1
00:00:27,610 --> 00:00:30,140
You can almost describe it
as an ambush.
2
00:00:34,250 --> 00:00:36,580
I feel so bad
for my granddaughter.
3
00:00:36,590 --> 00:00:39,420
For 11 years, she had her daddy,
4
00:00:39,420 --> 00:00:44,660
and she knew
true, unfiltered love.
5
00:00:44,660 --> 00:00:47,360
Based on what I was seeing
in the video,
6
00:00:47,360 --> 00:00:49,730
we may have captured
our murderer.
7
00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:56,570
8
00:00:56,570 --> 00:00:59,610
9
00:01:46,990 --> 00:01:48,420
Within seconds,
10
00:01:48,430 --> 00:01:52,440
Albuquerque police officers
arrive on the scene.
11
00:01:52,430 --> 00:01:53,930
Arriving on the scene,
12
00:01:53,930 --> 00:01:55,600
you really don't know
what you're getting into.
13
00:01:55,600 --> 00:01:57,600
Kind of makes the hairs on
the back of your neck stand up.
14
00:01:57,600 --> 00:02:00,400
You know that you're going into
something really serious.
15
00:02:01,740 --> 00:02:05,210
And I activated my cameras
just to capture anything
16
00:02:05,210 --> 00:02:07,240
that we might run into.
17
00:02:18,620 --> 00:02:21,790
As soon as we entered the house,
I looked to my right,
18
00:02:21,790 --> 00:02:23,990
and I see a Christmas tree
and a bike,
19
00:02:23,990 --> 00:02:27,190
realizing that this is
somebody's kid
20
00:02:27,200 --> 00:02:29,560
that is probably not gonna get
this present.
21
00:02:33,170 --> 00:02:36,470
As soon as we turned
to our left,
22
00:02:36,470 --> 00:02:38,470
we could see
the feet of somebody
23
00:02:38,480 --> 00:02:40,350
that was laying on the floor.
24
00:02:53,690 --> 00:02:57,520
You could see that his neck was
cut from basically ear to ear.
25
00:02:57,530 --> 00:02:59,290
It kind of throws you
for a loop.
26
00:02:59,300 --> 00:03:01,260
There's a million things
going through your mind
27
00:03:01,260 --> 00:03:03,960
at that second,
and I felt at this point
28
00:03:03,970 --> 00:03:06,000
that definitely
we had a homicide...
29
00:03:09,870 --> 00:03:12,240
...and that we were about
to start a big process
30
00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:14,810
of trying to figure out
how this occurred.
31
00:03:27,190 --> 00:03:28,920
Outside, one of the women
32
00:03:28,930 --> 00:03:31,940
identifies herself
as the 911 caller
33
00:03:31,930 --> 00:03:35,630
and tells officer Riley
the victim's name is Don fluitt.
34
00:03:56,290 --> 00:03:58,090
Kind of hits home
a little bit more,
35
00:03:58,090 --> 00:03:59,820
with knowing
that he had a daughter,
36
00:03:59,820 --> 00:04:03,590
knowing that she's not gonna
basically have her dad anymore.
37
00:05:16,270 --> 00:05:18,930
The state that they're in,
I can truly understand
38
00:05:18,940 --> 00:05:20,310
why they would be
like this.
39
00:05:20,300 --> 00:05:24,540
This is something that
you're not supposed to see.
40
00:05:24,540 --> 00:05:26,610
So you just try to calm them
and reassure them
41
00:05:26,610 --> 00:05:29,310
that we're gonna
figure this out.
42
00:05:34,220 --> 00:05:37,650
Within minutes,
fire and rescue arrive
43
00:05:37,650 --> 00:05:42,620
and determine time of death
is within the past 24 hours.
44
00:05:42,630 --> 00:05:46,300
Crime-scene techs now search
the scene for clues.
45
00:05:56,570 --> 00:06:00,170
Albuquerque police detective
Matt caplan arrives
46
00:06:00,180 --> 00:06:03,280
and learns everything he can
about the victim.
47
00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,280
Don was
a very passionate person.
48
00:06:10,290 --> 00:06:12,020
His relationship
with his daughter,
49
00:06:12,020 --> 00:06:15,560
which was very close, a very
tight-knit relationship...
50
00:06:17,730 --> 00:06:20,790
They would feed the homeless
on sundays.
51
00:06:20,800 --> 00:06:22,460
It didn't appear
Don did anything
52
00:06:22,470 --> 00:06:26,480
to really stoke
the anger of anybody.
53
00:06:26,470 --> 00:06:28,870
After taking a look
around the scene,
54
00:06:28,870 --> 00:06:32,170
detective caplan rules out
robbery as a motive
55
00:06:32,180 --> 00:06:34,220
for Don fluitt's murder.
56
00:06:36,310 --> 00:06:39,280
Because there didn't appear
to be any obvious signs
57
00:06:39,280 --> 00:06:43,580
of forced entry,
our first thought is always,
58
00:06:43,590 --> 00:06:48,760
"is this person related to Don?
Does Don know the offender?"
59
00:06:48,760 --> 00:06:50,920
Everything seemed to be
in its place --
60
00:06:50,930 --> 00:06:54,860
Don's wallet, everything
was found in the house.
61
00:06:54,860 --> 00:06:58,030
All tvs were in place.
62
00:06:58,030 --> 00:07:00,370
His cellphone was found
in the house.
63
00:07:00,370 --> 00:07:02,000
So it was important
to collect that phone
64
00:07:02,010 --> 00:07:04,950
and really start getting
as much data as possible.
65
00:07:04,940 --> 00:07:07,770
We wanted to see who
he contacted most recently,
66
00:07:07,780 --> 00:07:09,140
throughout the night.
67
00:07:09,150 --> 00:07:11,290
We wanted to see if he was
having any problems or arguments
68
00:07:11,280 --> 00:07:13,110
with anybody,
whether it's over text message
69
00:07:13,120 --> 00:07:15,450
or through phone calls.
70
00:07:15,450 --> 00:07:18,020
Detectives also
collect blood evidence
71
00:07:18,020 --> 00:07:21,620
they believe is a surefire sign
of a struggle.
72
00:07:21,620 --> 00:07:24,620
And hopefully, that
altercation with the offender
73
00:07:24,630 --> 00:07:29,700
is enough that DNA traces
are left behind on the victim.
74
00:07:29,700 --> 00:07:32,770
One of the first things
that we asked for
75
00:07:32,770 --> 00:07:34,230
from the pathologist
76
00:07:34,240 --> 00:07:38,540
was to please, please, please
get those fingernail clippings
77
00:07:38,540 --> 00:07:41,580
so we can try to get
a lab analysis done on them
78
00:07:41,580 --> 00:07:43,410
as soon as possible.
79
00:07:43,410 --> 00:07:46,150
It could be days or even weeks
80
00:07:46,150 --> 00:07:51,490
before detective caplan
gets results back from the lab.
81
00:07:51,490 --> 00:07:55,190
In the meantime, he calls
Don's mother in California
82
00:07:55,190 --> 00:07:58,860
to tell her
her son has been murdered.
83
00:07:58,860 --> 00:08:01,560
In some respects,
it sort of makes you emotional.
84
00:08:01,560 --> 00:08:03,230
You do take it personally,
85
00:08:03,230 --> 00:08:06,930
and it's a very difficult
thing to do.
86
00:08:53,250 --> 00:08:56,750
I just lost it, and...
87
00:08:58,920 --> 00:09:01,020
I went running
down the hallway...
88
00:09:02,990 --> 00:09:05,030
...screaming and crying.
89
00:09:06,930 --> 00:09:11,130
I'd just lost my daughter
18 days before.
90
00:09:15,100 --> 00:09:18,270
I lost my youngest daughter
19 years ago.
91
00:09:22,610 --> 00:09:24,810
I don't know what I did wrong.
92
00:09:27,580 --> 00:09:31,280
I got to take a minute.
I'm sorry.
93
00:09:33,990 --> 00:09:36,060
My neighbor's
garage door is open...
94
00:09:36,060 --> 00:09:38,890
While the fluitt family grieves,
95
00:09:38,900 --> 00:09:41,740
detectives expand
their investigation
96
00:09:41,730 --> 00:09:43,760
into Don's neighborhood.
97
00:09:53,340 --> 00:09:56,480
Detectives talk with
Don's next-door neighbor,
98
00:09:56,480 --> 00:09:59,180
who has two security cameras.
99
00:09:59,180 --> 00:10:02,450
One that sort of looked
at the driveway of her residence
100
00:10:02,450 --> 00:10:06,320
and captured a portion
of Don fluitt's driveway.
101
00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:08,490
The other one's at her door.
102
00:10:08,490 --> 00:10:10,490
The video evidence
from the neighbor
103
00:10:10,490 --> 00:10:12,790
becomes extremely important.
104
00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:16,340
Because a portion
of the driveway is captured
105
00:10:16,330 --> 00:10:20,330
for Don fluitt,
we can see when Don's leaving,
106
00:10:20,340 --> 00:10:23,340
when he's coming, and
potentially anybody else
107
00:10:23,340 --> 00:10:25,940
that may be walking up
or parking in that driveway.
108
00:10:33,780 --> 00:10:36,780
Later that evening,
detective caplan speaks
109
00:10:36,790 --> 00:10:39,920
with Don's ex-wife
and his 10-year-old daughter
110
00:10:39,920 --> 00:10:42,560
about the hours
leading up to the murder.
111
00:10:42,560 --> 00:10:46,090
We knew that Don's ex-wife
and daughter
112
00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:48,100
had been told
what had happened.
113
00:10:48,100 --> 00:10:51,130
It was a lead that,
in our minds, couldn't wait.
114
00:11:07,350 --> 00:11:11,350
The typical custody exchange
between Don and his ex-wife
115
00:11:11,350 --> 00:11:13,690
usually occurs at 7:00 P.M.
116
00:11:13,690 --> 00:11:16,820
The exchange was
pushed back to 8:00 P.M.,
117
00:11:16,830 --> 00:11:19,830
so this sort of established
a time frame for US.
118
00:11:35,380 --> 00:11:37,040
The ex-wife had no explanation
119
00:11:37,050 --> 00:11:39,380
as to who may have
done this to Don.
120
00:11:39,380 --> 00:11:44,220
What I was able to get
from both daughter and ex-wife
121
00:11:44,220 --> 00:11:46,720
was an ongoing custody dispute
122
00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:49,690
that's been happening
for quite some time.
123
00:11:49,690 --> 00:11:53,290
There was
the new husband, Terry,
124
00:11:53,300 --> 00:11:56,730
that was involved
with the ex-wife.
125
00:11:56,730 --> 00:12:01,470
There had been some early
tension between Don and Terry.
126
00:12:01,470 --> 00:12:03,170
To me, that tells me
it's gonna be
127
00:12:03,170 --> 00:12:05,170
a very complicated
investigation.
128
00:12:21,160 --> 00:12:24,490
54-year-old Don fluitt
has been found murdered
129
00:12:24,490 --> 00:12:28,500
in his own home
just four days after Christmas.
130
00:12:28,500 --> 00:12:30,160
He did love Christmas.
131
00:12:30,170 --> 00:12:32,170
He would start in July
132
00:12:32,170 --> 00:12:34,930
getting his Christmas stuff
ready for Christmas,
133
00:12:34,940 --> 00:12:38,670
knowing his daughter absolutely
adored Christmas, too.
134
00:12:41,810 --> 00:12:44,310
I feel so bad
for my granddaughter now
135
00:12:44,310 --> 00:12:49,050
because for 11 years,
she had her daddy
136
00:12:49,050 --> 00:12:51,790
and the Christmas holidays,
137
00:12:51,790 --> 00:12:57,460
and she knew
true, unfiltered love.
138
00:13:01,100 --> 00:13:05,170
From the second she was born,
it was a love affair.
139
00:13:05,170 --> 00:13:09,000
And as she got a little older,
it was more of a love affair.
140
00:13:09,010 --> 00:13:14,850
It was, I think, what every girl
would want from her father.
141
00:13:14,840 --> 00:13:18,010
She was totally a daddy's girl,
142
00:13:18,010 --> 00:13:21,510
and he was totally
his daughter's daddy.
143
00:13:21,520 --> 00:13:23,850
They were a match made
in heaven.
144
00:13:31,960 --> 00:13:36,660
Now, almost 24 hours
after discovering Don's body,
145
00:13:36,670 --> 00:13:40,000
investigators turn
to his ex-wife's new husband,
146
00:13:40,000 --> 00:13:42,540
a man named Terry white.
147
00:13:42,540 --> 00:13:44,270
When I finish my interview
148
00:13:44,270 --> 00:13:46,440
with the ex-wife
and the daughter,
149
00:13:46,440 --> 00:13:48,940
it's clear to me that
I'm going to need to interview
150
00:13:48,950 --> 00:13:50,450
Terry, the new husband.
151
00:13:50,450 --> 00:13:52,350
One, there's an ongoing
custody dispute,
152
00:13:52,350 --> 00:13:54,680
and, two, there has been
some tension between
153
00:13:54,680 --> 00:13:56,880
Don and Terry in the past.
154
00:15:32,380 --> 00:15:35,420
The initial impression was,
he was calm,
155
00:15:35,420 --> 00:15:38,920
was very open with US
about what he had done
156
00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:40,390
and what he was doing,
157
00:15:40,390 --> 00:15:44,120
was very open
to letting US take DNA,
158
00:15:44,130 --> 00:15:47,590
giving US his work
or cellphone records.
159
00:15:47,600 --> 00:15:48,930
I didn't have any reason
160
00:15:48,930 --> 00:15:51,300
not to believe Terry,
the new husband.
161
00:16:03,910 --> 00:16:06,350
So, as we're awaiting
the surveillance video
162
00:16:06,350 --> 00:16:08,250
from the neighbor,
as we're awaiting data
163
00:16:08,250 --> 00:16:10,380
from Don's cellphone,
164
00:16:10,390 --> 00:16:14,450
we're still obtaining
information from people.
165
00:16:14,460 --> 00:16:17,720
Detectives also
speak with Terry's boss.
166
00:16:17,730 --> 00:16:20,560
We wanted to establish
Terry's alibi.
167
00:16:20,560 --> 00:16:26,070
We asked them to provide US
with surveillance footage
168
00:16:26,070 --> 00:16:29,070
of Terry white coming and going
169
00:16:29,070 --> 00:16:34,040
as he was clocking in
and getting ready for his shift.
170
00:16:34,040 --> 00:16:38,140
When we request that type of
information to confirm or refute
171
00:16:38,150 --> 00:16:42,220
someone's alibi, if that
person's alibi is confirmed,
172
00:16:42,220 --> 00:16:45,120
we can cross their name
off a list.
173
00:16:45,120 --> 00:16:49,720
If that alibi is refuted
by this physical evidence
174
00:16:49,730 --> 00:16:52,600
that we've recovered,
that's a different story.
175
00:16:55,630 --> 00:16:57,800
While police study
the surveillance video
176
00:16:57,800 --> 00:16:59,530
looking for clues,
177
00:16:59,540 --> 00:17:03,050
Don's friends and family
gather to say goodbye to Don
178
00:17:03,040 --> 00:17:05,000
and mourn his death.
179
00:17:05,010 --> 00:17:07,670
His mom requested
an open casket,
180
00:17:07,680 --> 00:17:10,240
so we got to see him
for the first time,
181
00:17:10,250 --> 00:17:14,850
and we could tell that
he had been brutally attacked.
182
00:17:14,850 --> 00:17:17,220
That was hard to see.
183
00:17:17,220 --> 00:17:21,150
You realized a little more
about what he had gone through.
184
00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:27,330
The last time I spoke to him
was at 7:30,
185
00:17:27,330 --> 00:17:31,030
before he took his daughter
to her mother's,
186
00:17:31,030 --> 00:17:36,040
and then the last time
I saw him was in the casket.
187
00:17:36,040 --> 00:17:39,510
And I wanted to jump
in the grave with him.
188
00:17:39,510 --> 00:17:42,210
I thought,
"I can't do this again."
189
00:17:42,210 --> 00:17:44,940
Mothers aren't supposed to Bury
their children.
190
00:17:48,350 --> 00:17:50,380
It doesn't go away.
191
00:17:52,520 --> 00:17:55,190
It doesn't go away.
It doesn't get easier.
192
00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:04,730
Detectives
next turn to Don's phone,
193
00:18:04,730 --> 00:18:07,400
found at the crime scene.
194
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,670
We do what's called
a forensic analysis of the phone
195
00:18:10,670 --> 00:18:12,740
because we want to see,
obviously,
196
00:18:12,740 --> 00:18:15,640
if Don's having
any arguments with anybody,
197
00:18:15,640 --> 00:18:19,250
if someone was visiting him
that night we didn't know about.
198
00:18:19,250 --> 00:18:22,420
So, during the course of
looking at this data,
199
00:18:22,420 --> 00:18:25,020
what we notice right away
is that Don appears to have
200
00:18:25,020 --> 00:18:27,950
a very friendly relationship
with an individual.
201
00:18:31,760 --> 00:18:35,500
We reach out to her to establish
what the relationship was.
202
00:19:29,220 --> 00:19:32,390
There seemed to be some
reluctance to speak with US,
203
00:19:32,390 --> 00:19:34,220
and it's hard
as an investigator,
204
00:19:34,220 --> 00:19:36,420
especially when you're talking
to someone for the first time
205
00:19:36,430 --> 00:19:39,140
to sort of Gauge
the reason for that.
206
00:19:54,610 --> 00:19:56,940
So, during the course
of our conversation
207
00:19:56,950 --> 00:19:58,310
with this individual,
208
00:19:58,310 --> 00:20:01,450
we had been given
information of, sort of,
209
00:20:01,450 --> 00:20:07,120
maybe a conflict between Benny,
the landlord, and Don fluitt
210
00:20:07,120 --> 00:20:10,990
during their relationship
as tenant and landlord.
211
00:20:21,200 --> 00:20:24,170
Police note
to follow up on the landlord,
212
00:20:24,170 --> 00:20:28,170
but who the woman points to next
is jarring --
213
00:20:28,180 --> 00:20:30,710
Don's own brother, Dennis.
214
00:20:40,990 --> 00:20:42,490
She had found that odd
215
00:20:42,490 --> 00:20:44,390
because Dennis just showed up
out of the blue,
216
00:20:44,390 --> 00:20:49,560
and now, Dennis was
very involved in Don's affairs
217
00:20:49,570 --> 00:20:54,210
since he's been deceased,
dealing with the townhome,
218
00:20:54,200 --> 00:20:57,370
the property
that Don left behind.
219
00:20:57,370 --> 00:21:01,110
Detectives now have to
consider that a family feud
220
00:21:01,110 --> 00:21:03,440
might be at the center
of this crime.
221
00:21:03,450 --> 00:21:04,950
I was furious.
222
00:21:04,950 --> 00:21:07,280
How dare they think
that my other son
223
00:21:07,280 --> 00:21:09,450
would hurt his brother?
224
00:21:09,450 --> 00:21:11,480
Not a chance in hell.
225
00:21:27,500 --> 00:21:30,540
Almost a month after
Don fluitt was discovered
226
00:21:30,540 --> 00:21:33,770
murdered in his
Albuquerque, new Mexico, home,
227
00:21:33,780 --> 00:21:38,480
detectives are zeroing in
on people closest to him.
228
00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:41,150
We're still obtaining
information from people,
229
00:21:41,150 --> 00:21:43,280
and Dennis,
Don fluitt's brother,
230
00:21:43,290 --> 00:21:45,290
sort of came onto our radar.
231
00:21:51,230 --> 00:21:53,730
As information came in
about Dennis
232
00:21:53,730 --> 00:21:56,760
and sort of that re-emergence
of a relationship
233
00:21:56,770 --> 00:22:00,280
that didn't appear to exist
until Don's homicide,
234
00:22:00,270 --> 00:22:03,870
it prompted US
to take a look at Dennis
235
00:22:03,870 --> 00:22:06,210
as a potential
person of interest
236
00:22:06,210 --> 00:22:09,210
in this investigation.
237
00:22:09,210 --> 00:22:11,880
Detective caplan
questions Dennis fluitt
238
00:22:11,880 --> 00:22:14,210
about his relationship
with his brother.
239
00:22:33,940 --> 00:22:36,470
Dennis --
when we started speaking to him,
240
00:22:36,470 --> 00:22:39,840
his frustration was very evident
from the get-go.
241
00:22:39,840 --> 00:22:42,840
He had believed
the investigation had stalled.
242
00:22:42,850 --> 00:22:47,560
He thought that US looking
at him was a waste of time.
243
00:23:11,510 --> 00:23:14,640
Dennis was called in,
thinking that he was a suspect
244
00:23:14,640 --> 00:23:16,880
because him and Don
hadn't spoken in a few years.
245
00:23:18,150 --> 00:23:21,480
I don't care if they hadn't
spoken in 20 years.
246
00:23:21,480 --> 00:23:23,320
If one of them needed
the other one,
247
00:23:23,320 --> 00:23:24,480
they were there.
248
00:23:24,490 --> 00:23:26,290
And I was furious.
249
00:23:26,290 --> 00:23:28,290
How dare they think
that my other son
250
00:23:28,290 --> 00:23:29,820
would hurt his brother?
251
00:23:29,830 --> 00:23:31,900
I know, you always have to go
to the family.
252
00:23:31,890 --> 00:23:34,730
Do you want to come out
and interview me, too?
253
00:23:34,730 --> 00:23:36,930
Am I a suspect?
254
00:23:36,930 --> 00:23:39,130
I could've put
a hit out on my son.
255
00:24:03,830 --> 00:24:05,490
What I typically try to do,
256
00:24:05,490 --> 00:24:08,660
without tipping my hat
or my cards,
257
00:24:08,660 --> 00:24:12,160
is really explain to them
that a thorough investigation
258
00:24:12,170 --> 00:24:16,170
requires a full elimination
of everybody involved,
259
00:24:16,170 --> 00:24:18,970
and that if you feel like
this is a waste of time,
260
00:24:18,970 --> 00:24:21,440
I understand that,
but more importantly
261
00:24:21,440 --> 00:24:25,180
is that we do everything
in our power to show not only,
262
00:24:25,180 --> 00:24:27,610
"this is who did it,"
but we can say,
263
00:24:27,620 --> 00:24:29,550
"this is for sure
who didn't do it."
264
00:24:32,020 --> 00:24:35,020
As detectives collect
Dennis' DNA,
265
00:24:35,020 --> 00:24:38,460
he suggests someone else
who had an issue with Don,
266
00:24:38,460 --> 00:24:41,990
and it's a name
they've heard before --
267
00:24:42,000 --> 00:24:44,530
his landlord, Benny ruiz.
268
00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,160
So, there were multiple things
269
00:25:09,160 --> 00:25:11,720
that prompted US
to want to question Benny
270
00:25:11,730 --> 00:25:13,590
and take his physical evidence.
271
00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:19,280
One was Don's female friend,
and Dennis' suspicions of Benny.
272
00:25:25,240 --> 00:25:27,740
Almost a month
after Don's murder,
273
00:25:27,740 --> 00:25:30,110
Benny arrives
at the police station.
274
00:25:49,200 --> 00:25:52,360
When Benny is done
providing DNA samples,
275
00:25:52,370 --> 00:25:56,070
detective caplan presses him
about Don's townhouse.
276
00:26:30,670 --> 00:26:34,040
In the course of
my discussion with Benny,
277
00:26:34,040 --> 00:26:37,340
he answered questions
that we asked of him.
278
00:26:37,350 --> 00:26:40,650
What did sort of stand out
for US
279
00:26:40,650 --> 00:26:44,180
was that Benny did state
that there was some money issues
280
00:26:44,190 --> 00:26:47,350
creating maybe some animosity
between landlord and tenant.
281
00:26:47,360 --> 00:26:51,390
All of these things sort of,
to US, gave US an idea
282
00:26:51,390 --> 00:26:55,390
that maybe there was some more
conflict between Benny and Don.
283
00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,660
But just when detectives
are seriously considering
284
00:26:58,670 --> 00:27:02,600
Benny's motive for murder,
he turns the tables.
285
00:27:08,910 --> 00:27:10,710
I believe it was even described
286
00:27:10,710 --> 00:27:14,280
that Dennis was wearing
some of Don's clothes,
287
00:27:14,280 --> 00:27:15,750
which was very unusual.
288
00:27:15,750 --> 00:27:19,250
It's a very strange thing
to hear about,
289
00:27:19,250 --> 00:27:22,320
so it sort of raised that level
of suspicion for Benny
290
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,420
and, frankly,
for US, as well.
291
00:27:24,430 --> 00:27:26,630
Like Benny,
this isn't the first time
292
00:27:26,630 --> 00:27:29,130
Dennis' name has come up
in the investigation.
293
00:27:38,110 --> 00:27:42,170
So, we have, at this
point in the investigation,
294
00:27:42,180 --> 00:27:47,380
two really strong people of
interest, Dennis and Benny,
295
00:27:47,380 --> 00:27:48,810
who are pointing the finger
at one another,
296
00:27:48,820 --> 00:27:51,950
describing very odd
or unusual behavior --
297
00:27:51,950 --> 00:27:54,450
living in a townhome,
wearing clothes,
298
00:27:54,460 --> 00:27:58,120
a relationship that's suddenly
appeared out of nowhere.
299
00:27:58,130 --> 00:27:59,760
So it's very unusual,
300
00:27:59,760 --> 00:28:03,730
and we can't eliminate them
from the investigation.
301
00:28:03,730 --> 00:28:06,670
So, once we've collected
physical evidence from Benny
302
00:28:06,670 --> 00:28:09,670
and we've collected
physical evidence from Dennis,
303
00:28:09,670 --> 00:28:11,870
our process is to start looking
at all the evidence
304
00:28:11,870 --> 00:28:13,740
that's been accumulated
and start seeing
305
00:28:13,740 --> 00:28:15,740
where we can go for leads
306
00:28:15,740 --> 00:28:18,780
while we await DNA
or any physical evidence
307
00:28:18,780 --> 00:28:21,450
that came from the scene
to be processed.
308
00:28:21,450 --> 00:28:25,620
And that search for evidence
leads to an important clue.
309
00:28:25,620 --> 00:28:27,790
So, we had asked
Don's neighbor
310
00:28:27,790 --> 00:28:30,760
to provide US with
the surveillance video,
311
00:28:30,760 --> 00:28:32,920
so that took
a little bit of time.
312
00:28:32,930 --> 00:28:36,800
Once we got that,
there was a huge swath of video
313
00:28:36,800 --> 00:28:38,130
that we had to start reviewing
314
00:28:38,130 --> 00:28:41,530
'cause we didn't know
when Don was murdered.
315
00:28:41,540 --> 00:28:43,970
And sort of two things
happened at once.
316
00:28:43,970 --> 00:28:45,600
We're reviewing the video,
317
00:28:45,610 --> 00:28:49,610
and the neighbor's also going
through the video, as well.
318
00:28:49,610 --> 00:28:51,780
And I recall very distinctly --
319
00:28:51,780 --> 00:28:54,110
I believe it was 5, 6 o'clock
in the evening.
320
00:28:54,120 --> 00:28:57,820
I'm home,
and this neighbor calls me,
321
00:28:57,820 --> 00:28:59,990
and she's very excited,
and she says,
322
00:28:59,990 --> 00:29:02,590
"there's something
you need to see on the video."
323
00:29:16,540 --> 00:29:19,610
Police investigating
Don fluitt's murder
324
00:29:19,610 --> 00:29:21,940
have their eye on two men --
325
00:29:21,940 --> 00:29:25,280
Don's landlord, Benny ruiz;
326
00:29:25,280 --> 00:29:29,480
and his own brother,
Dennis fluitt.
327
00:29:29,480 --> 00:29:31,450
And they're hoping
the surveillance video
328
00:29:31,450 --> 00:29:35,890
from Don's next-door neighbor
has caught the killer on camera.
329
00:29:35,890 --> 00:29:39,060
When you start looking
at the video of the time frame
330
00:29:39,060 --> 00:29:42,390
in conjunction with
the night of the homicide
331
00:29:42,400 --> 00:29:45,630
after Don fluitt
and his daughter returned
332
00:29:45,630 --> 00:29:47,030
from California...
333
00:29:47,040 --> 00:29:51,250
We knew Don left for the custody
exchange at about 8 o'clock.
334
00:29:51,240 --> 00:29:55,910
You see the garage come up --
comes up very smooth.
335
00:29:55,910 --> 00:29:59,980
You see brake lights come on
and Don's white pickup truck
336
00:29:59,980 --> 00:30:03,380
pull out of the driveway
and then leave.
337
00:30:03,390 --> 00:30:05,560
The garage comes down.
338
00:30:05,550 --> 00:30:08,990
It's quiet for a few minutes.
339
00:30:08,990 --> 00:30:11,260
And that's when
you see this figure.
340
00:30:13,900 --> 00:30:19,270
You can see this figure
in a hoodie.
341
00:30:19,270 --> 00:30:20,930
You see him
dump a trash can over
342
00:30:20,940 --> 00:30:22,330
that's being picked up
the next morning
343
00:30:22,340 --> 00:30:23,340
into the street
344
00:30:23,340 --> 00:30:25,840
and then walk back
into the shadows.
345
00:30:25,840 --> 00:30:28,970
A few minutes after that,
Don returns.
346
00:30:28,980 --> 00:30:31,510
You see his truck
pull into the driveway.
347
00:30:31,510 --> 00:30:35,010
The garage comes up.
He pulls in.
348
00:30:35,020 --> 00:30:37,850
After a few minutes,
Don -- you can see him
349
00:30:37,850 --> 00:30:41,950
stepping out of the garage,
350
00:30:41,960 --> 00:30:46,630
walking to the trash can,
picking it up,
351
00:30:46,630 --> 00:30:50,160
and then walking
back into the garage.
352
00:30:50,170 --> 00:30:51,710
Now the garage starts closing,
353
00:30:51,700 --> 00:30:54,770
and we know this 'cause
the shadow starts shortening.
354
00:30:54,770 --> 00:30:58,640
And it looks like it's before
it actually hits the ground,
355
00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:00,870
the garage comes back up...
356
00:31:04,710 --> 00:31:08,880
...and then you see
a series of flashes.
357
00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:11,380
Then the garage comes back down.
358
00:31:18,330 --> 00:31:20,830
Based on what I was seeing
in the video,
359
00:31:20,830 --> 00:31:24,830
we may have captured
our murderer at that point.
360
00:31:24,830 --> 00:31:29,230
So detectives caplan
and hsu decide to do a test.
361
00:31:29,240 --> 00:31:32,600
Detective hsu and I
return to Don's townhome,
362
00:31:32,610 --> 00:31:35,570
and we started manipulating
the garage door...
363
00:31:37,580 --> 00:31:40,750
...and see if we can have
that garage flash
364
00:31:40,750 --> 00:31:43,780
the same amount of times
that we saw in the video.
365
00:31:58,800 --> 00:32:00,870
And the only way
that we were able to get
366
00:32:00,870 --> 00:32:02,870
that same number of flashes
367
00:32:02,870 --> 00:32:06,410
was to trip the garage-door
sensor as it was coming down.
368
00:32:08,080 --> 00:32:10,580
We were very confident
369
00:32:10,580 --> 00:32:14,380
as to how the individual
got inside the townhome.
370
00:32:14,380 --> 00:32:17,550
We saw sort of the ruse
this person used
371
00:32:17,550 --> 00:32:21,220
to lay down the trash can
and sneaking into the garage
372
00:32:21,220 --> 00:32:24,060
after Don's return
back into the garage.
373
00:32:30,070 --> 00:32:32,410
But without a solid suspect,
374
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:34,270
the case stalls,
375
00:32:34,270 --> 00:32:38,140
and Don's family wonders if his
murderer will ever be caught.
376
00:32:38,140 --> 00:32:39,600
It was horrible.
377
00:32:39,610 --> 00:32:43,910
I would call detective caplan
if there was anything I heard
378
00:32:43,910 --> 00:32:46,780
or anything I learned
or questions that I had.
379
00:32:46,780 --> 00:32:49,010
He was so kind.
He was so patient.
380
00:32:49,020 --> 00:32:50,350
And he would tell me,
381
00:32:50,350 --> 00:32:53,390
"please, sharron,
just try to be patient."
382
00:32:55,390 --> 00:32:57,890
Police have been
painstakingly reviewing
383
00:32:57,890 --> 00:33:00,560
the alibis of everyone
they've interviewed,
384
00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,560
and one story
isn't checking out.
385
00:33:03,570 --> 00:33:08,380
It's the alibi of the other guy
in Don's life -- Terry white.
386
00:33:08,370 --> 00:33:10,040
The surveillance footage
that we got
387
00:33:10,040 --> 00:33:12,340
from Terry white's workplace,
388
00:33:12,340 --> 00:33:16,340
it contradicted
Terry white's alibi.
389
00:33:16,340 --> 00:33:22,080
He had told detective caplan
that he had arrived at work,
390
00:33:22,080 --> 00:33:24,780
and he had taken a long nap.
391
00:33:34,900 --> 00:33:37,560
The surveillance footage
obviously showed
392
00:33:37,570 --> 00:33:39,910
there wasn't
a 30- or 45-minute nap.
393
00:33:39,900 --> 00:33:43,700
It was him parking his truck,
394
00:33:43,710 --> 00:33:48,220
getting out, and going
straight to the office.
395
00:33:48,210 --> 00:33:52,040
So we knew that we had to talk
to him again about his alibi.
396
00:33:57,350 --> 00:33:59,350
Detectives bring Terry in
397
00:33:59,350 --> 00:34:01,120
for a follow-up interview.
398
00:34:05,860 --> 00:34:09,690
Initially, he had told US he had
gone to a fast food restaurant
399
00:34:09,700 --> 00:34:12,730
and then driven to the parking
lot, where he fell asleep.
400
00:34:12,730 --> 00:34:15,130
This time around,
it was much different.
401
00:34:15,140 --> 00:34:17,170
He had gone to
a fast food restaurant.
402
00:34:17,170 --> 00:34:20,170
He had also gone to a department
store to buy clothing.
403
00:34:28,820 --> 00:34:30,580
Then he had gone to the work,
404
00:34:30,590 --> 00:34:32,460
but instead of parking
in the parking lot,
405
00:34:32,450 --> 00:34:35,090
which he intimated
the first time he talked to US,
406
00:34:35,090 --> 00:34:39,420
he went to a very dark-lit,
unrelated business
407
00:34:39,430 --> 00:34:40,930
and fell asleep there.
408
00:34:40,930 --> 00:34:43,830
He just failed to mention it
the first time around.
409
00:34:43,830 --> 00:34:46,300
So his story had changed
fairly substantially
410
00:34:46,300 --> 00:34:48,970
from the first time
we interviewed him.
411
00:34:48,970 --> 00:34:52,100
The change in Terry's story
is not enough for an arrest,
412
00:34:52,110 --> 00:34:57,740
so after taking a DNA sample,
they must release him.
413
00:34:57,750 --> 00:35:01,890
It was during this time
that our DNA lab called,
414
00:35:01,880 --> 00:35:05,680
said, "hey, we've got
DNA results for you."
415
00:35:05,690 --> 00:35:08,020
Your excitement level
sort of goes up,
416
00:35:08,020 --> 00:35:10,990
because you could tell
in the analyst's voice
417
00:35:10,990 --> 00:35:13,230
that there's something there.
418
00:35:13,230 --> 00:35:16,260
And the analyst said,
"well, it's a match."
419
00:35:19,500 --> 00:35:22,870
Detective caplan gets
Don's mother on the phone.
420
00:35:57,710 --> 00:36:01,420
After three months
of grueling investigative work,
421
00:36:01,410 --> 00:36:05,280
detective caplan finally knows
who killed Don fluitt.
422
00:36:35,510 --> 00:36:38,740
It was Terry,
and I knew it.
423
00:36:38,750 --> 00:36:40,410
I was screaming and yelling
424
00:36:40,420 --> 00:36:41,760
and jumping up and down
in my house,
425
00:36:41,750 --> 00:36:44,720
and I called every number I had
to tell them,
426
00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:46,720
"he did it. Terry did it."
427
00:36:52,260 --> 00:36:55,390
Now detective caplan
can start piecing together
428
00:36:55,400 --> 00:36:58,060
what really happened that night.
429
00:36:58,070 --> 00:37:00,130
The surveillance video
was extremely important
430
00:37:00,130 --> 00:37:02,270
because that outlined
the time frame
431
00:37:02,270 --> 00:37:04,770
that Terry had snuck into
the garage.
432
00:37:04,770 --> 00:37:07,440
We saw sort of
the ruse he used,
433
00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:11,110
to lay down the trash can,
sneaking into the garage.
434
00:37:11,110 --> 00:37:15,150
You can almost describe it as
an ambush of Don at this point.
435
00:37:17,490 --> 00:37:20,860
When you start fitting that into
the alibi that Terry gave US,
436
00:37:20,860 --> 00:37:24,970
he had talked about
going to a fast food place.
437
00:37:24,960 --> 00:37:27,960
But more importantly, in that
second interview with him,
438
00:37:27,960 --> 00:37:31,330
he had talked about
going to a department store
439
00:37:31,330 --> 00:37:33,330
and buying clothing.
440
00:37:33,330 --> 00:37:36,330
All of this combined starts
filling in those holes
441
00:37:36,340 --> 00:37:38,340
that we didn't know before.
442
00:37:41,780 --> 00:37:45,140
Albuquerque police
move in to arrest Terry,
443
00:37:45,150 --> 00:37:48,150
but he's disappeared.
444
00:37:48,150 --> 00:37:51,120
So, the best thing that
we can do as an investigator
445
00:37:51,120 --> 00:37:53,590
is to flag the warrant.
446
00:37:53,590 --> 00:37:55,220
The arrest warrant
is a national warrant.
447
00:37:55,220 --> 00:37:57,960
It can pick him up
anywhere in the United States.
448
00:38:04,970 --> 00:38:08,300
One day later,
there's a hit on the warrant.
449
00:38:08,300 --> 00:38:12,800
Navajo county sheriff's deputies
find his truck and arrest him.
450
00:38:41,340 --> 00:38:43,670
Detective caplan is notified,
451
00:38:43,670 --> 00:38:47,910
and he and detective hsu head to
navajo county, Arizona.
452
00:38:47,910 --> 00:38:51,410
But Terry refuses
to speak to them.
453
00:38:51,410 --> 00:38:54,510
Although Terry isn't talking
to detectives,
454
00:38:54,520 --> 00:38:58,360
he is talking
with someone else.
455
00:38:58,350 --> 00:39:00,520
An inmate
at the county jail says
456
00:39:00,520 --> 00:39:02,750
he has rock-solid information
457
00:39:02,760 --> 00:39:06,160
about what happened the night
Don fluitt was murdered.
458
00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:11,440
We made contact
with Terry's cellmate,
459
00:39:11,430 --> 00:39:15,630
and he told US that
Terry admitted to the murder.
460
00:39:30,550 --> 00:39:34,390
Terry had told the cellmate
that he knew Don to be a smoker.
461
00:39:34,390 --> 00:39:37,690
He also intimated that Don
doesn't smoke in the house,
462
00:39:37,690 --> 00:39:40,430
because he knows that his
daughter doesn't like smoking.
463
00:39:40,430 --> 00:39:43,500
So he had come back
into the garage,
464
00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:46,000
I would assume,
to smoke a cigarette.
465
00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:48,030
That's when
the ambush happened.
466
00:40:24,210 --> 00:40:26,510
After a three-day trial,
467
00:40:26,510 --> 00:40:30,980
Terry white is found guilty of
murdering Don fluitt
468
00:40:30,980 --> 00:40:38,180
and on August 16, 2018, is
sentenced to life plus 12 years.
469
00:40:41,820 --> 00:40:45,090
Now Don's family
can only speculate
470
00:40:45,090 --> 00:40:47,590
as to why Terry murdered Don.
471
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:51,110
Don was taking
his ex-wife back to court.
472
00:40:51,100 --> 00:40:54,900
Terry stood up in court
when the judge asked him
473
00:40:54,900 --> 00:40:57,300
what he thought
or what he wanted,
474
00:40:57,310 --> 00:40:59,610
and he said,
"what I want is Don gone.
475
00:40:59,610 --> 00:41:02,370
What we want is Don gone.
476
00:41:02,380 --> 00:41:05,140
We want that little girl
to be our family."
477
00:41:07,110 --> 00:41:11,620
Such a waste.
All because of jealousy.
478
00:41:16,790 --> 00:41:19,960
At his sentencing,
Terry maintains his innocence
479
00:41:19,960 --> 00:41:23,830
and refuses to apologize
to the fluitt family.
480
00:41:23,830 --> 00:41:27,270
I have always said
I was innocent,
481
00:41:27,270 --> 00:41:30,340
and will continue
to say so.
482
00:41:30,340 --> 00:41:33,140
No, I will not be apologizing
to the fluitt family
483
00:41:33,140 --> 00:41:34,570
for a murder
I did not commit.
484
00:41:34,580 --> 00:41:36,950
I just sort of smiled,
and I thought,
485
00:41:36,940 --> 00:41:38,940
"I don't want your apology."
486
00:41:38,950 --> 00:41:41,180
I was truly happy he said that
487
00:41:41,180 --> 00:41:44,050
because there's nothing
that he can give me.
488
00:41:44,050 --> 00:41:46,580
He's already taken away
part of my life.
489
00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:52,190
How do I feel now?
490
00:41:59,230 --> 00:42:04,800
I miss him every day of my life,
491
00:42:04,810 --> 00:42:08,320
every hour, every minute.
492
00:42:08,310 --> 00:42:10,980
I miss my phone calls from him.
493
00:42:10,980 --> 00:42:14,650
I miss his funny, silly,
crazy little jokes.
494
00:42:16,850 --> 00:42:20,490
He's so funny.
He was so funny.
495
00:42:20,490 --> 00:42:24,490
The hardest word
is the word "was,"
496
00:42:24,490 --> 00:42:30,230
and I always catch myself
saying "is."
497
00:42:30,230 --> 00:42:32,560
But it isn't -- it's "was."
498
00:42:32,570 --> 00:42:35,100
It's a really difficult word.
499
00:42:37,070 --> 00:42:39,070
I miss him.