1 00:00:01,436 --> 00:00:03,741 [dramatic music] 2 00:00:03,841 --> 00:00:09,786 ♪ 3 00:00:12,692 --> 00:00:13,894 - It's horrible. 4 00:00:13,994 --> 00:00:15,397 ♪ 5 00:00:15,497 --> 00:00:17,902 - All murders are disturbing and tragic. 6 00:00:18,002 --> 00:00:19,472 But some are so horrific... 7 00:00:19,539 --> 00:00:21,543 - Can't tell right now if it's male or female. 8 00:00:21,610 --> 00:00:24,148 - They haunt detectives long after the case is closed. 9 00:00:24,215 --> 00:00:27,355 Tonight on "The First 48: Critical Minutes"... 10 00:00:27,421 --> 00:00:28,489 ♪ 11 00:00:31,162 --> 00:00:33,768 - A grisly scene at an abandoned house. 12 00:00:34,469 --> 00:00:36,139 - Take a good look at that right there. 13 00:00:36,205 --> 00:00:38,510 - "Look bitch I'm done." 14 00:00:40,147 --> 00:00:41,684 - A married couple 15 00:00:41,751 --> 00:00:42,986 bound and drowned. 16 00:00:43,053 --> 00:00:45,525 - To be tied up and thrown in. 17 00:00:45,592 --> 00:00:49,064 That's a pretty hellish way to kill someone. 18 00:00:52,337 --> 00:00:53,808 - And a woman burned alive. 19 00:00:53,874 --> 00:00:57,783 - You know, to be set on fire had to be pretty miserable. 20 00:00:57,850 --> 00:00:59,285 This was personal. 21 00:00:59,385 --> 00:01:00,921 ♪ 22 00:01:00,988 --> 00:01:04,295 [dramatic music] 23 00:01:04,395 --> 00:01:11,375 ♪ 24 00:01:20,962 --> 00:01:23,066 - Murders that involve sexual violence 25 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:24,669 can be very tough to work. 26 00:01:24,736 --> 00:01:27,875 In Atlanta, detectives found an abandoned house 27 00:01:27,942 --> 00:01:30,782 that was the scene of a brutal rape and murder. 28 00:01:30,848 --> 00:01:34,022 [suspenseful music] 29 00:01:34,088 --> 00:01:39,065 ♪ 30 00:01:39,132 --> 00:01:41,336 - Ah, it just stinks in here. 31 00:01:41,402 --> 00:01:48,083 ♪ 32 00:01:48,183 --> 00:01:51,723 - [clears throat] 33 00:01:51,823 --> 00:01:54,797 ♪ 34 00:01:54,863 --> 00:01:57,636 - [coughing] 35 00:01:58,270 --> 00:01:59,940 - Does she have any ID on her? 36 00:02:00,007 --> 00:02:01,577 - No, nothing. 37 00:02:01,643 --> 00:02:03,146 ♪ 38 00:02:03,246 --> 00:02:05,585 - Sadistic violence. 39 00:02:05,651 --> 00:02:07,087 ♪ 40 00:02:07,154 --> 00:02:08,757 - It's horrible. 41 00:02:08,857 --> 00:02:11,530 It's classic sexual assault. 42 00:02:11,597 --> 00:02:13,934 Elevated. Naked. 43 00:02:14,001 --> 00:02:15,437 She's got a... 44 00:02:15,505 --> 00:02:18,644 duct tape covering her mouth so she can't scream. 45 00:02:19,713 --> 00:02:21,382 Broken fingernail. 46 00:02:22,384 --> 00:02:24,021 Definitely struggled. 47 00:02:24,121 --> 00:02:26,026 ♪ 48 00:02:26,126 --> 00:02:27,662 - [sighs] 49 00:02:28,531 --> 00:02:30,702 - Ligature marks around her neck. 50 00:02:30,802 --> 00:02:33,140 - Definitely looks like a rape-murder. 51 00:02:33,206 --> 00:02:39,351 ♪ 52 00:02:39,418 --> 00:02:40,922 - Take a good look at that right there. 53 00:02:41,022 --> 00:02:45,931 ♪ 54 00:02:48,403 --> 00:02:50,908 Maybe this is a message about the person that's in here. 55 00:02:51,008 --> 00:02:52,679 - Yeah. - I don't know. 56 00:02:52,746 --> 00:02:54,415 - It's horrible. 57 00:02:54,482 --> 00:02:57,622 - Can't imagine the horror she must have gone through. 58 00:03:00,160 --> 00:03:03,299 [solemn music] 59 00:03:03,366 --> 00:03:05,070 - OK. - It's this area right here. 60 00:03:05,170 --> 00:03:07,041 ♪ 61 00:03:07,107 --> 00:03:08,544 narrator: Two hours in... 62 00:03:11,349 --> 00:03:13,019 narrator: A neighbor has come forward. 63 00:03:13,086 --> 00:03:15,356 - That looks like our victim. 64 00:03:16,059 --> 00:03:22,437 ♪ 65 00:03:23,708 --> 00:03:26,514 - She did not deserve to be killed like that. 66 00:03:26,580 --> 00:03:29,485 ♪ 67 00:03:29,586 --> 00:03:32,726 We need to get whoever did this off the street fast. 68 00:03:32,792 --> 00:03:34,195 ♪ 69 00:03:34,295 --> 00:03:35,799 I've left the crime scene 70 00:03:35,865 --> 00:03:39,572 up to the control of Detective Velazquez. 71 00:03:39,672 --> 00:03:43,714 ♪ 72 00:03:47,555 --> 00:03:54,502 ♪ 73 00:03:57,943 --> 00:03:59,344 - [grunts] 74 00:04:01,950 --> 00:04:03,353 - I know. 75 00:04:03,420 --> 00:04:05,156 Big bucket of human feces. 76 00:04:05,223 --> 00:04:07,127 This is the bathroom. Right? 77 00:04:07,227 --> 00:04:10,534 ♪ 78 00:04:10,634 --> 00:04:12,404 Rat droppings all over here. 79 00:04:12,505 --> 00:04:14,042 They're all over the place. 80 00:04:14,108 --> 00:04:18,016 ♪ 81 00:04:18,116 --> 00:04:19,451 - Louise? 82 00:04:19,519 --> 00:04:22,123 Hey, so it looks like we've got men's clothing in here? 83 00:04:22,190 --> 00:04:24,062 And belongings. 84 00:04:24,128 --> 00:04:31,342 ♪ 85 00:04:34,516 --> 00:04:36,753 Let's take that bag with us. 86 00:04:36,853 --> 00:04:39,458 ♪ 87 00:04:39,526 --> 00:04:41,830 All right, let's see what we got here. 88 00:04:42,766 --> 00:04:44,502 We have a name. 89 00:04:45,403 --> 00:04:47,208 Ardentric Johnson. 90 00:04:47,274 --> 00:04:54,522 ♪ 91 00:04:59,899 --> 00:05:02,538 - He's a person of interest right now, yeah. 92 00:05:03,407 --> 00:05:04,776 - "Murder Man"? What? 93 00:05:04,843 --> 00:05:07,081 Anyone explain why that's his nickname? 94 00:05:07,148 --> 00:05:08,483 - That's what he told me two years ago 95 00:05:08,550 --> 00:05:10,287 when he was a witness to one of my homicides. 96 00:05:10,354 --> 00:05:12,592 - And he said his nickname was "Murder Man"? 97 00:05:14,696 --> 00:05:19,806 ♪ 98 00:05:19,906 --> 00:05:20,975 - I got him. 99 00:05:21,042 --> 00:05:23,547 He has an active warrant out for his arrest already. 100 00:05:23,647 --> 00:05:25,417 ♪ 101 00:05:25,484 --> 00:05:28,123 narrator: 36-year-old Ardentric Dion Johnson 102 00:05:28,223 --> 00:05:31,295 has previous convictions for carrying a concealed weapon, 103 00:05:31,362 --> 00:05:34,636 theft, false imprisonment, and battery. 104 00:05:34,736 --> 00:05:38,677 His outstanding warrant is for a probation violation. 105 00:05:38,777 --> 00:05:43,486 ♪ 106 00:05:43,587 --> 00:05:45,858 - We just got done processing the scene, 107 00:05:45,925 --> 00:05:47,027 collecting the evidence. 108 00:05:47,127 --> 00:05:49,600 One of the things we do before we leave a scene 109 00:05:49,666 --> 00:05:51,002 is after we get all the evidence out, 110 00:05:51,069 --> 00:05:52,505 we do another walk-through. 111 00:05:52,605 --> 00:05:55,043 Open drawers, open doors. 112 00:05:55,109 --> 00:05:56,245 - All right. 113 00:05:56,345 --> 00:05:58,049 ♪ 114 00:05:59,084 --> 00:06:00,453 - This one? 115 00:06:03,694 --> 00:06:06,298 ♪ 116 00:06:06,365 --> 00:06:07,702 - Now, come on back. 117 00:06:07,768 --> 00:06:10,006 - Not a room, it's a closet. 118 00:06:10,073 --> 00:06:11,408 - Yeah. 119 00:06:13,013 --> 00:06:14,549 - Oh, what the... 120 00:06:14,616 --> 00:06:16,185 - Kay, we got another body back here. 121 00:06:16,252 --> 00:06:19,225 - It's another body? 122 00:06:19,291 --> 00:06:25,504 ♪ 123 00:06:27,041 --> 00:06:29,245 [phone ringing] 124 00:06:29,345 --> 00:06:30,914 - We've got another body. 125 00:06:31,516 --> 00:06:32,652 - There's another body. 126 00:06:32,719 --> 00:06:33,787 - You gotta be [bleep] me. 127 00:06:33,887 --> 00:06:36,258 - It's in the same room, but in the closet. 128 00:06:36,325 --> 00:06:37,494 - You hear that? 129 00:06:37,562 --> 00:06:39,364 Second body in the house. 130 00:06:39,431 --> 00:06:42,772 [indistinct radio chatter] 131 00:06:42,838 --> 00:06:44,475 ♪ 132 00:06:44,543 --> 00:06:46,747 - We never opened the closet. 133 00:06:46,847 --> 00:06:48,651 - [sighs] 134 00:06:48,717 --> 00:06:51,422 ♪ 135 00:06:52,157 --> 00:06:53,459 [somber music] 136 00:06:53,527 --> 00:06:55,296 - Nah, just hold on. 137 00:06:55,396 --> 00:07:02,511 ♪ 138 00:07:04,982 --> 00:07:08,658 [dark music] 139 00:07:08,758 --> 00:07:10,126 - This... 140 00:07:13,166 --> 00:07:19,345 ♪ 141 00:07:19,411 --> 00:07:20,447 - All right. 142 00:07:20,548 --> 00:07:21,483 Tell me how you came in possession 143 00:07:21,550 --> 00:07:23,252 of this cell phone here. 144 00:07:23,319 --> 00:07:24,388 - I seen Murder Man. 145 00:07:24,455 --> 00:07:26,359 He ran into the street and... 146 00:07:26,426 --> 00:07:27,628 like--flagged, waved me down. 147 00:07:27,695 --> 00:07:28,830 - OK. - And then I stopped. 148 00:07:28,897 --> 00:07:31,168 He said, "Hey, you hold this phone for me." 149 00:07:31,235 --> 00:07:32,271 - Mm-hmm. 150 00:07:32,338 --> 00:07:33,641 - "Give me $10 to hold the phone for me 151 00:07:33,708 --> 00:07:35,979 "and I'll give you $20 back." 152 00:07:36,045 --> 00:07:37,682 I'm like, "All right." 153 00:07:38,617 --> 00:07:40,688 He said it was Heather's phone. 154 00:07:40,755 --> 00:07:42,391 [dramatic musical sting] 155 00:07:42,458 --> 00:07:44,227 'Cause I know Heather as well. 156 00:07:44,996 --> 00:07:46,600 - I'ma be straight up with you, man. 157 00:07:46,667 --> 00:07:48,637 We found a second body in that house. 158 00:07:49,405 --> 00:07:52,511 Anybody else missing in the neighborhood that you know of? 159 00:07:53,479 --> 00:07:55,985 - Yeah, we had put out missing posters... 160 00:07:56,051 --> 00:07:58,389 narrator: The man gives Detective Scott DeMeester 161 00:07:58,456 --> 00:08:00,360 the name of a woman who had disappeared 162 00:08:00,460 --> 00:08:03,032 from the neighborhood a few months ago. 163 00:08:03,132 --> 00:08:05,136 - And was she known to hang out with Murder Man? 164 00:08:05,203 --> 00:08:06,238 - Yeah, she's... 165 00:08:06,338 --> 00:08:09,646 Her and Murder Man, they used to fuss all the time. 166 00:08:10,548 --> 00:08:13,085 - I'm gonna show you some pictures, all right? 167 00:08:13,987 --> 00:08:16,693 Let me know if you recognize anyone in that lineup. 168 00:08:17,227 --> 00:08:18,663 - It's him. Number two. 169 00:08:18,764 --> 00:08:20,133 That's Murder Man. 170 00:08:23,807 --> 00:08:24,942 - [sighs] 171 00:08:25,009 --> 00:08:26,479 [paper rustles] 172 00:08:26,546 --> 00:08:28,984 ♪ 173 00:08:29,051 --> 00:08:31,824 - Yeah, here's a missing person's report right here. 174 00:08:31,924 --> 00:08:33,159 [mouse clicks] 175 00:08:33,226 --> 00:08:34,929 There she is. 176 00:08:35,931 --> 00:08:38,303 Possible victim in the closet. 177 00:08:38,369 --> 00:08:39,840 ♪ 178 00:08:39,906 --> 00:08:45,349 Was involved in an altercation with Murder Man 179 00:08:45,416 --> 00:08:47,955 the day before she disappeared. 180 00:08:49,058 --> 00:08:51,963 He's definitely our prime suspect, for sure. 181 00:08:52,063 --> 00:08:54,401 And we're gonna do everything we can 182 00:08:54,502 --> 00:08:56,306 to try to get him off the streets. 183 00:08:56,372 --> 00:09:02,986 ♪ 184 00:09:03,053 --> 00:09:05,190 [radio clicks] - Hey, we got him. 185 00:09:05,256 --> 00:09:12,303 ♪ 186 00:09:15,678 --> 00:09:18,349 - You and Heather ever had anything going? 187 00:09:19,853 --> 00:09:21,990 - No? Not at all? 188 00:09:22,090 --> 00:09:24,863 You ever been in that house on Madrona with her? 189 00:09:24,929 --> 00:09:25,798 - No. 190 00:09:25,865 --> 00:09:27,635 - Have you ever had sex with Heather? 191 00:09:29,404 --> 00:09:31,241 - Do you know what happened to her? 192 00:09:33,514 --> 00:09:35,784 - She was killed. 193 00:09:37,087 --> 00:09:38,623 - Mm-hmm. 194 00:09:40,026 --> 00:09:41,729 - No? 195 00:09:45,637 --> 00:09:46,640 - Mm-kay. 196 00:09:46,707 --> 00:09:49,779 She was killed in your house. 197 00:09:57,995 --> 00:10:00,099 - She's dead in your house. 198 00:10:00,199 --> 00:10:01,435 ♪ 199 00:10:01,503 --> 00:10:03,205 How do you think that happened? 200 00:10:03,305 --> 00:10:05,343 ♪ 201 00:10:09,385 --> 00:10:10,253 - Sometimes it's not 202 00:10:10,253 --> 00:10:11,523 just the murder itself 203 00:10:11,523 --> 00:10:12,925 that haunts detectives, 204 00:10:12,925 --> 00:10:14,763 but the suspect who committed it. 205 00:10:14,763 --> 00:10:16,432 Dealing with someone involved 206 00:10:16,499 --> 00:10:18,302 in a deeply disturbing homicide 207 00:10:18,369 --> 00:10:20,139 is something you don't forget. 208 00:10:20,239 --> 00:10:21,208 ♪ 209 00:10:39,278 --> 00:10:41,315 Well, I mean, let's just be straight up with each other. 210 00:10:41,382 --> 00:10:45,089 You gave her phone to somebody. 211 00:10:45,189 --> 00:10:46,091 Correct? 212 00:10:46,191 --> 00:10:47,094 - Um... 213 00:10:47,160 --> 00:10:48,630 - And that somebody gave you how much money 214 00:10:48,697 --> 00:10:50,099 for the phone? 215 00:10:51,235 --> 00:10:52,137 - Ten dollars? OK. 216 00:10:52,237 --> 00:10:53,072 - Yeah. 217 00:10:53,173 --> 00:10:55,076 - All right, well. What day was that? 218 00:10:56,546 --> 00:10:57,515 - OK. 219 00:10:57,615 --> 00:10:59,017 It was this week though, wasn't it? 220 00:11:00,654 --> 00:11:03,058 - Hmm. All right, well... we gon-- 221 00:11:03,125 --> 00:11:04,562 We're gonna come back to that, man. 222 00:11:04,662 --> 00:11:06,031 Because you're not-- 223 00:11:06,098 --> 00:11:07,669 you're not being honest with me, man. 224 00:11:07,735 --> 00:11:12,878 ♪ 225 00:11:12,945 --> 00:11:15,751 narrator: Detective Summer Benton finds Heather's friend 226 00:11:15,818 --> 00:11:18,957 and makes a disturbing discover. 227 00:11:19,057 --> 00:11:21,797 - She was associated with Ardentric 228 00:11:21,863 --> 00:11:24,368 in a report from a couple of years ago. 229 00:11:24,435 --> 00:11:25,638 She filed a police report 230 00:11:25,705 --> 00:11:26,973 when she was down at Grady Hospital 231 00:11:27,073 --> 00:11:29,111 getting treatment for whatever happened, so... 232 00:11:29,211 --> 00:11:32,283 That's interesting if he can identify her. 233 00:11:33,687 --> 00:11:35,022 - Thank you. 234 00:11:35,089 --> 00:11:37,728 You familiar with the 17 associated with that? 235 00:11:38,697 --> 00:11:40,634 - No. - I'll bring that in. 236 00:11:40,701 --> 00:11:42,404 [indistinct chatter] 237 00:11:42,470 --> 00:11:45,744 ♪ 238 00:11:45,811 --> 00:11:47,413 - Who is that? 239 00:11:51,155 --> 00:11:51,856 - OK. 240 00:11:51,957 --> 00:11:53,359 She's pretty, man. 241 00:11:53,425 --> 00:11:54,762 ♪ 242 00:11:54,829 --> 00:11:56,833 [indistinct chatter] 243 00:11:56,933 --> 00:11:58,604 - Thank you, sir. - Yep. 244 00:11:58,704 --> 00:12:00,273 [paper rustles] 245 00:12:01,843 --> 00:12:04,448 - So this is a police report. 246 00:12:04,549 --> 00:12:05,918 Your girlfriend 247 00:12:06,018 --> 00:12:09,291 said her boyfriend, identified as Mr. Ardentric Dion Johnson, 248 00:12:09,391 --> 00:12:12,532 ran up to her and stated, "That's what you get" 249 00:12:12,598 --> 00:12:14,502 after she was struck. 250 00:12:14,602 --> 00:12:15,738 She was transferred to the hospital. 251 00:12:15,904 --> 00:12:17,675 She also stated her boyfriend had locked her in a room 252 00:12:17,741 --> 00:12:19,646 for four to six hours. 253 00:12:19,712 --> 00:12:22,885 ♪ 254 00:12:22,985 --> 00:12:25,257 Made her smoke crack and take pills. 255 00:12:25,323 --> 00:12:29,097 ♪ 256 00:12:29,164 --> 00:12:31,769 And she also stated her boyfriend pimped her out 257 00:12:31,869 --> 00:12:34,008 and made her work. - Hm. 258 00:12:34,074 --> 00:12:35,645 - Didn't they arrest you for this? 259 00:12:35,745 --> 00:12:36,947 - Yeah. 260 00:12:37,014 --> 00:12:38,717 narrator: Ardentric pled guilty 261 00:12:38,784 --> 00:12:40,353 to the assault on Heather's friend 262 00:12:40,420 --> 00:12:43,325 and was sentenced to four years' probation. 263 00:12:44,529 --> 00:12:46,131 - What's your nickname? 264 00:12:46,231 --> 00:12:48,571 ♪ 265 00:12:48,637 --> 00:12:51,075 - What do they call you? 266 00:12:51,142 --> 00:12:53,179 - They call you "Murder Man." 267 00:12:53,279 --> 00:12:55,116 narrator: The woman reported missing a few months ago 268 00:12:55,183 --> 00:12:57,888 also knew Ardentric as Murder Man. 269 00:12:57,988 --> 00:12:59,792 - She was involved in altercation with Murder Man 270 00:12:59,892 --> 00:13:01,930 who hit her and beat her up. 271 00:13:02,030 --> 00:13:03,734 narrator: Velazquez reads from a report 272 00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,038 filed two days before she disappeared. 273 00:13:08,777 --> 00:13:10,514 - Why would she lie? 274 00:13:12,250 --> 00:13:14,054 - She's dead, too. 275 00:13:14,154 --> 00:13:15,423 Ardentric, you know that. 276 00:13:15,489 --> 00:13:18,731 She's dead, and she was in the closet in your house. 277 00:13:18,797 --> 00:13:20,534 Dead, been dead for four months. 278 00:13:20,634 --> 00:13:22,203 Tied up. 279 00:13:22,303 --> 00:13:24,609 Now you got two dead girls in your house. 280 00:13:24,676 --> 00:13:26,646 Not just one, bruh. You got two. 281 00:13:27,414 --> 00:13:31,154 So any reason we'd find your DNA on her? 282 00:13:32,390 --> 00:13:35,162 - You would be willing to give me a sample of your DNA? 283 00:13:36,699 --> 00:13:38,102 - Not really? 284 00:13:38,202 --> 00:13:40,039 - You don't want to give me your DNA 285 00:13:40,106 --> 00:13:43,547 as you know that your DNA is there. 286 00:13:43,647 --> 00:13:44,582 You know that. 287 00:13:44,682 --> 00:13:45,951 Look, man, you got two women. 288 00:13:46,018 --> 00:13:47,688 Two women you've been connected to. 289 00:13:47,754 --> 00:13:50,460 You got a woman right here who-- 290 00:13:50,561 --> 00:13:52,764 what, the same day? 291 00:13:52,831 --> 00:13:54,936 You selling her phone to somebody? 292 00:13:55,002 --> 00:13:58,108 Selling--you sold a dead lady's phone, man. 293 00:13:59,144 --> 00:14:00,479 - Bruh. 294 00:14:01,449 --> 00:14:03,118 Think about it, man. 295 00:14:05,323 --> 00:14:06,392 - OK. 296 00:14:06,492 --> 00:14:09,197 So maybe we still cool without a lawyer today talking? 297 00:14:09,297 --> 00:14:10,634 We OK? 298 00:14:11,602 --> 00:14:13,306 [device beeps] 299 00:14:13,372 --> 00:14:15,443 - We're just gonna leave him like he is. 300 00:14:15,510 --> 00:14:19,786 Uh, got a warrant for his DNA. - Yeah. 301 00:14:19,852 --> 00:14:21,756 [door opens] 302 00:14:21,856 --> 00:14:24,194 - So here's the deal. Want you to read this. 303 00:14:24,261 --> 00:14:27,134 The warrant is for me to take your DNA. 304 00:14:27,200 --> 00:14:28,302 ♪ 305 00:14:28,402 --> 00:14:29,739 Once we do that, we're gonna send you 306 00:14:29,839 --> 00:14:32,177 down to Polk County, and that's it. 307 00:14:32,243 --> 00:14:38,923 ♪ 308 00:14:40,794 --> 00:14:42,163 We have made progress. 309 00:14:42,263 --> 00:14:43,700 He's committed to the phone, 310 00:14:43,767 --> 00:14:45,737 so he's now saying he was in possession 311 00:14:45,804 --> 00:14:47,107 of this dead girl's phone. 312 00:14:47,174 --> 00:14:49,879 He's now connected himself to two women 313 00:14:49,946 --> 00:14:52,117 found dead in a house that he occupies. 314 00:14:52,183 --> 00:14:54,320 So that interview, although it was not a confession, 315 00:14:54,387 --> 00:14:55,489 was great. 316 00:15:14,494 --> 00:15:18,235 ♪ 317 00:15:18,302 --> 00:15:19,939 narrator: A few days later... 318 00:15:20,040 --> 00:15:21,976 - The victim that we had in the closet 319 00:15:22,043 --> 00:15:24,181 has been positively identified. 320 00:15:24,248 --> 00:15:26,151 narrator: The victim is the same woman 321 00:15:26,218 --> 00:15:28,957 who was reported missing a few months earlier. 322 00:15:29,057 --> 00:15:33,299 - Nobody deserves to die at the hands of another. 323 00:15:33,399 --> 00:15:36,271 [solemn music] 324 00:15:36,371 --> 00:15:43,385 ♪ 325 00:15:55,143 --> 00:15:56,178 - In New Orleans, Detective Ryan Vaught 326 00:15:56,245 --> 00:15:57,948 led one of the most disturbing cases 327 00:15:58,015 --> 00:15:59,351 of his career 328 00:15:59,418 --> 00:16:01,055 when a married couple disappeared 329 00:16:01,122 --> 00:16:02,925 and one of their bodies washed up 330 00:16:02,991 --> 00:16:05,362 on the city's Intracoastal Waterway. 331 00:16:07,535 --> 00:16:08,703 - Yep. 332 00:16:08,803 --> 00:16:10,372 - He's been here for a while, huh? 333 00:16:14,649 --> 00:16:17,821 [eerie music] 334 00:16:17,921 --> 00:16:19,457 - I... 335 00:16:19,558 --> 00:16:20,761 [chuckles dejectedly] 336 00:16:20,827 --> 00:16:21,763 It's, uh... 337 00:16:21,830 --> 00:16:23,132 a body. 338 00:16:23,232 --> 00:16:25,771 Can't tell right now if it's male or female. 339 00:16:25,837 --> 00:16:31,583 ♪ 340 00:16:31,650 --> 00:16:33,520 I'm not ready for this. 341 00:16:33,586 --> 00:16:39,966 ♪ 342 00:16:40,032 --> 00:16:41,001 Damn. 343 00:16:41,067 --> 00:16:42,437 ♪ 344 00:16:42,538 --> 00:16:45,242 narrator: The victim is unrecognizable. 345 00:16:46,344 --> 00:16:50,387 The wildlife in the water has eaten away the face. 346 00:16:50,453 --> 00:16:53,191 - Got the nose and the lips and the eyes. 347 00:16:53,860 --> 00:16:54,829 I think it's a female. 348 00:16:54,895 --> 00:16:56,666 - Looks like a female. - Yeah. 349 00:16:59,003 --> 00:17:00,239 - She's bound. 350 00:17:00,339 --> 00:17:03,245 ♪ 351 00:17:05,016 --> 00:17:07,955 ♪ 352 00:17:08,022 --> 00:17:09,692 - There is a tattoo. 353 00:17:12,664 --> 00:17:14,400 - What's it say? 354 00:17:18,844 --> 00:17:21,381 - K-E-N? 355 00:17:21,481 --> 00:17:25,089 ♪ 356 00:17:25,891 --> 00:17:26,926 - What was her name? 357 00:17:27,026 --> 00:17:28,697 The ones at St. John we're looking for? 358 00:17:28,763 --> 00:17:30,266 ♪ 359 00:17:30,333 --> 00:17:32,236 narrator: Detective Bob Bachelder 360 00:17:32,303 --> 00:17:35,911 thinks this might be connected to the missing couple. 361 00:17:36,011 --> 00:17:38,617 - Kenneth and Lakeitha. 362 00:17:38,683 --> 00:17:40,386 - K-E-N. 363 00:17:41,656 --> 00:17:43,492 - I mean, it's possible. 364 00:17:44,228 --> 00:17:45,296 - With the male being named Kenneth, 365 00:17:45,363 --> 00:17:48,135 and this victim having "K-E-N", 366 00:17:48,202 --> 00:17:50,540 it might be the female from that couple. 367 00:17:50,640 --> 00:17:53,045 ♪ 368 00:17:53,145 --> 00:17:56,018 Body has been in the water for at least a week. 369 00:17:56,084 --> 00:17:58,590 At least. It could have been longer. 370 00:17:58,657 --> 00:18:01,295 We're starting way behind 371 00:18:01,362 --> 00:18:04,334 in our investigation. 372 00:18:04,400 --> 00:18:10,580 ♪ 373 00:18:10,680 --> 00:18:12,217 [phone ringing] 374 00:18:12,283 --> 00:18:13,920 narrator: Vaught calls the detective 375 00:18:13,987 --> 00:18:15,857 working the missing couples' case. 376 00:18:15,924 --> 00:18:19,430 - Can you tell me about a tattoo that she may have had? 377 00:18:26,212 --> 00:18:28,315 - OK, that's gonna be her. 378 00:18:28,415 --> 00:18:29,686 ♪ 379 00:18:29,752 --> 00:18:31,989 narrator: 29-year-old Lakeitha Joseph 380 00:18:32,089 --> 00:18:33,560 served a year in the navy 381 00:18:33,626 --> 00:18:36,532 before marrying her high school sweetheart, 382 00:18:36,599 --> 00:18:38,268 Kenneth Joseph. 383 00:18:38,368 --> 00:18:40,272 They were together for 10 years 384 00:18:40,373 --> 00:18:43,311 and had planned to start a family. 385 00:18:54,067 --> 00:18:56,606 narration: Horatio was a cousin of Lakeitha's husband, 386 00:18:56,706 --> 00:18:57,741 Kenneth. 387 00:18:57,808 --> 00:19:00,680 They allegedly had a falling-out over money. 388 00:19:06,458 --> 00:19:07,762 narrator: Detectives heard that Kenneth 389 00:19:07,828 --> 00:19:10,901 had a large amount of money hidden in his house. 390 00:19:11,001 --> 00:19:12,203 - What do you think? 391 00:19:12,270 --> 00:19:13,773 You think he reached the same fate? 392 00:19:13,874 --> 00:19:16,411 Met the same fate? 393 00:19:19,284 --> 00:19:21,088 All right, bye bye. - Bye. 394 00:19:21,154 --> 00:19:22,791 ♪ 395 00:19:22,891 --> 00:19:24,662 narrator: The next day... 396 00:19:24,762 --> 00:19:28,268 ♪ 397 00:19:28,335 --> 00:19:32,209 - There's no real major injuries to her. 398 00:19:32,276 --> 00:19:35,350 narrator: Autopsy results are in on Lakeitha. 399 00:19:35,416 --> 00:19:38,857 - Nothing that would suggest a manner of death. 400 00:19:38,924 --> 00:19:40,392 It was ruled to be a drowning. 401 00:19:40,492 --> 00:19:47,373 ♪ 402 00:19:50,781 --> 00:19:52,785 - I'm sorry for your loss. 403 00:19:52,851 --> 00:19:59,097 ♪ 404 00:19:59,197 --> 00:20:02,036 - It's such a heinous crime. 405 00:20:02,103 --> 00:20:05,577 It was so very deliberate and thought-out. 406 00:20:08,015 --> 00:20:09,819 That it-- yeah, it keeps me up. 407 00:20:09,919 --> 00:20:12,223 Keeps me up thinking about it. 408 00:20:12,323 --> 00:20:13,492 But it's not unique to me. 409 00:20:13,593 --> 00:20:15,563 I'm sure every guy up here goes through that. 410 00:20:15,663 --> 00:20:17,300 Right, Bob? 411 00:20:17,367 --> 00:20:19,338 - You end up waking up in the middle of the night 412 00:20:19,438 --> 00:20:20,807 on some of these cases. 413 00:20:20,874 --> 00:20:24,414 "Why haven't I done this?" or "Why haven't I done that?" 414 00:20:24,481 --> 00:20:27,955 Case gets in your head while you're working it. 415 00:20:28,021 --> 00:20:30,727 ♪ 416 00:20:30,827 --> 00:20:33,700 [suspenseful music] 417 00:20:33,766 --> 00:20:37,841 ♪ 418 00:20:47,226 --> 00:20:50,132 [suspenseful music] 419 00:20:50,232 --> 00:20:54,107 ♪ 420 00:20:54,173 --> 00:20:56,144 - Kettlebell, look at that. 421 00:20:56,244 --> 00:20:57,914 ♪ 422 00:21:02,023 --> 00:21:03,258 - In New Orleans, 423 00:21:03,258 --> 00:21:04,662 two weeks after Lakeitha Joseph 424 00:21:04,662 --> 00:21:06,566 was recovered in the waterway, 425 00:21:06,566 --> 00:21:08,904 her husband's body had finally been found. 426 00:21:08,970 --> 00:21:10,607 ♪ 427 00:21:10,707 --> 00:21:12,878 narrator: A 30-pound kettlebell 428 00:21:12,944 --> 00:21:14,548 is tied to his feet. 429 00:21:14,648 --> 00:21:16,820 ♪ 430 00:21:16,886 --> 00:21:19,090 - That's what they used to weight him down with. 431 00:21:19,157 --> 00:21:22,096 And that looks like the same rope that she was tied up with. 432 00:21:22,196 --> 00:21:23,432 - Rope looks the same. 433 00:21:23,498 --> 00:21:25,838 Difference is the kettlebell's still with him. 434 00:21:25,938 --> 00:21:27,239 - Yeah. 435 00:21:27,339 --> 00:21:29,343 ♪ 436 00:21:31,347 --> 00:21:32,984 - Yeah. 437 00:21:33,084 --> 00:21:40,098 ♪ 438 00:21:44,641 --> 00:21:47,413 narrator: After searching several stores... 439 00:21:49,985 --> 00:21:51,555 - Hi. 440 00:21:52,925 --> 00:21:55,296 narrator: They find the same type of kettlebells 441 00:21:55,363 --> 00:21:57,934 and blue rope used in the murder. 442 00:22:01,007 --> 00:22:03,279 narrator: They also find a credit card transaction 443 00:22:03,379 --> 00:22:05,884 at 1:00 a.m. the night the couple went missing. 444 00:22:05,984 --> 00:22:07,988 - [sighs] 445 00:22:20,479 --> 00:22:22,449 - Hoh, hoh! 446 00:22:24,120 --> 00:22:25,356 - Yo. - Hey! 447 00:22:25,423 --> 00:22:27,193 You at the office? - I am. 448 00:22:27,260 --> 00:22:29,030 - We got video, we got the receipt, 449 00:22:29,130 --> 00:22:30,800 and the credit card-- 450 00:22:31,836 --> 00:22:32,771 - Yes. 451 00:22:32,871 --> 00:22:34,608 - No way. 452 00:22:37,113 --> 00:22:38,215 - We'll be there shortly. 453 00:22:38,282 --> 00:22:39,885 - All right, bye. - Bye. 454 00:22:39,952 --> 00:22:41,856 [bleep] damn, what a day! 455 00:22:42,791 --> 00:22:46,264 narrator: At Homicide, Vaught looks up Brittany Martin. 456 00:22:46,331 --> 00:22:48,002 [dramatic music] 457 00:22:48,068 --> 00:22:49,838 - There's Ms. Martin. 458 00:22:51,575 --> 00:22:54,013 All I'm seeing are DMV photos. 459 00:22:54,113 --> 00:22:55,683 She's never been arrested. 460 00:22:55,783 --> 00:22:58,455 I'm gonna call the St. John investigator. 461 00:22:58,556 --> 00:22:59,858 [line trilling] 462 00:22:59,925 --> 00:23:00,694 Hey. 463 00:23:00,794 --> 00:23:02,664 Uh... the name "Brittany Martin", 464 00:23:02,731 --> 00:23:04,668 that ring any bells with you? 465 00:23:04,768 --> 00:23:06,204 ♪ 466 00:23:06,304 --> 00:23:07,440 narrator: Brittany Martin 467 00:23:07,508 --> 00:23:09,644 is the girlfriend of Horatio Johnson, 468 00:23:09,711 --> 00:23:12,984 one of the first names to come up in the investigation. 469 00:23:18,128 --> 00:23:19,230 - Really? 470 00:23:19,330 --> 00:23:21,068 All right, thanks. Bye. 471 00:23:21,134 --> 00:23:22,938 ♪ 472 00:23:23,005 --> 00:23:26,779 Uh, Kenneth and Horatio are cousins 473 00:23:26,846 --> 00:23:29,952 and they had a dispute over money. 474 00:23:30,052 --> 00:23:33,492 ♪ 475 00:23:33,593 --> 00:23:35,731 Well, here's Horatio right here. 476 00:23:35,797 --> 00:23:38,034 narrator: 37-year-old Horatio Johnson 477 00:23:38,134 --> 00:23:41,642 was convicted of manslaughter in a drug-related shooting. 478 00:23:41,742 --> 00:23:45,550 He served 17 years of a 35-year sentence, 479 00:23:45,617 --> 00:23:49,490 and was released on parole less than three years ago. 480 00:23:49,591 --> 00:23:52,063 - Brittany worked as a corrections officer. 481 00:23:52,130 --> 00:23:53,231 She was fired 482 00:23:53,298 --> 00:23:56,839 because of an improper relationship with an inmate. 483 00:23:56,905 --> 00:24:00,245 That inmate happened to be one Horatio Johnson. 484 00:24:00,345 --> 00:24:03,753 ♪ 485 00:24:03,819 --> 00:24:05,957 narrator: Vaught turns to the surveillance video 486 00:24:06,024 --> 00:24:08,529 to try and see if Brittany was with anyone 487 00:24:08,629 --> 00:24:10,834 when she purchased the items. 488 00:24:10,900 --> 00:24:16,679 ♪ 489 00:24:16,779 --> 00:24:18,582 - Look, it's definitely her. 490 00:24:19,383 --> 00:24:22,757 That is Brittany and Horatio. 491 00:24:22,857 --> 00:24:26,498 ♪ 492 00:24:26,566 --> 00:24:28,603 narrator: At the cash register... 493 00:24:28,670 --> 00:24:30,674 - Look there, the kettlebell. 494 00:24:30,774 --> 00:24:32,043 - Yeah. Kettlebell. - Yep. 495 00:24:32,109 --> 00:24:34,982 ♪ 496 00:24:35,082 --> 00:24:36,985 - Wow. 497 00:24:39,090 --> 00:24:39,959 - Look at him. 498 00:24:40,059 --> 00:24:41,427 He's not even touching the kettlebell. 499 00:24:41,528 --> 00:24:43,031 - Holy [bleep], you are right. 500 00:24:43,131 --> 00:24:45,135 ♪ 501 00:24:45,235 --> 00:24:46,906 He is covering his hands... 502 00:24:46,973 --> 00:24:48,375 - To not get fingerprints on the kettlebell. 503 00:24:48,441 --> 00:24:50,212 - That's crazy, dude. 504 00:24:50,279 --> 00:24:51,782 - There's the rope. 505 00:24:51,882 --> 00:24:54,889 ♪ 506 00:24:54,955 --> 00:24:57,226 - And there they go. They're leaving the store. 507 00:24:57,292 --> 00:24:59,263 ♪ 508 00:24:59,330 --> 00:25:01,702 Look at that. She's smiling. 509 00:25:03,204 --> 00:25:04,406 - Was she duped? 510 00:25:04,473 --> 00:25:06,946 Was she doing it blindly out of love? 511 00:25:07,046 --> 00:25:09,751 How does one go from this side of the law 512 00:25:09,818 --> 00:25:13,292 and then fall so far to the other side? 513 00:25:13,358 --> 00:25:20,205 ♪ 514 00:25:26,852 --> 00:25:27,887 - You OK? 515 00:25:27,987 --> 00:25:29,323 You understand you are under arrest for two counts 516 00:25:29,423 --> 00:25:31,194 of second degree murder? - Mm-hmm. 517 00:25:32,130 --> 00:25:33,632 - All right, home address. 518 00:25:37,173 --> 00:25:38,676 - Help me remember. 519 00:25:39,578 --> 00:25:41,549 - You know what? I need a lawyer present. 520 00:25:41,615 --> 00:25:44,522 [suspenseful music] 521 00:25:44,588 --> 00:25:48,128 ♪ 522 00:25:52,069 --> 00:25:58,114 ♪ 523 00:26:08,703 --> 00:26:11,240 - They say how they got 'em? 524 00:26:11,341 --> 00:26:13,178 - [distorted voice] 525 00:26:17,219 --> 00:26:19,223 ♪ 526 00:26:22,496 --> 00:26:24,801 ♪ 527 00:26:31,715 --> 00:26:33,385 - On her head, he said? 528 00:26:33,485 --> 00:26:35,055 Mm. 529 00:26:57,935 --> 00:27:00,773 - Any indication why, why all this happened? 530 00:27:06,552 --> 00:27:10,192 ♪ 531 00:27:10,259 --> 00:27:13,666 - I think this couple had money in their home. 532 00:27:13,733 --> 00:27:16,371 The plan was to get said money 533 00:27:16,438 --> 00:27:18,509 and then do away with the couple. 534 00:27:18,576 --> 00:27:20,312 That's just-- just vicious. 535 00:27:20,412 --> 00:27:22,349 That's brutality. 536 00:27:23,485 --> 00:27:30,700 ♪ 537 00:27:46,866 --> 00:27:47,868 - There are times when an investigator 538 00:27:47,968 --> 00:27:49,069 is called to a case that is so horrific, 539 00:27:49,136 --> 00:27:50,774 it's hard to wrap your head around. 540 00:27:50,874 --> 00:27:52,476 In Harris County, Texas, 541 00:27:52,544 --> 00:27:54,046 detectives responded to a case 542 00:27:54,146 --> 00:27:56,118 where a woman had been burned alive 543 00:27:56,184 --> 00:27:58,255 and was clinging to life at the hospital. 544 00:27:58,321 --> 00:28:01,093 ♪ 545 00:28:04,668 --> 00:28:06,872 - How's it going, man? 546 00:28:13,820 --> 00:28:15,724 narrator: The victim gave her name 547 00:28:15,824 --> 00:28:17,894 before losing consciousness. 548 00:28:21,167 --> 00:28:24,074 ♪ 549 00:28:24,140 --> 00:28:26,578 narrator: 29-year-old Melissa Burch 550 00:28:26,678 --> 00:28:28,616 grew up in Liberty, Texas. 551 00:28:28,683 --> 00:28:30,987 The oldest of three sisters. 552 00:28:31,087 --> 00:28:34,059 She works for a local trucking company. 553 00:28:45,015 --> 00:28:46,786 - Pictures? - Yes. 554 00:28:46,852 --> 00:28:48,889 narrator: Photos taken by fire marshals 555 00:28:48,989 --> 00:28:53,364 reveal Melissa was burned over 80% of her body. 556 00:29:00,345 --> 00:29:01,414 - Who knows. 557 00:29:01,481 --> 00:29:02,651 narrator: The team speculates 558 00:29:02,718 --> 00:29:04,420 that Melissa jumped out a window 559 00:29:04,487 --> 00:29:06,759 to escape the burning trailer. 560 00:29:06,859 --> 00:29:07,928 - Did y'all notice she had some wounds 561 00:29:08,061 --> 00:29:09,698 up there on her head? - It's a lot of blood. 562 00:29:09,765 --> 00:29:10,901 - I don't think that's from the burns. 563 00:29:11,001 --> 00:29:13,071 - No, I think she's bleeding from her head. 564 00:29:13,138 --> 00:29:15,309 - But from looking at the pictures, 565 00:29:15,375 --> 00:29:16,410 she's not just burned. 566 00:29:16,477 --> 00:29:19,316 It looks like she may have been beaten beforehand. 567 00:29:22,089 --> 00:29:29,069 ♪ 568 00:29:30,271 --> 00:29:33,779 narrator: He says the victim collapsed on his porch. 569 00:29:34,380 --> 00:29:36,818 - [distorted voice] 570 00:29:48,174 --> 00:29:50,178 - Had you ever seen this girl before? 571 00:29:53,151 --> 00:29:55,188 - Tell me about that trailer next door. 572 00:29:55,288 --> 00:29:57,861 narrator: The neighbor says no one has lived in the trailer 573 00:29:57,928 --> 00:29:59,363 for months. 574 00:30:02,604 --> 00:30:03,873 - Yeah. 575 00:30:03,973 --> 00:30:06,511 narrator: He says the trailer is used by drug addicts 576 00:30:06,578 --> 00:30:08,549 and prostitutes. 577 00:30:08,649 --> 00:30:09,684 - All right. 578 00:30:09,784 --> 00:30:14,160 ♪ 579 00:30:14,260 --> 00:30:15,262 [phone ringing] 580 00:30:15,362 --> 00:30:16,497 - Hello? 581 00:30:16,598 --> 00:30:19,136 narrator: Brown gets an update on Melissa's condition. 582 00:30:19,738 --> 00:30:21,842 - All right, I appreciate it. 583 00:30:22,844 --> 00:30:24,080 That was the deputy down at the hospital. 584 00:30:24,146 --> 00:30:26,150 They're moving her over into the burn unit, 585 00:30:26,217 --> 00:30:28,556 and doctors say she doesn't look good right now. 586 00:30:28,623 --> 00:30:30,694 Chances of making it after being burned that bad 587 00:30:30,794 --> 00:30:32,229 are pretty slim. 588 00:30:32,295 --> 00:30:34,801 ♪ 589 00:30:34,868 --> 00:30:36,171 I've got some enemies, 590 00:30:36,237 --> 00:30:38,274 and I couldn't wish that on my worst one. 591 00:30:38,341 --> 00:30:42,617 You know, to be beaten, bound, and set on fire 592 00:30:42,684 --> 00:30:45,489 had to be pretty miserable. 593 00:30:45,557 --> 00:30:47,493 This was personal. 594 00:30:47,561 --> 00:30:50,767 [dark music] 595 00:30:50,833 --> 00:30:56,110 ♪ 596 00:30:57,313 --> 00:30:58,616 [knocking] 597 00:30:58,716 --> 00:31:05,530 ♪ 598 00:31:06,130 --> 00:31:08,234 narrator: Brown heads to Melissa's address 599 00:31:08,301 --> 00:31:11,073 hoping to find her roommate, Joker. 600 00:31:11,173 --> 00:31:14,914 ♪ 601 00:31:17,754 --> 00:31:19,223 - There's a car in the driveway. 602 00:31:19,323 --> 00:31:20,660 [knocking] 603 00:31:20,726 --> 00:31:22,295 ♪ 604 00:31:22,362 --> 00:31:24,299 [knocking] 605 00:31:25,035 --> 00:31:27,139 narrator: "Joker" is not home. 606 00:31:27,205 --> 00:31:30,378 ♪ 607 00:31:30,445 --> 00:31:33,251 - We'll come back tomorrow and see if Joker's home then. 608 00:31:33,351 --> 00:31:40,365 ♪ 609 00:31:41,067 --> 00:31:42,837 - OK, I appreciate it. 610 00:31:42,904 --> 00:31:44,006 All right. 611 00:31:44,106 --> 00:31:46,277 narrator: In addition to severe burns, 612 00:31:46,377 --> 00:31:49,818 Melissa has head wounds and broken bones 613 00:31:49,885 --> 00:31:52,022 from being brutally beaten. 614 00:31:52,089 --> 00:31:54,861 She's been placed in a medically induced coma 615 00:31:54,928 --> 00:31:57,399 to try to save her life. 616 00:31:57,499 --> 00:31:59,170 [knocking] 617 00:31:59,236 --> 00:32:00,472 ♪ 618 00:32:00,540 --> 00:32:01,709 - No one's home. 619 00:32:01,775 --> 00:32:07,319 ♪ 620 00:32:07,386 --> 00:32:10,258 narrator: The team puts out a BOLO for the gold car. 621 00:32:10,325 --> 00:32:12,128 - Right now, we don't know Joker's real name. 622 00:32:12,195 --> 00:32:13,766 So the best way to figure that out 623 00:32:13,833 --> 00:32:15,469 is probably track down that gold car. 624 00:32:15,570 --> 00:32:18,141 And hopefully he'll be the one driving it. 625 00:32:18,241 --> 00:32:21,648 ♪ 626 00:32:23,686 --> 00:32:25,022 [phone ringing] 627 00:32:25,088 --> 00:32:26,959 - Homicide. Brown. 628 00:32:27,059 --> 00:32:30,232 narrator: Patrol calls in with a lead. 629 00:32:30,332 --> 00:32:32,403 Someone gave them the name of a Latin male 630 00:32:32,469 --> 00:32:35,543 who was seen with Joker painting a gold car 631 00:32:35,610 --> 00:32:38,214 and removing its plates. 632 00:32:39,416 --> 00:32:40,820 - All right, cool. 633 00:32:41,621 --> 00:32:44,928 Kinda suspicious if Joker is Melissa's roommate 634 00:32:44,995 --> 00:32:46,899 if he's trying to repaint his car 635 00:32:46,966 --> 00:32:49,203 and changing the license plates on it. 636 00:32:50,405 --> 00:32:56,852 ♪ 637 00:32:56,952 --> 00:32:58,488 narrator: The next afternoon, 638 00:32:58,555 --> 00:33:02,597 Brown heads back to Melissa's house with a search warrant. 639 00:33:03,364 --> 00:33:04,299 - We're gonna go look inside the house. 640 00:33:04,366 --> 00:33:05,570 See if anything happened there. 641 00:33:05,637 --> 00:33:07,540 If there's any kind of evidence as far as blood 642 00:33:07,607 --> 00:33:09,510 or signs of a struggle. 643 00:33:14,721 --> 00:33:20,900 ♪ 644 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,573 - I think this is his room. 645 00:33:23,639 --> 00:33:27,513 ♪ 646 00:33:27,580 --> 00:33:29,450 - Garrick Hastings. 647 00:33:29,517 --> 00:33:31,454 narrator: Brown finds prison paperwork 648 00:33:31,522 --> 00:33:34,426 belonging to a man named Garrick Hastings. 649 00:33:34,493 --> 00:33:35,496 - We'll take it. 650 00:33:35,563 --> 00:33:37,968 narrator: The team may finally have a lead 651 00:33:38,034 --> 00:33:39,904 on Joker's identity. 652 00:33:40,004 --> 00:33:41,842 ♪ 653 00:33:41,909 --> 00:33:43,812 - I'm gonna call this girl TDC 654 00:33:43,879 --> 00:33:45,783 and see what they have on him. 655 00:33:46,918 --> 00:33:48,054 narrator: Brown calls 656 00:33:48,154 --> 00:33:49,525 the Texas Department of Corrections 657 00:33:49,591 --> 00:33:52,763 to find out if Garrick Hastings is "Joker." 658 00:33:53,632 --> 00:33:55,035 - Really? 659 00:33:55,101 --> 00:33:58,241 ♪ 660 00:33:58,307 --> 00:33:59,511 - He's got that clown tattoo. 661 00:33:59,611 --> 00:34:00,780 I think he's our guy. 662 00:34:00,880 --> 00:34:02,082 Send me everything you got on him. 663 00:34:02,149 --> 00:34:04,588 Fantastic. Thank you, ma'am. 664 00:34:04,688 --> 00:34:07,126 narrator: After searching for two days, 665 00:34:07,192 --> 00:34:10,567 the team gets their first look at "Joker." 666 00:34:10,633 --> 00:34:12,236 ♪ 667 00:34:12,303 --> 00:34:14,741 25-year-old Garrick Hastings 668 00:34:14,841 --> 00:34:18,014 recently served time for aggravated robbery. 669 00:34:18,081 --> 00:34:19,684 - Joker's definitely our prime suspect, 670 00:34:19,751 --> 00:34:21,688 but right now we don't have enough to pick him up. 671 00:34:21,755 --> 00:34:24,092 So, first order of business is talk to that guy 672 00:34:24,193 --> 00:34:25,663 he was spray-painting that car with 673 00:34:25,729 --> 00:34:27,332 and see what he has to say. 674 00:34:32,042 --> 00:34:33,913 [suspenseful music] 675 00:34:33,979 --> 00:34:37,219 ♪ 676 00:34:37,319 --> 00:34:39,156 narrator: 11 days later, 677 00:34:39,223 --> 00:34:41,026 patrol finally finds the man 678 00:34:41,093 --> 00:34:44,568 who was painting the car with Joker at a friend's house. 679 00:34:44,634 --> 00:34:46,404 ♪ 680 00:34:46,505 --> 00:34:49,410 At the house, officers noticed the man's friend 681 00:34:49,511 --> 00:34:51,748 has fresh burns on his legs. 682 00:34:53,350 --> 00:34:54,621 - We found that pretty suspicious 683 00:34:54,688 --> 00:34:57,259 considering what happened to Melissa the other day. 684 00:34:58,261 --> 00:35:00,065 narrator: They brought the friend to Homicide 685 00:35:00,131 --> 00:35:02,336 along with his girlfriend. 686 00:35:02,403 --> 00:35:04,975 Brown goes in to talk to the man 687 00:35:05,075 --> 00:35:07,880 who helped Joker paint the car. 688 00:35:07,980 --> 00:35:12,857 ♪ 689 00:35:14,193 --> 00:35:16,931 - Let's talk about what we're here today on, 690 00:35:16,998 --> 00:35:19,203 about what happened to Melissa. 691 00:35:19,270 --> 00:35:20,673 - [distorted voice] 692 00:35:20,739 --> 00:35:23,144 narrator: The witness says that while he and Joker 693 00:35:23,211 --> 00:35:24,515 were painting the car, 694 00:35:24,581 --> 00:35:27,419 Joker confessed to assaulting Melissa. 695 00:35:35,335 --> 00:35:38,909 narrator: He says Joker found Melissa outside a motel. 696 00:35:43,752 --> 00:35:46,357 narrator: He reveals his friend with the burned legs, 697 00:35:46,424 --> 00:35:49,263 Thomas "Crash" Martin, 698 00:35:49,330 --> 00:35:52,504 and Crash's girlfriend, Anita Pena, 699 00:35:52,570 --> 00:35:54,908 helped Joker beat Melissa. 700 00:35:54,974 --> 00:35:56,143 ♪ 701 00:35:56,210 --> 00:35:59,517 - So tell me how Melissa gets to the trailer. 702 00:36:05,562 --> 00:36:07,266 narrator: He says Joker told him 703 00:36:07,333 --> 00:36:09,270 they drove Melissa to the trailer 704 00:36:09,337 --> 00:36:11,574 where they continued to beat her. 705 00:36:26,872 --> 00:36:30,144 narrator: He says Joker ignited the trailer. 706 00:36:30,211 --> 00:36:32,416 Crash was too close to the flames 707 00:36:32,482 --> 00:36:35,455 and his legs caught fire. 708 00:36:35,523 --> 00:36:37,292 - So where was the victim while 709 00:36:37,358 --> 00:36:41,936 Crash and Joker were doing this in the trailer? 710 00:36:42,002 --> 00:36:43,271 - All right, hang tight. 711 00:36:43,371 --> 00:36:45,241 We'll check on you. 712 00:36:47,913 --> 00:36:49,049 - He's the only person 713 00:36:49,116 --> 00:36:50,719 that didn't actually participate in it, 714 00:36:50,819 --> 00:36:51,689 as far as we can tell, 715 00:36:51,822 --> 00:36:53,859 so that makes his statement very important. 716 00:36:54,594 --> 00:36:56,565 narrator: Brown and Sergeant Mark Reynolds 717 00:36:56,631 --> 00:36:59,036 will confront Thomas "Crash" Martin 718 00:36:59,103 --> 00:37:01,841 about the burns on his legs. 719 00:37:01,908 --> 00:37:06,050 He told officers he got the burns from a barbeque pit. 720 00:37:06,116 --> 00:37:08,154 - You're under arrest 721 00:37:08,254 --> 00:37:10,726 for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. 722 00:37:11,661 --> 00:37:13,799 I'm just gonna lay it all out here for you. 723 00:37:13,866 --> 00:37:16,672 We know that the burns that you sustained on your body 724 00:37:16,772 --> 00:37:19,844 did not come from a barbeque pit. 725 00:37:24,253 --> 00:37:26,490 - No, it's not. That's not the case. 726 00:37:29,964 --> 00:37:32,469 - You think? - Mm-hmm. 727 00:37:32,536 --> 00:37:37,513 ♪ 728 00:37:37,580 --> 00:37:40,819 - Obviously you know why we're here. 729 00:37:42,757 --> 00:37:44,393 - Well... You do. 730 00:37:44,460 --> 00:37:47,132 You know who's in the other room? 731 00:37:47,198 --> 00:37:49,002 - Crash is over there. 732 00:37:49,069 --> 00:37:51,474 You know who else is here? 733 00:37:51,541 --> 00:37:53,044 - Anita. 734 00:37:53,111 --> 00:37:57,086 - Now, what would all those people and you have in common 735 00:37:57,152 --> 00:37:59,624 to do with an assault? 736 00:38:01,194 --> 00:38:04,065 - I'll tell you that you're the last person we talk to today 737 00:38:04,166 --> 00:38:07,172 and I think we've got a general idea 738 00:38:07,238 --> 00:38:08,843 of what happened that night. 739 00:38:08,909 --> 00:38:11,079 Oh, you want me to break it down for you? 740 00:38:14,319 --> 00:38:15,789 ♪ 741 00:38:15,856 --> 00:38:17,192 - I know that... 742 00:38:17,292 --> 00:38:19,997 Melissa was taken to the trailer out there. 743 00:38:20,064 --> 00:38:23,605 I know somebody poured gasoline on her and set her on fire. 744 00:38:23,672 --> 00:38:25,308 - [coughs] 745 00:38:26,310 --> 00:38:28,214 - I know that you were there. 746 00:38:28,314 --> 00:38:30,853 I know that Thomas Martin was there, "Crash." 747 00:38:32,323 --> 00:38:33,959 That's what I know. 748 00:38:34,694 --> 00:38:36,330 - I mean, you want it to go to trial? 749 00:38:36,396 --> 00:38:38,033 While we're up on the stand 750 00:38:38,133 --> 00:38:41,808 and we wheel this gal that's all scarred and burned up 751 00:38:41,875 --> 00:38:43,679 and parts of her body are missing... 752 00:38:43,746 --> 00:38:45,414 - ... while she talks about the people 753 00:38:45,481 --> 00:38:47,786 whooped her ass and took her to that trailer 754 00:38:47,853 --> 00:38:49,356 and burned her. 755 00:38:52,029 --> 00:38:54,901 - I mean, I wanna know everything I can know 756 00:38:54,968 --> 00:38:56,070 about what happened. 757 00:38:56,170 --> 00:38:58,942 But if you ain't gonna say it, you ain't gonna say it. 758 00:39:09,831 --> 00:39:11,366 - Oh, yeah. 759 00:39:13,772 --> 00:39:15,141 - [sighs] 760 00:39:15,241 --> 00:39:19,818 ♪ 761 00:39:19,918 --> 00:39:21,788 - Chances are he knew that she was still alive 762 00:39:21,855 --> 00:39:25,061 and expected her to finish perishing inside the flames 763 00:39:25,128 --> 00:39:28,000 so definitely says something about his mental state 764 00:39:28,067 --> 00:39:29,937 and his regard for life. 765 00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:38,420 ♪ 766 00:39:48,274 --> 00:39:54,754 ♪ 767 00:39:54,821 --> 00:39:57,794 narrator: Two months later, 768 00:39:57,860 --> 00:40:01,668 Melissa miraculously came out of her coma. 769 00:40:01,735 --> 00:40:04,006 Over the next seven months, 770 00:40:04,072 --> 00:40:06,477 she endured 42 skin grafts 771 00:40:06,545 --> 00:40:08,615 and lost her right hand as a result 772 00:40:08,682 --> 00:40:10,786 of the brutal assault. 773 00:40:10,886 --> 00:40:15,028 ♪ 774 00:40:15,095 --> 00:40:17,534 Today... - Come here. 775 00:40:17,600 --> 00:40:20,371 Melissa gathers with family and friends 776 00:40:20,438 --> 00:40:22,342 to celebrate her 30th birthday. 777 00:40:22,442 --> 00:40:24,079 - Hi, Lana. - You surprised? 778 00:40:24,179 --> 00:40:25,281 - Yeah, you surprised me. 779 00:40:25,348 --> 00:40:28,755 - Six months ago, eight months ago... 780 00:40:29,790 --> 00:40:31,862 we didn't think we was gonna see this day. 781 00:40:31,928 --> 00:40:35,201 ♪ 782 00:40:35,268 --> 00:40:36,704 - I remember everything. 783 00:40:36,771 --> 00:40:40,245 To be set on fire alive is something...excruciating. 784 00:40:40,312 --> 00:40:42,683 There's no way to explain it. 785 00:40:42,783 --> 00:40:44,353 ♪ 786 00:40:44,453 --> 00:40:46,692 I'm not understanding what provoked him 787 00:40:46,758 --> 00:40:49,363 to go this extreme. 788 00:40:49,463 --> 00:40:51,568 I have to wake up every day like this 789 00:40:51,635 --> 00:40:53,672 and I'm loved, and I'm blessed. 790 00:40:53,738 --> 00:40:55,909 ♪ 791 00:40:56,010 --> 00:40:58,749 - Go slow, go slow. Don't let 'em go. 792 00:40:58,815 --> 00:41:00,720 - All right. - All right. 793 00:41:00,786 --> 00:41:02,188 [overlapping chatter] 794 00:41:02,255 --> 00:41:04,126 - Let it go! Let it go. 795 00:41:04,226 --> 00:41:06,931 - Ooh! - Happy Birthday! 796 00:41:06,998 --> 00:41:08,234 And many more! 797 00:41:08,301 --> 00:41:11,273 [all cheering] 798 00:41:11,340 --> 00:41:15,048 all: Happy Birthday! 799 00:41:15,115 --> 00:41:16,818 - I'm having a blast. 800 00:41:16,885 --> 00:41:18,021 Everyone's here. 801 00:41:18,087 --> 00:41:21,327 Everyone played a role in my recovery, 802 00:41:21,393 --> 00:41:22,530 and they're still here 803 00:41:22,630 --> 00:41:25,435 and still sticking by me. [chuckles] 804 00:41:25,501 --> 00:41:29,476 ♪ 805 00:41:29,544 --> 00:41:32,449 - Working homicides that are brutal, 806 00:41:32,516 --> 00:41:34,152 that are violent... 807 00:41:34,219 --> 00:41:36,456 they're tough to deal with on a daily basis. 808 00:41:36,524 --> 00:41:37,660 I've still think about 'em every day 809 00:41:37,726 --> 00:41:40,331 and I've been out for almost four years. 810 00:41:41,400 --> 00:41:45,341 The hardest thing for me, as a homicide detective, was... 811 00:41:45,408 --> 00:41:47,178 knowing that that was the last thing 812 00:41:47,278 --> 00:41:51,420 that those people got to experience on this planet. 813 00:41:51,521 --> 00:41:58,701 ♪