02,295 --> 00:01:03,830 - He could hear it in my voice.  41 00:01:03,830 --> 00:01:05,765 And I was like,                    "Daddy's been shot."           42 00:01:06,599 --> 00:01:08,701    - The shooter was                absolutely intent             43 00:01:08,701 --> 00:01:11,304   on making sure that              he didn't survive.             44 00:01:11,304 --> 00:01:14,174  - What we did not know is why?  45 00:01:14,174 --> 00:01:15,842    - Detectives from                multiple agencies             46 00:01:15,842 --> 00:01:18,445 are now forced to answer          a terrifying question.          47 00:01:18,445 --> 00:01:19,846   [suspenseful music]            48 00:01:19,846 --> 00:01:23,316 Is it possible that the            killer is one of their own?    49 00:01:23,316 --> 00:01:26,786    [striking dramatic music]     50 00:01:36,362 --> 00:01:37,764 [gentle dramatic music]          51 00:01:37,764 --> 00:01:40,100 [birds chirping]                 52 00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:41,634  [audience applauding]           53 00:01:41,634 --> 00:01:43,369    - A lot of people                stepped forward.              54 00:01:43,369 --> 00:01:45,171   They believed in me,           55 00:01:46,206 --> 00:01:47,874 and I'm very grateful for that.  56 00:01:47,874 --> 00:01:48,975  [audience applauding]           57 00:01:48,975 --> 00:01:53,379   - [Alan] It'd been a             hard-fought campaign           58 00:01:53,379 --> 00:01:54,781   Derwin Brown had challenged    59 00:01:54,781 --> 00:01:57,250  a powerful and                     popular incumbent,            60 00:01:57,250 --> 00:02:00,120  DeKalb County Sheriff           Sidney Dorsey,                   61 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,522  and against all odds,              he had triumphed.             62 00:02:02,522 --> 00:02:03,790  [audience applauding]           63 00:02:03,790 --> 00:02:04,891   - [Man] And welcome              the man of the hour,           64 00:02:04,891 --> 00:02:06,359  Sheriff, Derwin Brown.          65 00:02:06,359 --> 00:02:07,360  [audience applauding]           66 00:02:07,360 --> 00:02:08,428  - After the election,           67 00:02:08,428 --> 00:02:11,498    the sheriffs then have to     go to sheriff's school.          68 00:02:11,498 --> 00:02:14,367 He was excited, and he              was ready to get to work.     69 00:02:14,367 --> 00:02:17,470   [gentle piano music]           70 00:02:19,506 --> 00:02:21,374   - On Friday, December 15th,    71 00:02:21,374 --> 00:02:23,776  Derwin was graduating             from that academy.             72 00:02:23,776 --> 00:02:25,645  [audience applauding]           73 00:02:25,645 --> 00:02:27,380  His wife, Phyllis and            his daughter, Brandy,           74 00:02:27,380 --> 00:02:29,249 were there to watch him.         75 00:02:29,249 --> 00:02:31,784   - [Brandy] Which was also my      mother's birthday.            76 00:02:31,784 --> 00:02:32,919 He was beaming.                  77 00:02:32,919 --> 00:02:35,755 He was just so                     happy and so proud.            78 00:02:36,556 --> 00:02:38,558 It was a beautiful day.          79 00:02:38,558 --> 00:02:42,862 [gentle dramatic music]          80 00:02:43,229 --> 00:02:45,832  at one of his favorite            restaurants in the vicinity.   81 00:02:45,832 --> 00:02:49,169  - [J. Tom] This was a private   party of family                  82 00:02:49,169 --> 00:02:51,171   and close campaign workers.    83 00:02:51,171 --> 00:02:53,540    He was to be sworn               in Monday morning.            84 00:02:53,540 --> 00:02:55,408 - [Alan] Brown's wife,              Phyllis, tells the family     85 00:02:55,408 --> 00:02:58,411 she had a headache and           wants to go home early,          86 00:02:58,411 --> 00:02:59,846 but her real reason for leaving  87 00:02:59,846 --> 00:03:02,949    is to surprise her              husband with a gift.           88 00:03:02,949 --> 00:03:05,818    - [J. Tom] Phyllis had a      specially made uniform for him.  89 00:03:05,818 --> 00:03:06,686   Derwin's a big man.            90 00:03:06,686 --> 00:03:07,954 He's 245 pounds,                 91 00:03:07,954 --> 00:03:09,589  not only did she want           92 00:03:09,589 --> 00:03:11,424   a uniform that fit him well,   93 00:03:11,424 --> 00:03:13,193 but one that looked nice on him. 94 00:03:13,193 --> 00:03:14,394 [gentle dramatic music]          95 00:03:14,394 --> 00:03:16,596 - [Brandy] She wanted to go home    before him to hang it up,     96 00:03:16,596 --> 00:03:18,331  so that when he walked             through the door,             97 00:03:18,331 --> 00:03:20,433  it would be the first             thing that he saw.             98 00:03:21,267 --> 00:03:22,468 - [Alan] As the                     party winds down,             99 00:03:22,468 --> 00:03:23,836    Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown    100 00:03:23,836 --> 00:03:25,438 shakes a few last hands          101 00:03:25,438 --> 00:03:26,673  and heads to his car.           102 00:03:27,473 --> 00:03:28,575    He wants to pick up roses     103 00:03:28,575 --> 00:03:31,578 to celebrate his wife's            birthday when he gets home.    104 00:03:31,578 --> 00:03:33,713 [gentle dramatic music]          105 00:03:33,713 --> 00:03:34,714   - [Brandy] I was like, "Dad,     hey,                           106 00:03:34,714 --> 00:03:36,349  "I'm going to go. I'm tired."   107 00:03:36,349 --> 00:03:38,318  I gave him a hug and               told him that I love him,     108 00:03:38,318 --> 00:03:40,353   and he said, "Okay,             baby, I love you too."          109 00:03:40,353 --> 00:03:41,754    And I told him I                 was proud of him.             110 00:03:41,754 --> 00:03:42,989    He said, "I'll see              you in the morning."           111 00:03:42,989 --> 00:03:44,457    I said, "I'll see               you in the morning."           112 00:03:44,457 --> 00:03:45,592 [somber dramatic music]          113 00:03:45,592 --> 00:03:47,994    [thunder rumbling]            114 00:03:47,994 --> 00:03:50,330    - It was raining               very hard that night,           115 00:03:50,330 --> 00:03:53,866    and he had pulled into his      driveway and had gotten out,   116 00:03:53,866 --> 00:03:56,769  had gotten some flowers that     he had picked up for his wife   117 00:03:56,769 --> 00:03:58,004 [rain pattering]                 118 00:03:58,004 --> 00:03:59,939 and was walking                     towards his house.            119 00:04:01,341 --> 00:04:02,875   - [Alan] Derwin and             Phyllis's son, Robert,          120 00:04:02,875 --> 00:04:05,245 who skipped the                    celebratory dinner,            121 00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:06,646    is working on his computer    122 00:04:06,646 --> 00:04:07,914   in the living room.            123 00:04:07,914 --> 00:04:09,616    - Robert could see his dad    124 00:04:09,616 --> 00:04:12,018 walking up the walk to the door. 125 00:04:12,018 --> 00:04:13,386 [ominous music]                  126 00:04:13,386 --> 00:04:14,787    He hears something            127 00:04:14,787 --> 00:04:17,790   and his dad turns as            if to talk to someone,          128 00:04:17,790 --> 00:04:19,492 [ominous music]                  129 00:04:19,492 --> 00:04:21,027  and that's when Robert          130 00:04:21,027 --> 00:04:22,362   heard the gunshots.            131 00:04:22,362 --> 00:04:24,764   [gunfire blasting]               [suspenseful music]            132 00:04:24,764 --> 00:04:26,399   Phyllis is inside the house,   133 00:04:26,399 --> 00:04:29,636    and she realized that she        was listening to gunfire,     134 00:04:29,636 --> 00:04:32,405   but she thought the             gunfire was next door.          135 00:04:32,405 --> 00:04:34,507 She called 911.                  136 00:04:34,507 --> 00:04:35,775 - [Operator] 911. Where            is your emergency?             137 00:04:35,775 --> 00:04:37,677 - [J. Tom] She ran to the door.  138 00:04:37,677 --> 00:04:40,780   [suspenseful music]            139 00:04:42,815 --> 00:04:45,051  [tense sinister music]          140 00:04:45,051 --> 00:04:49,289  She saw Derwin's body,             and he was still.             141 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:51,658  She immediately tells              the 911 operator,             142 00:04:51,658 --> 00:04:53,526  "Captain Brown has been shot.   143 00:04:53,526 --> 00:04:55,395    Please send an ambulance."    144 00:04:55,395 --> 00:04:56,829 [intense dramatic music]         145 00:04:56,829 --> 00:04:57,964    [emergency siren wailing]     146 00:04:57,964 --> 00:05:00,400  - [Alan] An ambulance              races the scene.              147 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:03,536 Word flashes through the            law enforcement community:    148 00:05:03,536 --> 00:05:05,938 One of their own                    has been attacked.            149 00:05:05,938 --> 00:05:06,806   [suspenseful music]            150 00:05:06,806 --> 00:05:09,309 [sirens wailing loudly]          151 00:05:09,309 --> 00:05:10,543  - [Chris] Anytime an officer's   down,                           152 00:05:10,543 --> 00:05:11,944 an officer's been shot,          153 00:05:11,944 --> 00:05:13,079 everybody comes.                 154 00:05:13,079 --> 00:05:15,448 [sirens wailing]                 155 00:05:15,448 --> 00:05:16,716   [telephone ringing]            156 00:05:16,716 --> 00:05:18,851  - [Brandy] I don't even think      we had been home              157 00:05:18,851 --> 00:05:23,423    maybe 30 minutes,               and the phone rings.           158 00:05:23,423 --> 00:05:26,459  It is my mother's good friend,  159 00:05:26,459 --> 00:05:28,828    and she was like,              "Derwin's been shot."           160 00:05:28,828 --> 00:05:32,999 [somber dramatic music]          161 00:05:35,101 --> 00:05:37,437   and I'm yelling at the top       of the steps to my husband,    162 00:05:37,437 --> 00:05:41,708    and I yell his name and he       could hear it in my voice.    163 00:05:41,708 --> 00:05:43,109   And so he ran to the             bottom of the steps.           164 00:05:43,109 --> 00:05:44,877 And he's like, "What is wrong?"  165 00:05:44,877 --> 00:05:47,113 and I was like,                    "Daddy's been shot."           166 00:05:47,113 --> 00:05:49,615   [reflective dramatic music]    167 00:05:49,615 --> 00:05:52,085    I literally forgot            how to breathe.                  168 00:05:53,119 --> 00:05:54,987    Finally, I get up.            169 00:05:54,987 --> 00:05:56,889  We run and we get in the car,   170 00:05:56,889 --> 00:05:58,491 and I'm like telling my husband, 171 00:05:58,491 --> 00:06:02,462 I was like, "Run every              [beep] red light you see.     172 00:06:02,462 --> 00:06:03,563  I don't give a damn."           173 00:06:03,563 --> 00:06:05,365  I said, "Every police             officer that gets behind you   174 00:06:05,365 --> 00:06:06,599 will have to follow us.          175 00:06:06,599 --> 00:06:08,601   Do not [beep] stop."           176 00:06:08,601 --> 00:06:09,869 [engine revving]                 177 00:06:09,869 --> 00:06:12,038    [emergency siren wailing]     178 00:06:12,038 --> 00:06:13,873  - [Alan] The ambulance            rushes Derwin Brown            179 00:06:13,873 --> 00:06:16,008   to DeKalb General Hospital.    180 00:06:16,008 --> 00:06:17,377 [somber dramatic music]          181 00:06:17,377 --> 00:06:18,811 - [Brandy] We got to the            hospital.                     182 00:06:19,912 --> 00:06:21,948  His chief of staff comes out.   183 00:06:23,049 --> 00:06:24,884    He looked straight               ahead at the wall.            184 00:06:24,884 --> 00:06:27,787   He wouldn't look at             any of us in our face,          185 00:06:27,787 --> 00:06:29,889 and he said, "He                 didn't make it."                 186 00:06:29,889 --> 00:06:33,493 And I'm like, "What the [beep]   do you mean he didn't make it?"  187 00:06:33,493 --> 00:06:34,927 [intense dramatic music]         188 00:06:34,927 --> 00:06:36,629 It was crazy after that.         189 00:06:36,629 --> 00:06:38,164    It was people throwing up.    190 00:06:38,164 --> 00:06:40,066 My brothers was                     punching the wall.            191 00:06:40,066 --> 00:06:41,501  It was just screaming.          192 00:06:41,501 --> 00:06:42,902 It was just like chaos.          193 00:06:42,902 --> 00:06:44,637   [suspenseful music]            194 00:06:44,637 --> 00:06:48,074    - Give him a hand please         as we congratulate the...     195 00:06:48,074 --> 00:06:51,944    [tense suspenseful music]       [announcer speaking faintly]   196 00:06:51,944 --> 00:06:53,679  - [Brandy] I could not fathom     it.                            197 00:06:53,679 --> 00:06:56,182  I could not understand          198 00:06:56,182 --> 00:06:59,152 how something like this             could happen to my father.    199 00:06:59,685 --> 00:07:03,689   My mother, she was calm and      she was trying to calm me.     200 00:07:03,689 --> 00:07:05,558   As a mother,                   201 00:07:05,558 --> 00:07:08,528   I can only imagine              in that moment you're           202 00:07:08,528 --> 00:07:11,564 trying to keep yourself          together for your kids.          203 00:07:11,564 --> 00:07:12,598    [muffled chatter on radio]    204 00:07:12,598 --> 00:07:13,833    - [Alan] The DeKalb County      Police have arrived            205 00:07:13,833 --> 00:07:15,968 at the Brown residence in force  206 00:07:15,968 --> 00:07:19,071    to seal off the street and       begin their investigation.    207 00:07:19,071 --> 00:07:22,108  For the cops, this is           no regular crime scene.          208 00:07:22,108 --> 00:07:24,811  This is a death in the family.  209 00:07:24,811 --> 00:07:26,979 [siren wailing]                  [dramatic music]                 210 00:07:26,979 --> 00:07:28,714  [gentle music]                  211 00:07:28,714 --> 00:07:30,716  - [J. Tom] The law enforcement     community                     212 00:07:30,716 --> 00:07:32,652 view Derwin as one of their own. 213 00:07:33,820 --> 00:07:36,456 Derwin and I had                    started our career            214 00:07:36,456 --> 00:07:39,459  serving DeKalb County           almost at the same time.         215 00:07:39,459 --> 00:07:41,093 He went into the                    police department.            216 00:07:41,093 --> 00:07:43,129   I went into the DA's office.   217 00:07:43,129 --> 00:07:45,798  We were close professionally.   218 00:07:46,833 --> 00:07:48,701 - Derwin was raised in New York. 219 00:07:48,701 --> 00:07:50,603   He moved to Atlanta,           220 00:07:50,603 --> 00:07:54,240    pursued a law enforcement      career, married Phyllis Brown.  221 00:07:54,240 --> 00:07:56,008  They were a wonderful couple.   222 00:07:56,008 --> 00:07:57,743   They raised great children.    223 00:07:57,743 --> 00:07:59,712 They were a rock                    in their community            224 00:07:59,712 --> 00:08:01,848    and meant a lot to            a lot of people.                 225 00:08:01,848 --> 00:08:03,583   [somber instrumental music]    226 00:08:03,583 --> 00:08:07,153 - [Brandy] For us, growing up in law enforcement is all we knew.  227 00:08:07,153 --> 00:08:10,756  And so when I                     looked at my father            228 00:08:10,756 --> 00:08:12,625  and all of his police buddies,  229 00:08:12,625 --> 00:08:14,727    they were all like             family for us.                  230 00:08:14,727 --> 00:08:15,862    [muffled chatter on radio]    231 00:08:15,862 --> 00:08:18,030  - [J. Tom] Those in the DeKalb  County Police Department         232 00:08:18,030 --> 00:08:21,000 that knew Derwin many of          them were friends with Derwin.  233 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:24,737    They had worked with him,        under him, and above him.     234 00:08:24,737 --> 00:08:26,005    All respected him,            235 00:08:26,005 --> 00:08:28,875  appreciated his candor          and his honesty.                 236 00:08:28,875 --> 00:08:30,743  [tense dramatic music]          237 00:08:30,743 --> 00:08:32,144    - [Chris] The fact that he     was a police officer,           238 00:08:32,144 --> 00:08:35,047  that's always going to           get the blood flowing.          239 00:08:35,047 --> 00:08:37,049   Not just the murder              of a police officer,           240 00:08:37,049 --> 00:08:38,751    but the murder of                a police officer              241 00:08:38,751 --> 00:08:40,653   who'd been elected sheriff      and was about to take office.   242 00:08:40,653 --> 00:08:41,587   [suspenseful music]            243 00:08:41,587 --> 00:08:43,523    That's the threat               that sent shockwaves           244 00:08:43,523 --> 00:08:46,058  through the whole law            enforcement community.          245 00:08:46,058 --> 00:08:47,894   That somebody would            be this brazen.                  246 00:08:48,628 --> 00:08:50,630   The tension and the gravity    247 00:08:50,630 --> 00:08:52,064  just kept increasing.           248 00:08:52,064 --> 00:08:53,666 [sirens wailing]                 249 00:08:53,666 --> 00:08:55,067  - [J. Tom] Under our protocol,  250 00:08:55,067 --> 00:08:58,638 if a police officer is             killed in the line of duty,    251 00:08:58,638 --> 00:09:00,172  the district attorney             has to be present.             252 00:09:00,172 --> 00:09:01,140    [muffled chatter on radio]    253 00:09:01,140 --> 00:09:04,043  So I went immediately             to the crime scene.            254 00:09:06,178 --> 00:09:09,949   It is raining a hard              Georgia cold rain.            255 00:09:09,949 --> 00:09:11,918 [somber dramatic music]             [muffled chatter on radio]    256 00:09:11,918 --> 00:09:13,219    - [Rodney] It was terrible       conditions                    257 00:09:13,219 --> 00:09:15,888    to investigate an               outdoor crime scene.           258 00:09:16,656 --> 00:09:19,792   - [J. Tom] The lights are on     generators.                    259 00:09:19,792 --> 00:09:23,796   These great big lights that    make nighttime daytime.          260 00:09:23,796 --> 00:09:25,798   - [Chris] Heavy rain is not       ideal for a crime scene,      261 00:09:25,798 --> 00:09:28,067    because it tends                to wash things away            262 00:09:28,067 --> 00:09:29,235 and move things around.          263 00:09:29,235 --> 00:09:30,836   So there, you know,              not much of a chance           264 00:09:30,836 --> 00:09:32,171    for a lot of fingerprints.    265 00:09:34,106 --> 00:09:36,842  - [J. Tom] I was talking with    one of the crime scene techs    266 00:09:36,842 --> 00:09:38,678    that I knew and I                asked her, I said,            267 00:09:38,678 --> 00:09:40,980    "Why are there so                many red flags?"              268 00:09:40,980 --> 00:09:42,815   And she said, "Well,            every red flag                  269 00:09:42,815 --> 00:09:44,951    is where we found               a spent cartridge."            270 00:09:44,951 --> 00:09:45,952 [intense dramatic music]         271 00:09:45,952 --> 00:09:46,919    - [Chris] There were a lot       of shell casings.             272 00:09:46,919 --> 00:09:50,723  I want to say about 13            to 15 shell casings.           273 00:09:50,723 --> 00:09:54,360   They were 9mm, which             generally is thought           274 00:09:54,360 --> 00:09:57,263   to be with a pistol,           with a handgun.                  275 00:09:59,098 --> 00:10:02,201   police find little physical      evidence at the crime scene.   276 00:10:02,902 --> 00:10:04,971 Derwin's family heard the shots, 277 00:10:04,971 --> 00:10:07,373 but no one actually saw           the shooting happen.            278 00:10:07,373 --> 00:10:08,841    [gunfire blasting]            279 00:10:08,841 --> 00:10:10,610    - [J. Tom] I said, "Let's        get these bullets             280 00:10:10,610 --> 00:10:13,145  to the GBI as                      quickly as we can.            281 00:10:13,145 --> 00:10:14,880  And these cartridges,           I want to know                   282 00:10:14,880 --> 00:10:17,116    how many guns were              being used in this."           283 00:10:17,116 --> 00:10:18,884   [suspenseful music]            284 00:10:18,884 --> 00:10:21,754  - [Alan] The GBI, the Georgia      Bureau of Investigation,      285 00:10:21,754 --> 00:10:24,890 immediately begins their          analysis of the shell casings.  286 00:10:24,890 --> 00:10:27,727   The shooting of an incoming       sheriff just days before      287 00:10:27,727 --> 00:10:31,130    taking office triggers an       all-hands-on-deck response.    288 00:10:31,130 --> 00:10:32,164 [intense dramatic music]         289 00:10:32,164 --> 00:10:35,034  - This murder shook the world.  290 00:10:35,034 --> 00:10:36,302   This was unheard of,           291 00:10:36,302 --> 00:10:38,838 someone would do                   something like this.           292 00:10:39,372 --> 00:10:42,608   Even veteran law enforcement    officers were shocked.          293 00:10:43,576 --> 00:10:46,145  - [Alan] Agencies from           Washington to Atlanta           294 00:10:46,145 --> 00:10:49,782  coordinate their all-out hunt     for Derwin Brown's killer.     295 00:10:49,782 --> 00:10:51,884    [striking dramatic music]     296 00:10:51,884 --> 00:10:54,320 - [[Agent Mays] There was a task  force that was created          297 00:10:54,320 --> 00:10:57,323  to investigate Derwin           Brown's murder.                  298 00:10:57,323 --> 00:10:59,191 DeKalb County Police Department  299 00:10:59,191 --> 00:11:02,762 was the lead agency in              investigating the murder.     300 00:11:02,762 --> 00:11:05,064 - [Chris] And my pager went off     and the district attorney     301 00:11:05,064 --> 00:11:07,066   sent me a message that said,      "You know, get your stuff     302 00:11:07,066 --> 00:11:08,167    and go over to the               police department.            303 00:11:08,167 --> 00:11:09,301    You're on the task force."    304 00:11:09,301 --> 00:11:11,937   [suspenseful music]            305 00:11:11,937 --> 00:11:13,939   that we work with regularly,   306 00:11:13,939 --> 00:11:15,207  they were there as was          307 00:11:15,207 --> 00:11:17,309 Georgia Bureau of Investigation. 308 00:11:18,110 --> 00:11:20,179  - [Chris] The autopsy report,   it showed that                   309 00:11:20,179 --> 00:11:23,916    he was struck by               multiple projectiles,           310 00:11:23,916 --> 00:11:26,052 several of which                   would've been fatal.           311 00:11:26,352 --> 00:11:29,321   - [J. Tom] Derwin's body was      riddled with bullet holes.    312 00:11:29,321 --> 00:11:31,323 [dramatic music]                 313 00:11:31,323 --> 00:11:33,359  So my first conclusion is that  314 00:11:33,359 --> 00:11:34,960 there had to be                     multiple shooters.            315 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:35,961   [suspenseful music]            316 00:11:35,961 --> 00:11:37,797  - [Chris] Double-digit           numbers of shots fired          317 00:11:37,797 --> 00:11:40,700    tells me that the              shooter was absolutely          318 00:11:40,700 --> 00:11:43,002  intent on making sure           that he didn't survive.          319 00:11:44,336 --> 00:11:47,473 - [J. Tom] We quickly determined it was an assassination          320 00:11:47,473 --> 00:11:50,209   by people who wanted              Derwin Brown dead.            321 00:11:50,209 --> 00:11:51,377   [gunfire blasting]               [suspenseful music]            322 00:11:51,377 --> 00:11:53,779   What we did not know is why.   323 00:11:54,747 --> 00:11:56,482 - [Alan] But there's one          aspect of the killing           324 00:11:56,482 --> 00:12:00,486 that no one can                    ignore: the timing.            325 00:12:00,486 --> 00:12:03,389  - [Rodney] Somebody is           assassinated in their driveway  326 00:12:03,389 --> 00:12:05,124    three days before they are    327 00:12:05,124 --> 00:12:07,359   sworn into a new office in a     new career.                    328 00:12:07,359 --> 00:12:08,994    Doesn't sound like             a coincidence.                  329 00:12:08,994 --> 00:12:10,730 [ominous music]                  330 00:12:10,730 --> 00:12:12,098    [striking dramatic music]     331 00:12:12,098 --> 00:12:13,365   - [Alan] Coming up.            332 00:12:13,365 --> 00:12:14,500   - [Rodney] At some point you     become aware                   333 00:12:14,500 --> 00:12:17,369  that the unimaginable           has taken place                  334 00:12:17,369 --> 00:12:20,372  and someone has broken            their oath of office           335 00:12:20,372 --> 00:12:22,141  and committed a crime.          336 00:12:22,141 --> 00:12:24,844   - [J. Tom] This is a fellow       officer in blue.              337 00:12:24,844 --> 00:12:26,145  We don't kill people.           338 00:12:26,145 --> 00:12:28,147    [gunfire blasting]            339 00:12:28,147 --> 00:12:29,915 [dramatic music]                 340 00:12:31,283 --> 00:12:31,317 [d                               341 00:12:31,317 --> 00:12:31,350 [dra                             342 00:12:31,350 --> 00:12:31,383 [drama                           343 00:12:31,383 --> 00:12:31,417 [dramati                         344 00:12:31,417 --> 00:12:31,450 [dramatic                        345 00:12:31,450 --> 00:12:31,484 [dramatic mu                     346 00:12:31,484 --> 00:12:31,517 [dramatic musi                   347 00:12:31,517 --> 00:12:32,118 [dramatic music]                 348 00:12:32,118 --> 00:12:35,121    [muffled chatter on radio]    349 00:12:35,121 --> 00:12:36,989  of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown   350 00:12:36,989 --> 00:12:38,057   [gun fires]                    351 00:12:38,057 --> 00:12:41,227  are convinced he was              targeted for assassination,    352 00:12:41,227 --> 00:12:42,962   but by whom?                   353 00:12:42,962 --> 00:12:44,864  Was he gunned down by           someone who did not want         354 00:12:44,864 --> 00:12:48,067    him to take the sheriff's        office three days later?      355 00:12:49,135 --> 00:12:50,636   For answers, they turn first   356 00:12:50,636 --> 00:12:52,505   to the evidence from           the crime scene.                 357 00:12:53,639 --> 00:12:55,541   [siren wailing in distance]    358 00:12:55,541 --> 00:12:57,376    [striking dramatic music]     359 00:12:57,376 --> 00:12:59,445   - [J. Tom] Derwin is killed     Friday night.                   360 00:13:03,516 --> 00:13:06,418  the bullets and the cartridges  361 00:13:06,418 --> 00:13:11,157   and had a conclusion              that the 16 shots,            362 00:13:11,157 --> 00:13:13,993   12 of which entered            Derwin's body,                   363 00:13:13,993 --> 00:13:15,494 had all come from the same gun.  364 00:13:16,562 --> 00:13:18,297   So my theory that there were   365 00:13:18,297 --> 00:13:22,268 multiple people involved          had to be put on hold           366 00:13:22,268 --> 00:13:26,272 when I realized that it             was one gun, one shooter.     367 00:13:26,272 --> 00:13:28,007   [suspenseful music]            368 00:13:28,007 --> 00:13:32,545   - [Rodney] They were able to     identify the type of weapon    369 00:13:32,545 --> 00:13:37,283    that most likely had been      fired, that particular bullet.  370 00:13:37,283 --> 00:13:40,319 - [Chris] It was a TEC-9, which    looks like a submachine gun    371 00:13:40,319 --> 00:13:43,622 but is really just kind             of a glorified 9mm pistol.    372 00:13:45,324 --> 00:13:48,127  - [J. Tom] It had a reputation    of really being used           373 00:13:48,127 --> 00:13:49,328 by drug dealers.                 374 00:13:49,328 --> 00:13:51,297   [intense suspenseful music]    375 00:13:51,297 --> 00:13:52,598  - [Alan] This                   revelation puts a whole          376 00:13:52,598 --> 00:13:55,301    new lead into play               for investigators.            377 00:13:55,301 --> 00:13:57,469 - He had a long                    career in narcotics,           378 00:13:57,469 --> 00:13:58,704 and so now as you're looking at, 379 00:13:58,704 --> 00:14:02,308   "Okay, is this some kind of    payback from some narcotics gang 380 00:14:02,308 --> 00:14:06,045   or some semi-organized crime   or something like that?"         381 00:14:06,045 --> 00:14:07,947    - [J. Tom] I know that he       made a lot of cases            382 00:14:07,947 --> 00:14:11,183   and was involved in               a lot of arrests.             383 00:14:11,183 --> 00:14:12,351 - [Alan] A team of investigators 384 00:14:12,351 --> 00:14:14,453  starts combing through            Derwin Brown's cases           385 00:14:14,453 --> 00:14:18,057  from his days working           undercover in narcotics.         386 00:14:18,057 --> 00:14:19,158    At the same time,             387 00:14:19,158 --> 00:14:22,494  one voice in the room insists     that the task force            388 00:14:22,494 --> 00:14:25,431    listen to the troublesome      nagging in their gut.           389 00:14:26,131 --> 00:14:30,069    The timing of this killing     can't be coincidental.          390 00:14:30,069 --> 00:14:31,737 [intense dramatic music]         391 00:14:31,737 --> 00:14:33,606  - [Rodney] At some point early     on                            392 00:14:33,606 --> 00:14:38,110    it became pretty apparent        to us that the only person    393 00:14:38,110 --> 00:14:41,513  who was going to benefit from     the death of Derwin Brown,     394 00:14:41,513 --> 00:14:46,252 even remotely, would've            been Sidney Dorsey.            395 00:14:46,252 --> 00:14:49,088   - [Alan] Sidney Dorsey, the       sheriff whom Derwin Brown     396 00:14:49,088 --> 00:14:52,625  had just defeated in a          rough electoral contest.         397 00:14:52,625 --> 00:14:54,627    The man who is at                that very moment              398 00:14:54,627 --> 00:14:58,197   still sitting in the DeKalb       County Sheriff's Office,      399 00:14:59,231 --> 00:15:02,234   the very idea of questioning   one of their own leaves          400 00:15:02,234 --> 00:15:04,203   some of the cops speechless.   401 00:15:05,371 --> 00:15:07,373 - [Chris] It was kind of          inconceivable                   402 00:15:07,373 --> 00:15:10,509    to think that the sheriff        would've been behind this.    403 00:15:10,509 --> 00:15:12,645    And I remember at                our first meeting,            404 00:15:12,645 --> 00:15:14,246   Rodney Maddox said,            405 00:15:14,246 --> 00:15:16,148 "You know, we've                   got to pursue that."           406 00:15:16,148 --> 00:15:18,517    But I think there               was some hesitation            407 00:15:18,517 --> 00:15:19,785 to really go after that          408 00:15:19,785 --> 00:15:21,520 because it seemed so ludicrous.  409 00:15:21,520 --> 00:15:22,521    [striking dramatic music]     410 00:15:22,521 --> 00:15:25,157   - [J. Tom] This is a fellow       officer in blue.              411 00:15:25,157 --> 00:15:26,792  We don't kill people.           412 00:15:26,792 --> 00:15:29,561 - [Alan] Commander Maddox briefs those task force members         413 00:15:29,561 --> 00:15:32,298  not familiar with the           history of Sidney Dorsey         414 00:15:32,298 --> 00:15:33,365    and Derwin Brown,             415 00:15:34,266 --> 00:15:36,101  once brothers in blue.          416 00:15:37,069 --> 00:15:39,672  - [Rodney] You've got to look    at all possibilities,           417 00:15:39,672 --> 00:15:41,540  even some of them far-fetched.  418 00:15:42,374 --> 00:15:45,678  - [Alan] The animosity between     the two men began in 2000     419 00:15:45,678 --> 00:15:48,580   when Brown publicly              declared that Sidney Dorsey    420 00:15:48,580 --> 00:15:51,817 was crooked and                    should be replaced.            421 00:15:51,817 --> 00:15:54,553 - [J. Tom] Derwin's message was, 422 00:15:54,553 --> 00:15:56,555  "The sheriff's                   department is corrupt,          423 00:15:56,555 --> 00:16:02,695   and if you like me,              I will clean it up."           424 00:16:02,695 --> 00:16:03,729   - [Alan] From the beginning,   425 00:16:03,729 --> 00:16:06,832 Brown lagged far                   behind in the polls.           426 00:16:06,832 --> 00:16:08,233   - [J. Tom] Derwin was not a      campaigner,                    427 00:16:08,233 --> 00:16:12,304  and he did not have near the     charisma that Mr. Dorsey did.   428 00:16:12,304 --> 00:16:13,739 But he was on a mission.         429 00:16:13,739 --> 00:16:16,208    [striking dramatic music]     430 00:16:16,208 --> 00:16:18,310  - [Alan] And then days before     the critical vote,             431 00:16:18,310 --> 00:16:21,847  Reporter Dale Cardwell           got a blockbuster tip           432 00:16:21,847 --> 00:16:25,084   that Sheriff Dorsey             was using his position          433 00:16:25,084 --> 00:16:27,186 to line his own pockets.         434 00:16:27,186 --> 00:16:28,754 And that was just the beginning. 435 00:16:28,754 --> 00:16:30,723  - There was misogyny.           436 00:16:30,723 --> 00:16:32,191  There was womanizing.           437 00:16:32,191 --> 00:16:35,461    There was trading               sex for promotions.            438 00:16:35,761 --> 00:16:38,864 It was misuse of funds.          439 00:16:38,864 --> 00:16:41,233    - [Chris] When some of the    stuff came out,                  440 00:16:41,233 --> 00:16:42,768   it really, I think,            turned the tide                  441 00:16:42,768 --> 00:16:45,371 of the election                   towards Derwin Brown.           442 00:16:45,371 --> 00:16:47,206 - [Reporter] It                     was a major upset.            443 00:16:47,206 --> 00:16:49,875  - [Brandy] He actually pulled    off the unthinkable.            444 00:16:49,875 --> 00:16:52,745    Something that everybody       thought that he could not do,   445 00:16:52,745 --> 00:16:54,513  he did it, and he won.          446 00:16:54,513 --> 00:16:56,382 [dramatic music]                 447 00:16:56,382 --> 00:16:58,250    - [Alan] And then                three days before             448 00:16:58,250 --> 00:16:59,752   Brown was to replace            Sidney Dorsey                   449 00:16:59,752 --> 00:17:01,387   as Sheriff of DeKalb County,   450 00:17:01,387 --> 00:17:02,788    [gunfire blasting]            451 00:17:02,788 --> 00:17:04,790 he was murdered in his driveway. 452 00:17:04,790 --> 00:17:06,258    [thunder rumbling]            453 00:17:06,258 --> 00:17:07,526   [suspenseful music]            454 00:17:07,526 --> 00:17:10,796  - [Rodney] With the candidate    not being able to take office,  455 00:17:10,796 --> 00:17:13,265    did Sidney Dorsey                somehow think that            456 00:17:13,265 --> 00:17:16,135   he might be able to             get back on a ballot,           457 00:17:16,135 --> 00:17:18,370 maybe even get lucky and         be named interim sheriff         458 00:17:18,370 --> 00:17:19,772   since he was already there?    459 00:17:19,772 --> 00:17:21,373 [dramatic music]                 460 00:17:21,373 --> 00:17:23,909   - [Alan] If Maddox's           theory is true,                  461 00:17:23,909 --> 00:17:25,644   the implications for DeKalb    462 00:17:25,644 --> 00:17:27,913 law enforcement are terrifying.  463 00:17:27,913 --> 00:17:29,681  - [Rodney] You can't help but     think that                     464 00:17:29,681 --> 00:17:32,251 the unimaginable                 has taken place,                 465 00:17:32,251 --> 00:17:35,254  and someone has broken            their oath of office           466 00:17:35,254 --> 00:17:37,389  and committed a crime.          467 00:17:37,389 --> 00:17:38,924 - [Dale] Within the law          enforcement community,           468 00:17:38,924 --> 00:17:41,293   there was shock, but             there was also this            469 00:17:41,293 --> 00:17:45,664 sense of embarrassment,          maybe even shame that,           470 00:17:45,664 --> 00:17:50,669   A, one of our brothers could     be murdered in this fashion    471 00:17:51,403 --> 00:17:55,274  and worse yet, that maybe it    was one of our own that did it.  472 00:17:55,274 --> 00:17:57,076 [intense dramatic music]         473 00:17:57,076 --> 00:17:59,945    to kill a cop for               just doing his job,            474 00:17:59,945 --> 00:18:03,282  to me is just a thug            with a badge and a gun,          475 00:18:03,282 --> 00:18:05,818   and they don't care            anything about any oath.         476 00:18:05,818 --> 00:18:07,453  [tense music]                   477 00:18:07,453 --> 00:18:08,454  - [Chris] But you got to have      evidence.                     478 00:18:08,454 --> 00:18:09,555   You can't just have a motive   479 00:18:09,555 --> 00:18:11,857   or a theory or a hypothesis.   480 00:18:11,857 --> 00:18:14,827   - [Rodney] So myself and the     chief of detectives            481 00:18:14,827 --> 00:18:19,832    visit Sheriff Dorsey just       a few days after the murder.   482 00:18:19,932 --> 00:18:22,568  - [J. Tom] It is tremendously   more difficult                   483 00:18:22,568 --> 00:18:24,870   to interview someone              in law enforcement            484 00:18:24,870 --> 00:18:26,839   because they've done           the interviewing before,         485 00:18:26,839 --> 00:18:30,742  especially someone like Dorsey   who was a homicide detective.   486 00:18:30,742 --> 00:18:33,212 When you're interviewing         a law enforcement person         487 00:18:33,212 --> 00:18:35,214    who's been taught               how to interrogate,            488 00:18:35,214 --> 00:18:36,715 they know every                     trick in the book.            489 00:18:36,715 --> 00:18:40,552   [striking suspenseful music]   490 00:18:42,387 --> 00:18:42,421 [d                               491 00:18:42,421 --> 00:18:42,454 [dra                             492 00:18:42,454 --> 00:18:42,488 [drama                           493 00:18:42,488 --> 00:18:42,521 [dramati                         494 00:18:42,521 --> 00:18:42,554 [dramatic                        495 00:18:42,554 --> 00:18:42,588 [dramatic mu                     496 00:18:42,588 --> 00:18:42,621 [dramatic musi                   497 00:18:42,621 --> 00:18:43,422 [dramatic music]                 498 00:18:43,422 --> 00:18:46,492   - [Alan] Detectives             investigating                   499 00:18:46,492 --> 00:18:47,526    [gunfire blasting]            500 00:18:47,526 --> 00:18:49,027    believe that the                 outgoing sheriff,             501 00:18:49,027 --> 00:18:51,897    Sidney Dorsey may                be Brown's killer.            502 00:18:53,632 --> 00:18:55,033   So when they meet with him,    503 00:18:55,033 --> 00:18:56,401    detectives tread lightly,     504 00:18:56,401 --> 00:18:57,936 but naturally want to know where 505 00:18:57,936 --> 00:19:00,672    Dorsey was at the               time of the murder?            506 00:19:00,672 --> 00:19:02,541  [eerie ominous music]           507 00:19:02,541 --> 00:19:05,043   - [J. Tom] Sidney Dorsey had      an airtight alibi.            508 00:19:05,043 --> 00:19:06,378 [gentle dramatic music]          509 00:19:06,378 --> 00:19:07,813    Dorsey told the detectives    510 00:19:07,813 --> 00:19:09,781  he was with his wife.           511 00:19:09,781 --> 00:19:12,818   That was also confirmed by      our director of public safety   512 00:19:12,818 --> 00:19:16,555   who had seen Dorsey and his     wife at a function in Atlanta   513 00:19:16,555 --> 00:19:18,257    shortly before the murder.    514 00:19:19,791 --> 00:19:24,963  There was not enough time for    Dorsey to leave that function,  515 00:19:24,963 --> 00:19:27,799 kill Derwin Brown, and get home. 516 00:19:28,467 --> 00:19:30,435 - [Chris] Because of the           nature of the office           517 00:19:30,435 --> 00:19:33,672  and the political hot             potato that it was,            518 00:19:33,672 --> 00:19:35,407  he wasn't interviewed.          519 00:19:35,407 --> 00:19:37,676  We gave Sidney Dorsey             a list of questions            520 00:19:37,676 --> 00:19:39,945   that we asked him to            respond to in writing,          521 00:19:39,945 --> 00:19:42,814   which you would never do in       a homicide investigation.     522 00:19:42,814 --> 00:19:44,449 - [Rodney] We left that meeting   and I just told him, I said,    523 00:19:44,449 --> 00:19:47,085    "Well, rest assured we've        got some good detectives,     524 00:19:47,085 --> 00:19:49,955 and we'll find out who did it."  525 00:19:49,955 --> 00:19:50,923 [ominous music]                  526 00:19:50,923 --> 00:19:52,858   - [Chris[ I don't think that   anybody thought                  527 00:19:52,858 --> 00:19:55,594 that Sidney Dorsey was standing     in Derwin Brown's             528 00:19:55,594 --> 00:19:59,865  driveway firing a gun at him,    but could Sidney Dorsey have    529 00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:02,401 had somebody do                    that on his behalf?            530 00:20:03,035 --> 00:20:05,571  That was certainly a            possibility that we considered.  531 00:20:07,005 --> 00:20:10,342   - [Dale] I think it created     an air of suspicion,            532 00:20:10,342 --> 00:20:12,744   and nobody knew who               they could trust.             533 00:20:12,744 --> 00:20:16,114   - [Agent Mays] You see a cop     that's gone bad or whatever,   534 00:20:16,114 --> 00:20:20,452    they know there's an added    sense of danger involved         535 00:20:20,452 --> 00:20:22,621   because this person               has been trained.             536 00:20:22,621 --> 00:20:24,756  - You're dealing with           people that have skills          537 00:20:24,756 --> 00:20:27,025 that know how not to get caught, 538 00:20:27,025 --> 00:20:30,862    and so it makes it              a lot more difficult           539 00:20:30,862 --> 00:20:32,364   to get to the bottom of it.    540 00:20:32,364 --> 00:20:33,732 [intense dramatic music]         541 00:20:33,732 --> 00:20:34,900  [solemn bagpipe music]          542 00:20:34,900 --> 00:20:36,868    - [Alan] Six days                after his murder,             543 00:20:36,868 --> 00:20:38,503  the law enforcement community   544 00:20:38,503 --> 00:20:41,907 of DeKalb County                   buries Derwin Brown.           545 00:20:41,907 --> 00:20:44,743   [soft somber music]            546 00:20:44,743 --> 00:20:46,912 - [Brandy] When we were          heading to the church,           547 00:20:46,912 --> 00:20:49,348  they shut down the expressway   548 00:20:51,483 --> 00:20:56,388    and to see all of               the police officers,           549 00:20:56,388 --> 00:21:00,792    all of the law enforcement      lined up down the expressway   550 00:21:00,792 --> 00:21:03,762    at attention showing their    respect                          551 00:21:05,063 --> 00:21:06,632    it was beautiful.             552 00:21:06,632 --> 00:21:08,166   [soft somber music]            553 00:21:08,166 --> 00:21:10,769  - [J. Tom] The funeral was at    Chapel Hill Harvester Church,   554 00:21:10,769 --> 00:21:13,939    which at the time was the     largest church in DeKalb County. 555 00:21:13,939 --> 00:21:17,776 And every seat was full,         556 00:21:17,776 --> 00:21:21,079  and every seat in the              adjoining chapel was full.    557 00:21:21,079 --> 00:21:24,182 There was easily                    over 2,000 people.            558 00:21:24,182 --> 00:21:26,652 - [Alan] And yet despite           the massive turnout,           559 00:21:26,652 --> 00:21:30,656   one law enforcement officer       in particular is absent.      560 00:21:30,656 --> 00:21:31,823 [dramatic music]                 561 00:21:31,823 --> 00:21:33,792 - [Chris] Sidney Dorsey             made the decision             562 00:21:33,792 --> 00:21:35,794   to not attend Derwin           Brown's funeral,                 563 00:21:35,794 --> 00:21:37,696  which was a big deal,           564 00:21:37,696 --> 00:21:40,565   but he said he did it out of     respect to the Brown family,   565 00:21:40,565 --> 00:21:42,701    so as not not to                 be a distraction.             566 00:21:42,701 --> 00:21:45,537   - [Alan] Detectives remain       suspicious of Sidney Dorsey    567 00:21:45,537 --> 00:21:47,105 but are roadblocked by the lack  568 00:21:47,105 --> 00:21:49,207 of any concrete                   evidence against him.           569 00:21:49,207 --> 00:21:50,809   And with the clock ticking,    570 00:21:50,809 --> 00:21:53,679 the task force broadens          its search for suspects.         571 00:21:53,679 --> 00:21:54,680 [intense dramatic music]         572 00:21:54,680 --> 00:21:56,715  Detectives start with            the alleged corruption          573 00:21:56,715 --> 00:21:58,216 in the sheriff's office          574 00:21:58,216 --> 00:22:01,119 where some employees had            caught Derwin's attention.    575 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:02,487 [intense ominous music]          576 00:22:02,487 --> 00:22:06,992 - [J. Tom] The Sheriff in DeKalb    County has 450 employees,     577 00:22:06,992 --> 00:22:10,862  and Derwin Brown had             singled out 38 people           578 00:22:10,862 --> 00:22:14,232  that he was going to fire the     first day he was in office.    579 00:22:14,232 --> 00:22:16,468  He had some inside information  580 00:22:16,468 --> 00:22:18,837 that these people needed to go.  581 00:22:18,837 --> 00:22:22,574  - [Dale] And so he mailed out     termination letters saying,    582 00:22:22,574 --> 00:22:25,243  "I'm going to give you notice      that when I take office,      583 00:22:25,243 --> 00:22:26,712  you won't have a job."          584 00:22:26,712 --> 00:22:28,880 [intense dramatic music]         585 00:22:28,880 --> 00:22:30,849    - [Alan] Every one              of these individuals           586 00:22:30,849 --> 00:22:33,985    had an ax to grind against     the incoming sheriff,           587 00:22:33,985 --> 00:22:37,155  and every one of them           was still working inside         588 00:22:37,155 --> 00:22:40,258    the sheriff's department       when Derwin Brown was killed.   589 00:22:40,258 --> 00:22:41,893    [gunfire blasting]            590 00:22:41,893 --> 00:22:43,995   - Any one of those               38 people that were            591 00:22:43,995 --> 00:22:46,164 going to be terminated              would not have been happy     592 00:22:46,164 --> 00:22:49,601    to see Derwin Brown become       Sheriff of DeKalb County.     593 00:22:49,601 --> 00:22:51,903    - [Alan] Detectives of the    task force tracked down          594 00:22:51,903 --> 00:22:54,773 all 38 of the sheriff's             office employees              595 00:22:54,773 --> 00:22:58,744    that Derwin Brown planned        to fire on his first day.     596 00:22:58,744 --> 00:23:01,046 - [Chris] We interviewed          each of those people.           597 00:23:01,046 --> 00:23:03,014   We got timelines from them.    598 00:23:04,282 --> 00:23:05,884  None of that really turned up   599 00:23:05,884 --> 00:23:07,519  very much that was actionable,  600 00:23:07,519 --> 00:23:08,754   [suspenseful music]            601 00:23:08,754 --> 00:23:10,689    with the exception               of Patrick Cuffy.             602 00:23:12,791 --> 00:23:14,926 Patrick Cuffy was a full deputy, 603 00:23:14,926 --> 00:23:17,529  so he was a sworn law            enforcement officer,            604 00:23:17,529 --> 00:23:19,197    but Patrick Cuffy             never really functioned          605 00:23:19,197 --> 00:23:21,066  as a law enforcement officer.   606 00:23:21,066 --> 00:23:25,036    He was essentially Sidney     Dorsey's "Man Friday".           607 00:23:25,036 --> 00:23:27,038   He was his enforcer.           608 00:23:27,038 --> 00:23:29,174  He was his go-to guy.           609 00:23:29,174 --> 00:23:31,643   He had the authority           of the sheriff.                  610 00:23:31,643 --> 00:23:33,779 He could tell people what to do. 611 00:23:33,779 --> 00:23:38,784  He was untouchable in            the sheriff's office.           612 00:23:38,784 --> 00:23:41,553  officer in the department next     to Dorsey,                    613 00:23:41,553 --> 00:23:46,792 earning $90,000 a year,          because he just simply reported  614 00:23:46,792 --> 00:23:48,827   that he was working overtime   615 00:23:48,827 --> 00:23:50,929 and his supervisors had           to look the other way           616 00:23:50,929 --> 00:23:54,232    because Sidney Dorsey said      he's going to get the money.   617 00:23:54,232 --> 00:23:55,801 - [Alan] So the                    DeKalb County Police           618 00:23:55,801 --> 00:23:57,969   want to know where               Dorsey's pet deputy            619 00:23:57,969 --> 00:24:01,039   was on the night of             Derwin Brown's murder.          620 00:24:03,575 --> 00:24:07,846  - [J. Tom] Cuffy said that he     was with his three buddies.    621 00:24:07,846 --> 00:24:12,851   David Ramsey and Paul Skyers     were there at Cuffy's house.   622 00:24:12,851 --> 00:24:15,120    There was another              sheriff's deputy there          623 00:24:15,120 --> 00:24:16,988   named Melvin Walker,           624 00:24:16,988 --> 00:24:20,859 and he corroborated what         everybody else has said.         625 00:24:20,859 --> 00:24:23,962 That they were all there           just palling around.           626 00:24:23,962 --> 00:24:25,964  They all corroborated             each other.                    627 00:24:25,964 --> 00:24:26,965 [gentle dramatic music]          628 00:24:26,965 --> 00:24:29,367 We didn't have anything          close to probable cause.         629 00:24:29,367 --> 00:24:31,369 Even to use the word "suspect",  630 00:24:31,369 --> 00:24:34,139 is giving them too much credit.  631 00:24:34,139 --> 00:24:37,242   - [Alan] The cops are highly     suspicious of Cuffy,           632 00:24:37,242 --> 00:24:39,845   but like his former              boss, Sidney Dorsey,           633 00:24:39,845 --> 00:24:42,013  he has a solid alibi.           634 00:24:44,149 --> 00:24:46,251 for his overtime abuses.         635 00:24:46,251 --> 00:24:48,620 [somber dramatic music]          636 00:24:48,620 --> 00:24:50,121  But as the weeks pass,          637 00:24:50,121 --> 00:24:52,624  the investigation loses steam.  638 00:24:52,624 --> 00:24:54,025  The alternate theory,           639 00:24:54,025 --> 00:24:56,895  that a vengeful drug               dealer shot Derwin Brown,     640 00:24:56,895 --> 00:24:59,130 isn't producing                    any results either.            641 00:24:59,965 --> 00:25:02,267    - [J. Tom] The leads were        not panning out.              642 00:25:02,267 --> 00:25:05,904 The possibility it could           have been a vengeful killing   643 00:25:05,904 --> 00:25:08,874 by someone he arrested sometime, 644 00:25:08,874 --> 00:25:12,878   all that, none of that, was       showing any real promise.     645 00:25:12,878 --> 00:25:14,880  - [Chris] We weren't able to    turn up anything that indicated  646 00:25:14,880 --> 00:25:17,649    that it was something from       his past narcotics career     647 00:25:17,649 --> 00:25:19,417  that really stood out.          648 00:25:19,417 --> 00:25:23,054 - [Alan] December turns             to January, then February.    649 00:25:23,054 --> 00:25:26,424  The investigation is grinding    down to a standstill.           650 00:25:26,424 --> 00:25:30,428 [intense dramatic music]         651 00:25:30,428 --> 00:25:32,163 - [Brandy] It was like a            nightmare                     652 00:25:32,163 --> 00:25:35,133    that you were just praying    you would wake up from.          653 00:25:35,433 --> 00:25:37,769    Why was it so hard            to put together?                 654 00:25:39,070 --> 00:25:40,171 - [J. Tom] That                    was so frustrating.            655 00:25:40,171 --> 00:25:41,339   There was nothing.             656 00:25:41,339 --> 00:25:43,074   [intense suspenseful music]    657 00:25:43,074 --> 00:25:44,943 [bird squawking]                 658 00:25:44,943 --> 00:25:48,179  - [Alan] The months of nothing   suddenly turned into something  659 00:25:48,179 --> 00:25:49,814 most surprising.                 660 00:25:49,814 --> 00:25:52,183   [bells tolling in distance]    661 00:25:52,183 --> 00:25:55,053 - [Dale] I get a call from a law  enforcement source that says,   662 00:25:55,053 --> 00:25:58,323  "Hey, there's been a shootout      at Patrick Cuffy's house,     663 00:25:58,323 --> 00:26:00,358   [intense suspenseful music]    664 00:26:00,358 --> 00:26:02,460   and Patrick Cuffy is dead."    665 00:26:02,460 --> 00:26:06,298   [intense suspenseful music]    666 00:26:08,266 --> 00:26:08,300    [s                            667 00:26:08,300 --> 00:26:08,333    [str                          668 00:26:08,333 --> 00:26:08,366    [strik                        669 00:26:08,366 --> 00:26:08,400    [strikin                      670 00:26:08,400 --> 00:26:08,433    [striking                     671 00:26:08,433 --> 00:26:08,466    [striking dr                  672 00:26:08,466 --> 00:26:08,500    [striking dram                673 00:26:08,500 --> 00:26:08,533    [striking dramat              674 00:26:08,533 --> 00:26:08,567    [striking dramatic            675 00:26:08,567 --> 00:26:08,600    [striking dramatic m          676 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:08,633    [striking dramatic mus        677 00:26:08,633 --> 00:26:08,667    [striking dramatic music      678 00:26:08,667 --> 00:26:10,869    [striking dramatic music]     679 00:26:10,869 --> 00:26:11,903 - [Alan] It's a shocking           development                    680 00:26:11,903 --> 00:26:13,939 in the Derwin Brown murder case. 681 00:26:14,673 --> 00:26:16,908    For months, former            sheriff's deputy                 682 00:26:16,908 --> 00:26:19,744  Patrick Cuffy has been           refusing to cooperate.          683 00:26:20,445 --> 00:26:23,181   And then on March 18, 2001,    684 00:26:23,181 --> 00:26:25,784 the news races through           Georgia law enforcement          685 00:26:25,784 --> 00:26:29,521  that Patrick Cuffy has           himself been murdered.          686 00:26:30,455 --> 00:26:32,023    [striking dramatic music]     687 00:26:32,023 --> 00:26:33,291 - [Chris] There are all           sorts of news reports           688 00:26:33,291 --> 00:26:35,160  that Cuffy had                     been assassinated,            689 00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:39,064 and that the mafia was involved. 690 00:26:39,064 --> 00:26:40,332  - [J. Tom] I called my            chief investigator.            691 00:26:40,332 --> 00:26:42,901  I said, "Carol, what             the hell's going on?"           692 00:26:42,901 --> 00:26:47,439  And she said that it             wasn't Patrick Cuffy.           693 00:26:47,439 --> 00:26:48,440 [dramatic music]                 694 00:26:48,440 --> 00:26:50,308  It was somebody else.           695 00:26:51,242 --> 00:26:53,178   - [Dale] Turns out Patrick       Cuffy wasn't dead,             696 00:26:53,178 --> 00:26:57,816    but someone Patrick Cuffy       had an altercation with was.   697 00:26:57,816 --> 00:27:00,352  - [Alan] According to            witnesses, as many as five men  698 00:27:00,352 --> 00:27:04,022  had opened fire on one another    on Cuffy's suburban street.    699 00:27:05,323 --> 00:27:08,226 All of them except Cuffy           had fled the scene.            700 00:27:08,226 --> 00:27:09,260 [dramatic music]                 701 00:27:09,260 --> 00:27:12,230    - [J. Tom] Amazingly, only      one person was dead:           702 00:27:12,230 --> 00:27:14,332    Jeffrey George, a Canadian    703 00:27:14,332 --> 00:27:16,468   with a long history               of drug dealing.              704 00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:18,970    [striking dramatic music]     705 00:27:18,970 --> 00:27:21,606   Police asked, "Does            this have any connection         706 00:27:21,606 --> 00:27:23,108  at all to the Sheriff's case?"  707 00:27:23,108 --> 00:27:24,209  And we couldn't figure it out.  708 00:27:24,209 --> 00:27:25,977    [striking dramatic music]     709 00:27:25,977 --> 00:27:28,213    - [Alan] Within weeks, the    suspects are rounded up          710 00:27:28,213 --> 00:27:30,382   and law enforcement               uncovers that the shootout    711 00:27:30,382 --> 00:27:32,951   was a drug deal gone wrong.    712 00:27:32,951 --> 00:27:34,152   And the drug dealer?           713 00:27:35,053 --> 00:27:38,223    Was former Deputy              Sheriff Patrick Cuffy.          714 00:27:38,223 --> 00:27:40,959 [intense dramatic music]         715 00:27:40,959 --> 00:27:42,260  - [J. Tom] Under Georgia law,   716 00:27:42,260 --> 00:27:45,964 if a drug deal goes bad             and if somebody's killed,     717 00:27:45,964 --> 00:27:49,200  then the persons involved can    be charged with felony murder.  718 00:27:50,168 --> 00:27:53,471    - [Rodney] So Cuffy bought    himself a murder charge.         719 00:27:53,471 --> 00:27:55,140   [gun fires]                    720 00:27:55,140 --> 00:27:57,142   I mean, it was his              dope that was stolen,           721 00:27:57,142 --> 00:27:59,244    so he did have a                 dog in the fight.             722 00:27:59,244 --> 00:28:01,012 [intense dramatic music]         723 00:28:01,012 --> 00:28:03,982  - [J. Tom] I give the go-ahead  for Cuffy to be arrested         724 00:28:03,982 --> 00:28:07,652   and booked into the jail for     felony murder without bail.    725 00:28:07,652 --> 00:28:09,988   [jail bars rattling]           726 00:28:09,988 --> 00:28:11,289 - [Chris] At this point,          you're looking                  727 00:28:11,289 --> 00:28:13,425   for anything that's               going to provide              728 00:28:13,425 --> 00:28:15,994  some type of leverage            for an investigation.           729 00:28:16,928 --> 00:28:19,130  - [Alan] The cops want          to squeeze Patrick Cuffy         730 00:28:19,130 --> 00:28:22,534    for anything he might know     about the Derwin Brown murder.  731 00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:23,902   [jail bars clanging]           732 00:28:23,902 --> 00:28:26,137   Investigators leave             Cuffy in his jail cell          733 00:28:26,137 --> 00:28:29,541  for weeks to stew over            the 30-year sentence           734 00:28:29,541 --> 00:28:33,044   he could get for the            shootout at his house.          735 00:28:33,044 --> 00:28:35,013  [dramatic bass music]           736 00:28:35,013 --> 00:28:37,148   - [Dale] Patrick Cuffy came       to the conclusion             737 00:28:37,148 --> 00:28:38,683   that he had to save himself.   738 00:28:38,683 --> 00:28:41,953   [suspenseful music]            739 00:28:42,620 --> 00:28:45,423   - [J. Tom] Cuffy's attorney      called me,                     740 00:28:45,423 --> 00:28:49,027   and he said that his            client had information          741 00:28:49,027 --> 00:28:53,598   as to the killing of Derwin     Brown, what happened,           742 00:28:53,598 --> 00:28:56,301    [gunfire blasting]            743 00:28:56,301 --> 00:28:57,602 and who was responsible.         744 00:28:57,602 --> 00:29:01,439 [intense dramatic music]         745 00:29:01,439 --> 00:29:05,176    But he would only speak on       the condition of immunity.    746 00:29:05,176 --> 00:29:07,045 That he would not be prosecuted  747 00:29:07,045 --> 00:29:08,680 for the murder of Derwin Brown.  748 00:29:10,715 --> 00:29:12,484    And I instantly told him,     749 00:29:12,484 --> 00:29:14,719 "If your client                     was the instigator            750 00:29:14,719 --> 00:29:17,188  or the planner                     or the triggerman,            751 00:29:17,188 --> 00:29:19,324  I cannot offer that."           752 00:29:19,324 --> 00:29:21,960 And he said, "He's not."         753 00:29:21,960 --> 00:29:24,062 [intense dramatic music]         754 00:29:24,062 --> 00:29:26,097    - [Alan] Nine months after       the brazen slaying            755 00:29:26,097 --> 00:29:28,600  of Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown,  756 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:30,735  investigators believe           they're finally                  757 00:29:30,735 --> 00:29:33,471 about to get the break              they've been praying for.     758 00:29:33,471 --> 00:29:36,474   [suspenseful music]            759 00:29:37,408 --> 00:29:39,210    - [Chris] J. Tom calls me       down to his office,            760 00:29:39,210 --> 00:29:42,113  and he says, "Close the door."  761 00:29:42,113 --> 00:29:45,116    And he says that,             762 00:29:47,619 --> 00:29:48,453   [suspenseful music]            763 00:29:48,453 --> 00:29:50,221 He could deliver                    the murder weapon.            764 00:29:50,221 --> 00:29:51,756  He would give a full statement  765 00:29:51,756 --> 00:29:55,260    and cooperate in                 all prosecutions.             766 00:29:56,995 --> 00:29:59,497 this development secret          from their fellow cops.          767 00:29:59,497 --> 00:30:00,732   [suspenseful music]            768 00:30:00,732 --> 00:30:01,666  - [Agent Mays] No one needs to     be talking                    769 00:30:01,666 --> 00:30:03,401 about this investigation         770 00:30:03,401 --> 00:30:05,403    because you never                know who knows who            771 00:30:05,403 --> 00:30:07,105  in the law enforcement world.   772 00:30:07,105 --> 00:30:10,642    [intense foreboding music]    773 00:30:11,676 --> 00:30:15,246 - [Chris] If there's possibly a  law enforcement angle to this,   774 00:30:15,246 --> 00:30:17,415   you have to assume that the      perpetrators are going to be   775 00:30:17,415 --> 00:30:20,785    trying to find out what we      know and what we don't know,   776 00:30:20,785 --> 00:30:23,021    [striking dramatic music]     777 00:30:23,021 --> 00:30:26,291   and to plan their next move,      or to cover their tracks,     778 00:30:26,291 --> 00:30:27,692 or to destroy evidence,          779 00:30:27,692 --> 00:30:29,994 or to possibly interfere         with witnesses.                  780 00:30:30,695 --> 00:30:32,664   [siren wailing in distance]    781 00:30:32,664 --> 00:30:36,401  This was a high-stakes             play on our part,             782 00:30:36,401 --> 00:30:39,137 and so we wanted to keep         it very, very hush-hush.         783 00:30:39,771 --> 00:30:42,574   - [J. Tom] So we arranged to    have Mr. Cuffy brought          784 00:30:42,574 --> 00:30:44,809   to a secret location              in another county.            785 00:30:44,809 --> 00:30:48,179   [suspenseful music]            786 00:30:48,179 --> 00:30:50,782   We didn't even tell            the task force.                  787 00:30:52,584 --> 00:30:55,286 - [Chris] They bring him in and  sits down at the table,          788 00:30:55,286 --> 00:30:59,057 and our strategy for the         interview was basically,         789 00:30:59,057 --> 00:31:00,692  wind him up and let him talk.   790 00:31:00,692 --> 00:31:03,428    And we started at               the very beginning.            791 00:31:03,428 --> 00:31:06,531   [suspenseful music]            792 00:31:09,500 --> 00:31:09,534 [d                               793 00:31:09,534 --> 00:31:09,567 [dra                             794 00:31:09,567 --> 00:31:09,601 [drama                           795 00:31:09,601 --> 00:31:09,634 [dramati                         796 00:31:09,634 --> 00:31:09,667 [dramatic                        797 00:31:09,667 --> 00:31:09,701 [dramatic mu                     798 00:31:09,701 --> 00:31:09,734 [dramatic musi                   799 00:31:09,734 --> 00:31:12,136 [dramatic music]                 800 00:31:12,136 --> 00:31:16,608  to tell detectives who killed     Sheriff-elect Derwin Brown.    801 00:31:17,609 --> 00:31:18,877   If they believe him,           802 00:31:18,877 --> 00:31:21,479    they'll give him immunity        from prosecution.             803 00:31:21,479 --> 00:31:23,748  [tense dramatic music]          804 00:31:23,748 --> 00:31:27,886  - [J. Tom] So Cuffy told us      after the campaign,             805 00:31:27,886 --> 00:31:31,256  Sheriff Dorsey called              him to his house.             806 00:31:31,256 --> 00:31:32,657 And when he went there,          807 00:31:32,657 --> 00:31:35,360 it was just him                    and Sheriff Dorsey.            808 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:37,228   The outgoing sheriff           was disheveled.                  809 00:31:37,228 --> 00:31:38,630    He was wearing a bathrobe,    810 00:31:39,764 --> 00:31:42,901   and he handed Cuffy a note,    811 00:31:42,901 --> 00:31:44,269 [ominous music]                  812 00:31:44,269 --> 00:31:47,171    and the note said,              "Kill Derwin Brown."           813 00:31:48,373 --> 00:31:50,241   I said, "Well, what             happened to the note?"          814 00:31:50,241 --> 00:31:53,511 [intense dramatic music]         815 00:31:53,511 --> 00:31:55,413    "Well, he took the             note back and ate it."          816 00:31:55,413 --> 00:31:56,781   [suspenseful music]            817 00:31:56,781 --> 00:31:59,817   Cuffy said, "I think            I can get Paul Skyers,          818 00:31:59,817 --> 00:32:02,587 David Ramsey, and Melvin           Walker to help me."            819 00:32:03,655 --> 00:32:05,556 Dorsey knew all three of those,  820 00:32:05,556 --> 00:32:09,160    and he thought they would      be excellent choices.           821 00:32:09,160 --> 00:32:12,931   - [Ala                         822 00:32:12,931 --> 00:32:15,800 these were the three men           Cuffy had claimed to be with   823 00:32:15,800 --> 00:32:17,302 the night of the murder,         824 00:32:17,302 --> 00:32:18,436    [gunfire blasting]            825 00:32:18,436 --> 00:32:20,571   the men who provided              him with an alibi.            826 00:32:20,571 --> 00:32:22,674   [gun fires]                    [dramatic music]                 827 00:32:22,674 --> 00:32:24,676    All four men hoped               that Sidney Dorsey            828 00:32:24,676 --> 00:32:26,744    would reward them                for their service.            829 00:32:29,314 --> 00:32:30,548 - [Chris] Patrick Cuffy             and Melvin Walker             830 00:32:30,548 --> 00:32:32,317   already worked for              the Sheriff's office.           831 00:32:32,317 --> 00:32:34,819   Their two friends were Paul    Skyers and David Ramsey          832 00:32:34,819 --> 00:32:37,288 who wanted to get hired          by the Sheriff's office.         833 00:32:37,922 --> 00:32:40,591 - [J. Tom] The tremendous irony    of all this is that            834 00:32:40,591 --> 00:32:42,327   two employees of the             sheriff's department           835 00:32:42,327 --> 00:32:43,561  who wanted promotions,          836 00:32:43,561 --> 00:32:45,697  two people who wanted to work    in the Sheriff's department,    837 00:32:45,697 --> 00:32:46,597    [gunfire blasting]            838 00:32:46,597 --> 00:32:47,732 were willing to kill the sheriff 839 00:32:47,732 --> 00:32:49,834 to get jobs in law enforcement.  840 00:32:49,834 --> 00:32:51,469  [eerie dramatic music]          841 00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:53,438    They wanted a gun                that would shoot              842 00:32:53,438 --> 00:32:56,474   multiple rounds of               ammunition quickly.            843 00:32:56,474 --> 00:33:00,311    They wanted a gun that was    typically used by gangs,         844 00:33:00,311 --> 00:33:01,446   because they didn't            want it to look                  845 00:33:01,446 --> 00:33:02,880   like law enforcement            was involved.                   846 00:33:02,880 --> 00:33:04,315 [dramatic music]                 847 00:33:04,315 --> 00:33:06,818    Skyers acquired the TEC-9.    848 00:33:07,685 --> 00:33:11,723    On December 15th,               Dorsey called Cuffy            849 00:33:11,723 --> 00:33:14,325   and said it had to               be done immediately            850 00:33:15,026 --> 00:33:18,763   before Derwin was going to       be sworn in Monday morning.    851 00:33:18,763 --> 00:33:21,599 [dramatic music]                 852 00:33:22,867 --> 00:33:23,868  - [Alan] According to           Patrick Cuffy,                   853 00:33:23,868 --> 00:33:27,872 no one volunteered to be          the actual triggerman.          854 00:33:27,872 --> 00:33:30,742   So in the end, they              had to draw straws.            855 00:33:30,742 --> 00:33:33,411    Melvin Walker drew            the short straw.                 856 00:33:34,512 --> 00:33:35,880  Paul Skyers was given the job   857 00:33:35,880 --> 00:33:37,648   of driving the getaway car.    858 00:33:37,648 --> 00:33:39,384  Cuffy was the lookout.          859 00:33:39,384 --> 00:33:41,352  Ramsey was the backup shooter   860 00:33:41,352 --> 00:33:42,787    with a weapon of his own.     861 00:33:42,787 --> 00:33:44,522  [tense sinister music]          862 00:33:44,522 --> 00:33:46,624    - [J. Tom] They were under     orders to kill Derwin           863 00:33:46,624 --> 00:33:49,494 and anyone else who was           with him at the time.           864 00:33:49,494 --> 00:33:50,762 [ominous dramatic music]         865 00:33:50,762 --> 00:33:51,896    [thunder rumbling]            866 00:33:51,896 --> 00:33:53,564 They would've killed the family. 867 00:33:54,766 --> 00:33:56,768    They would've been             just collateral kills.          868 00:33:56,768 --> 00:33:59,270 [ominous dramatic music]         869 00:33:59,270 --> 00:34:01,906    Walker was hiding                behind the cars.              870 00:34:01,906 --> 00:34:04,042    Cuffy said he saw Derwin.     871 00:34:04,042 --> 00:34:06,778   [suspenseful music]            872 00:34:06,778 --> 00:34:10,515 - [Chris] And then when he came  up the driveway, they came out,  873 00:34:10,515 --> 00:34:13,684   and Melvin Walker actually       opened fire and killed him.    874 00:34:13,684 --> 00:34:14,652    [thunder rumbling]            875 00:34:14,652 --> 00:34:17,789   [somber piano music]           876 00:34:20,658 --> 00:34:23,661   - [Alan] With Derwin on the      ground, the hit squad fled.    877 00:34:23,661 --> 00:34:26,531   The murder had taken             only a few seconds.            878 00:34:26,531 --> 00:34:27,532  Although his wife and son were  879 00:34:27,532 --> 00:34:29,534 inside the house the whole time, 880 00:34:29,534 --> 00:34:30,802  the killers never encountered   881 00:34:30,802 --> 00:34:33,838    Brown's family or                any other witness.            882 00:34:33,838 --> 00:34:36,974  Cuffy calmly finis              883 00:34:36,974 --> 00:34:38,943 where the murder                    weapon was hidden.            884 00:34:38,943 --> 00:34:40,812  [tense dramatic music]          885 00:34:40,812 --> 00:34:45,850 - [Chris] The gun was put in a   storm drain in Gwinnett County.  886 00:34:45,850 --> 00:34:49,821 And we went out the next            day and fished out a TEC-9    887 00:34:49,821 --> 00:34:52,557  from this storm drain exactly      where he said he put it.      888 00:34:52,557 --> 00:34:54,859    [striking dramatic music]     889 00:34:54,859 --> 00:34:58,696 - [J. Tom] We wanted to see how   much that Cuffy could tell us   890 00:34:58,696 --> 00:35:04,001   that we could corroborate by     witnesses other than Cuffy.    891 00:35:04,001 --> 00:35:06,003  - [Alan] Skyers agrees            to take                        892 00:35:06,003 --> 00:35:08,573  and he backs up Cuffy's story.  893 00:35:08,573 --> 00:35:13,444    [striking dramatic music]     894 00:35:13,444 --> 00:35:16,481    because, you know, he knew      that Cuffy had been involved   895 00:35:16,481 --> 00:35:18,716 and had probably                   been the ringleader.           896 00:35:18,716 --> 00:35:20,618  But he knew that there           really wasn't going to          897 00:35:20,618 --> 00:35:22,353   be any other way we             were going to be able           898 00:35:22,353 --> 00:35:24,789    to prosecute this                case without that.            899 00:35:26,124 --> 00:35:27,592    - [Alan] Finally,             900 00:35:27,592 --> 00:35:29,994   after almost a year               of investigation,             901 00:35:29,994 --> 00:35:32,597 the task force is ready          to arrest Sidney Dorsey,         902 00:35:32,597 --> 00:35:34,632 Melvin Walker, and David Ramsey  903 00:35:34,632 --> 00:35:36,734 for the murder of Derwin Brown.  904 00:35:36,734 --> 00:35:37,635   [suspenseful music]            905 00:35:37,635 --> 00:35:39,737 [siren wailing]                  906 00:35:39,737 --> 00:35:44,008 - [Chris] Walker and Ramsey were   home                           907 00:35:44,008 --> 00:35:46,644 - [Alan] But when the detectives   go to arrest Sidney Dorsey,    908 00:35:46,644 --> 00:35:49,614 it doesn't go quite as smoothly. 909 00:35:49,614 --> 00:35:50,748  [eerie dramatic music]          910 00:35:50,748 --> 00:35:52,650  - [Agent Mays] We went to his    residence that night,           911 00:35:52,650 --> 00:35:54,385  and, you know, very cautious.   912 00:35:54,385 --> 00:35:56,787 To arrest a law                    enforcement officer,           913 00:35:56,787 --> 00:35:58,656   you have to be very careful,   914 00:35:58,656 --> 00:36:00,024 because they're trained,         915 00:36:00,024 --> 00:36:02,627   and they know how to shoot.    916 00:36:02,627 --> 00:36:03,794    And I'm sure Sidney Dorsey    917 00:36:03,794 --> 00:36:06,030   had a lot of weapons              in his residence.             918 00:36:06,030 --> 00:36:07,798 [dramatic music]                 919 00:36:07,798 --> 00:36:10,034  And I remember going             up to the front door,           920 00:36:10,034 --> 00:36:12,670  and his wife came to the door,  921 00:36:12,670 --> 00:36:14,405  and we asked, "Was he there?"   922 00:36:14,405 --> 00:36:15,406 [dramatic music]                 923 00:36:15,406 --> 00:36:16,641   And he wasn't home.            924 00:36:16,641 --> 00:36:19,076   [suspenseful music]            925 00:36:19,076 --> 00:36:21,512    - [Chris] We didn't know:       Would Dorsey flee?             926 00:36:21,512 --> 00:36:24,415 Would he make a                    violent last stand?            927 00:36:24,415 --> 00:36:25,516   [suspenseful music]            928 00:36:25,516 --> 00:36:28,085 We're going after people           with really nothing to lose.   929 00:36:28,085 --> 00:36:29,187 [siren wailing]                  930 00:36:29,187 --> 00:36:31,756 [intense dramatic music]         931 00:36:33,758 --> 00:36:35,560  [tense dramatic music]           - [Alan] At long last, police      have made arrests             932 00:36:35,560 --> 00:36:38,563 in the case of murdered           Sheriff Derwin Brown.           933 00:36:38,563 --> 00:36:40,131    They put the cuffs              on two of the gunmen           934 00:36:40,131 --> 00:36:41,699 who committed the crime.         935 00:36:41,699 --> 00:36:42,833    [gunfire blasting]            936 00:36:42,833 --> 00:36:44,969    But police tactical units        are still hunting the man     937 00:36:44,969 --> 00:36:48,105    who they believed              masterminded the plot:          938 00:36:48,105 --> 00:36:51,876   Brown's predecessor,            Sheriff Sidney Dorsey.          939 00:36:51,876 --> 00:36:52,843 [siren wailing]                  [dramatic music]                 940 00:36:52,843 --> 00:36:54,111    [muffled chatter on radio]    941 00:36:54,111 --> 00:36:55,713 - [J. Tom] Three SWAT teams went  out at exactly the same time,   942 00:36:55,713 --> 00:36:57,848 because we didn't want           one to alert the other.          943 00:36:57,848 --> 00:36:58,983 [dramatic music]                 944 00:36:58,983 --> 00:37:01,485    But his wife alerted him,     945 00:37:01,485 --> 00:37:03,120   and he alerts his attorney,    946 00:37:03,120 --> 00:37:05,756  and his attorney says,           "I'm bringing him in,"          947 00:37:05,756 --> 00:37:07,692    because he didn't                want Dorsey hurt.             948 00:37:08,492 --> 00:37:10,595 - [Chris] So he and his          attorney turned him in           949 00:37:10,595 --> 00:37:13,097    at the police department         two o'clock that morning.     950 00:37:13,798 --> 00:37:17,501  - [Alan] But Dorsey's           trial will have to wait.         951 00:37:20,004 --> 00:37:22,873 for the two underlings              who ambushed Derwin Brown     952 00:37:22,873 --> 00:37:26,510 in his driveway:                 triggerman Melvin Walker         953 00:37:26,510 --> 00:37:29,614 and the backup                    shooter David Ramsey.           954 00:37:29,614 --> 00:37:31,782 - [J. Tom] It was going to be a     complicated enough trial      955 00:37:31,782 --> 00:37:34,885   for a jury without                putting Walker and Ramsey     956 00:37:34,885 --> 00:37:37,622 in with Dorsey.                  957 00:37:38,623 --> 00:37:40,191   Walker and Ramsey were just    958 00:37:40,191 --> 00:37:42,627   a cut-and-dried murder case.   959 00:37:42,627 --> 00:37:44,195 - [Alan] Testifying against them 960 00:37:44,195 --> 00:37:46,163 in exchange for leniency         961 00:37:46,163 --> 00:37:47,531    will be the other two men     962 00:37:47,531 --> 00:37:49,667 who carried out                   Derwin Brown's murder:          963 00:37:49,667 --> 00:37:53,037  Patrick Cuffy and Paul Skyers.  964 00:37:53,037 --> 00:37:55,106 - Cuffy lost it.                 965 00:37:55,172 --> 00:37:58,175  He did terrible under             cross-examination.             966 00:37:58,175 --> 00:37:59,910    - He said, "But I               didn't do anything.            967 00:37:59,910 --> 00:38:02,546  It was these two that              really were the bad guys,     968 00:38:02,546 --> 00:38:04,315    and me and Skyers,              yeah, we were there,           969 00:38:04,315 --> 00:38:06,684  and I sort of                    organized everything,           970 00:38:06,684 --> 00:38:09,020    but they're the bad guys."    971 00:38:09,920 --> 00:38:11,822 We're expecting,                 972 00:38:11,822 --> 00:38:13,557    "Guilty, guilty, guilty."     973 00:38:13,557 --> 00:38:15,092   [suspenseful music]            974 00:38:15,092 --> 00:38:17,762    They render a "Not            Guilty" verdict,                 975 00:38:18,396 --> 00:38:21,232    and all the oxygen is just    sucked out of the room.          976 00:38:21,232 --> 00:38:22,933 [intense dramatic music]         977 00:38:22,933 --> 00:38:25,670    - [Dale] I think the jury     came to the conclusion           978 00:38:25,670 --> 00:38:27,938  that these two people             were being set up.             979 00:38:27,938 --> 00:38:29,807   That other people were truly   980 00:38:29,807 --> 00:38:31,842 responsible for                   Derwin Brown's murder,          981 00:38:31,842 --> 00:38:33,344  and these two were scapegoats.  982 00:38:33,344 --> 00:38:34,812 [somber dramatic music]          983 00:38:34,812 --> 00:38:39,083  - [Brandy] Hearing that Ramsey     and Walker                    984 00:38:39,083 --> 00:38:42,820    were acquitted of               my father's murder,            985 00:38:42,820 --> 00:38:43,988    [thunder rumbling]            986 00:38:43,988 --> 00:38:46,357  was like a stab in the heart.   987 00:38:46,357 --> 00:38:49,226   Because not only did           you all take over a year         988 00:38:49,226 --> 00:38:51,262 to finally get a                    break in the case,            989 00:38:51,262 --> 00:38:52,830 you can't even close it.         990 00:38:53,664 --> 00:38:56,867 - [J. Tom] It was a kick in the   gut.                            991 00:38:56,867 --> 00:38:59,837    Derwin's mother had to be     992 00:38:59,837 --> 00:39:02,373    Phyllis was in hysterics.     993 00:39:02,373 --> 00:39:04,241   The Atlanta paper said that:   994 00:39:04,241 --> 00:39:05,710  I'd made a deal with the devil  995 00:39:05,710 --> 00:39:07,745    and the devil was winning.    996 00:39:07,745 --> 00:39:09,747    - [Chris] And we still got     to try Sidney Dorsey.           997 00:39:09,747 --> 00:39:11,716 And we thought,                    "This is going to be           998 00:39:12,883 --> 00:39:14,251  very, very difficult."          999 00:39:14,251 --> 00:39:17,722  [tense dramatic music]          1000 00:39:18,356 --> 00:39:21,025    - [Alan] The challenge for    the prosecution remains.         1001 00:39:21,025 --> 00:39:23,861 The case against Sidney             Dorsey depends on the same    1002 00:39:23,861 --> 00:39:27,832   distasteful witness as the       first trial, Patrick Cuffy.    1003 00:39:28,933 --> 00:39:31,869 - [Chris] All it takes is, you   know, one or two people to say,  1004 00:39:31,869 --> 00:39:33,304   "I'm not buying it."           1005 00:39:33,304 --> 00:39:37,975   And if he walks, then we've      lost our chance at justice.    1006 00:39:38,776 --> 00:39:40,845   - [Brandy] Essentially, the       feeling amongst everybody     1007 00:39:40,845 --> 00:39:43,180  is like, they just better not   [beep] this up.                  1008 00:39:43,180 --> 00:39:44,749 [pensive dramatic music]         1009 00:39:44,749 --> 00:39:46,183    - [J. Tom] July 10, 2002,     1010 00:39:46,183 --> 00:39:49,854    the jury came back after        three days of deliberation.    1011 00:39:50,821 --> 00:39:53,290  Judge Becker, who was           our judge in this case,          1012 00:39:53,290 --> 00:39:56,327  she always had the prosecutor    to read the verdict out loud.   1013 00:39:56,327 --> 00:39:59,764    And so I was called to the       stand to read the verdict.    1014 00:39:59,764 --> 00:40:01,899   [intense suspenseful music]    1015 00:40:01,899 --> 00:40:04,435 And I read it in the courtroom.  1016 00:40:04,435 --> 00:40:05,903   As I read Count One:           1017 00:40:05,903 --> 00:40:08,906    "Murder, Guilty,"                Phyllis fell out.             1018 00:40:08,906 --> 00:40:10,040   [soft gentle music]            1019 00:40:10,040 --> 00:40:11,942   - [Chris] Phyllis Brown was       sitting right behind me,      1020 00:40:11,942 --> 00:40:13,677 and she kind of                    clutched her throat            1021 00:40:13,677 --> 00:40:15,312   and like threw her               hand up in the air,            1022 00:40:15,312 --> 00:40:17,915 like "Finally, finally."         1023 00:40:17,915 --> 00:40:19,784 And, you know, there were sobs,  1024 00:40:19,784 --> 00:40:21,786 and people were crying.          1025 00:40:21,786 --> 00:40:24,922    - [Alan] Sidney Dorsey is       sentenced to life in prison.   1026 00:40:24,922 --> 00:40:26,824   [jail bars rattling]           1027 00:40:26,824 --> 00:40:29,226  - [Brandy] In my mind, and I'm   sure in my mom's mind,          1028 00:40:29,226 --> 00:40:33,097  we were grateful that             the system worked.             1029 00:40:33,097 --> 00:40:37,468  But I think for some of us it    still didn't feel like enough,  1030 00:40:37,468 --> 00:40:39,970   because you still had people    walking around that physically  1031 00:40:39,970 --> 00:40:43,207 did this crime,                     and they're free.             1032 00:40:43,207 --> 00:40:44,942  [eerie dramatic music]          1033 00:40:44,942 --> 00:40:46,710 - [Alan] Melvin Walker and David  Ramsey                          1034 00:40:46,710 --> 00:40:48,846    have beat the rap             in state court.                  1035 00:40:48,846 --> 00:40:51,348    But because they               used their cellphones           1036 00:40:51,348 --> 00:40:52,349    to coordinate the killing,    1037 00:40:52,349 --> 00:40:54,852  the federal government           is able to charge them          1038 00:40:54,852 --> 00:40:57,822   with conspiracy to                commit a murder-for-hire.     1039 00:40:57,822 --> 00:40:59,123 [intense dramatic music]         1040 00:40:59,123 --> 00:41:01,225    - [Chris] The FBI and the      Department of Justice           1041 00:41:01,225 --> 00:41:03,260 determined that they had          violated federal laws           1042 00:41:03,260 --> 00:41:06,363 regarding use of                    telecommunication devices.    1043 00:41:06,363 --> 00:41:10,134 So they indicted them on         federal murder charges,          1044 00:41:10,134 --> 00:41:12,703 and they were convicted             in federal court,             1045 00:41:13,137 --> 00:41:15,506    and they're both              serving life in prison.          1046 00:41:15,506 --> 00:41:16,874 [gentle dramatic music]          1047 00:41:16,874 --> 00:41:19,143 - [Alan] In exchange for           flipping on Dorsey,            1048 00:41:19,143 --> 00:41:21,278   getaway driver Paul               Skyers walks away             1049 00:41:21,278 --> 00:41:23,881    with no jail time at all.     1050 00:41:23,881 --> 00:41:27,117   Patrick Cuffy, who             1051 00:41:27,117 --> 00:41:30,020    gets one year behind bars.    1052 00:41:30,020 --> 00:41:32,890   - [Brandy] The deal th         1053 00:41:32,890 --> 00:41:35,025 I think that was                  handled totally wrong.          1054 00:41:35,025 --> 00:41:37,127 [gentle dramatic music]          1055 00:41:37,127 --> 00:41:38,996  My father was the true leader   1056 00:41:38,996 --> 00:41:40,397  when it came to DeKalb County.  1057 00:41:41,398 --> 00:41:43,767    His legacy is his family.     1058 00:41:43,767 --> 00:41:47,137 We make sure that DeKalb County    does not forget the impact     1059 00:41:47,137 --> 00:41:51,008   that my father had and his      legacy will continue to have.   1060 00:41:51,008 --> 00:41:52,276 And that is his legacy.          1061 00:41:52,276 --> 00:41:54,144 That is my mom's legacy.         1062 00:41:54,144 --> 00:41:56,013   They will never be               forgotten in DeKalb County.    1063 00:41:56,013 --> 00:41:57,882    I will make sure of that.     1064 00:41:57,882 --> 00:41:59,149  [soft dramatic music]           1065 00:41:59,149 --> 00:42:03,420  - [Alan] In 2007, seven years   after Derwin Brown was murdered, 1066 00:42:03,420 --> 00:42:07,324 Dorsey finally admitted            that he had given the order.   1067 00:42:07,324 --> 00:42:10,427    A grim reminder that while       the oath of pu                1068 00:42:10,427 --> 00:42:15,165  is sacred to some, to           others it's just words.          1069 00:42:15,165 --> 00:42:16,467  And the real test of character  1070 00:42:16,467 --> 00:42:19,436  is the willingness to              put your community first,     1071 00:42:19,436 --> 00:42:23,040   especially, when the             killer is among you.           1072 00:42:23,040 --> 00:42:26,143   [soft ominous music]