All language subtitles for Episode 01 Lost in the Desert

He said...

I want my brother back,

and he's never coming home.

To think that he died
out there by himself...

This ranks up there

with one of the most brutal
homicides I've ever seen.

He seemed unfazed by being
in a police department,

especially when he's there
to be spoken to about a murder.

At this point, we've got
a manhunt on our hands.

He matches

the type of person
we're looking for,

and he has blood on his pants.

10-4, responding 10-18.

Farmington, new Mexico, police

dispatch
officer Steven boitano

to the scene --

a local park
on the edge of town.

I activated my body camera.

I wasn't really prepared
for what I was responding to

and what I would see
in the coming moments.

As I'm walking
through the park,

I notice that there
are kids playing on swings...

...playing
on the monkey bars,

families gathering.

So, to the normal person,

it looks like
just another day at the park.

So, kids
are wanting to follow me,

so I ask them to stay put

because I don't want them
to get hurt.

I'm concerned
about their safety.

I approach the 911 caller.
She's frantic.

She points me
in the direction of a body.

I noticed there was...
Obviously lots of blood,

but puncture wounds
to the sternum,

as well as other parts
of the body,

and it was clear
that we had a possible murder.

This is my first time
seeing a dead body

that up close and personal,

and, really,
not to be vulgar here,

but that fresh.

Although I had
these different emotions

going on inside of me,

I understood
that there's a task --

there are numerous tasks
that I needed to perform

so I kind of started creating
this checklist.

Looking for answers
about what may have happened,

officer boitano turns
to the woman who called 911.

She tells him she saw
two boys leaving the area

moments
before she discovered the body.

Okay.

She was able to provide
a few descriptions

of some people
that were in the area,

but she didn't actually witness
the crime occur.

I'd only been on the force
for about six months

at this time.

And as much training
as you go through, you --

nothing can really prepare you
for the real thing.

There's kind of this sense
of shock, this panic on,

how do you
take care of this scene?

Officer boitano begins

by cordoning off the area
around the body.

It's a major crime scene,

and you really don't want
to mess anything up.

There's preserving the scene.
There's preserving the evidence.

They're setting up
crime scene tape.

I have this feeling of -- of --

for the lack of a better term,
feeling alone.

Detectives arrive
and begin processing the scene.

Detective Kenny Smith
takes the lead.

So, as I arrived on scene,
obviously, we're in a park.

There's heavy foot traffic
within there.

We're outside.
We're exposed to the elements.

It's a heavily populated area,

and the park
is in the residential area.

So you have everybody
coming out to you

that lives around the park,
wanting to know what happened.

The medical examiner
inspects the victim

to determine cause of death.

The wound we noticed first
was the wound to the back.

Then, when we proceeded
to move the victim,

we identified two stab wounds
to his lower left arm,

as well as a large stab wound
to the upper left arm,

and one -- when we moved
the shirt again --

one to the upper chest.

But at the scene,
there was no sharp objects

that could have created
those injuries to the victim.

On my time on the force,
I've seen multiple homicides.

This ranks up there

with one of the most brutal
that I've ever seen,

just based off
of the amount of blood

and, you know, the injuries
that our victim had.

You could tell
that it was an aggressive fight

between him and the aggressor.

The items that we photographed
and collected from the scene

were a baseball cap
and a cellphone,

which were in the vicinity
of the victim, in that area.

And there were also
footwear impressions,

as well as
bicycle-tire impressions,

and there is also a stick
with a "y" on one end

and a fairly large rock.

Steven and his siblings

pretty much grew up
in an very isolated area.

They lived -- we call it
the heart of the navajo nation.

We grew up

on the navajo reservation
in tsaile.

We lived there until
I was about 12 years old.

Steven lived with me
off and on,

and he would always come in --
whenever he came in the door,

and he'd hug me...

And he would...

And always say,
"I love you, grandma."

He took it very hard
when his mother died.

You would tell me about his mom
and how much he loved her

and how much he missed her.

We had our pictures taken
one year --

I think it was Christmas --

and everybody came to my place,

and everybody wanted
their picture taken and --

but he waited,
and he was the very last one,

and he said, "it's my turn."

He says, "this is my grandma."

He says, "I'm her baby
I'm her grandson."

So he was -- he was my --
he was my grandson.

I just loved him.

For a man that was single

and didn't have kids,

the way he took care of me
and all of my brother's kids

was admirable.

He was -- he was a big part
of their lives.

He was always
playing with them.

Okay.

It was just funny.

All his brother's kids
just loved Steven.

Steven was really funny.

I never would be laughing --
he'd be laughing.

When they told me...

I guess
they had found out from the --

from the police officers
how he had been killed.

You know, to think that

he died out there by himself...

...and none of US
were there with him --

I think that
that really bothers the kids

that they weren't there
with him.

Back at the park,

investigators
continue examining the scene.

So...

That's where
the blood trail goes.

There we go.

So that blood trail kind of
opens up this pandora's box

of other questions
that we have.

Is it a suspect's blood?
Is it another victim's blood?

We don't know.

Okay.

Okay.

When we discovered
the blood trail,

our suspect had at least
a few hours of head start on US.

We've got an individual
who's been out there --

he's stabbed somebody.
He's got a knife with him.

And we got information that
our suspect could have gone

that direction that
the blood trail was leading

and could be anywhere.

So now, at this point, we've got
a manhunt on our hands.

Police
in Farmington, new Mexico,

have found the body
of 28-year-old Steven begay.

Now investigators
have discovered a blood trail

leading away
from the victim.

Following the trail,

they discover a man
by the side of the road.

Yeah. Yeah.

Officers search the man
for identification

and discover
his name is Jules.

We have a male subject who is
in proximity to the scene.

He was heavily intoxicated.

We didn't know why he was there
or what his involvement was.

All units at perimeter,

break down and advance
toward the park.

Yeah.

He matches the type of person
we're looking for

as in clothing description.

He's emotionally reactive,
and he has blood on his pants.

The first thing
that I thought was,

"this this very well
could be our suspect."

So, while speaking with Jules,
we've got the name of Trevor --

however,
we don't have a last name.

It's hard to say, is this guy
just giving US a different name,

making US run down
a different rabbit hole

on something
that doesn't actually exist?

Police detain Jules

and transport him to the station
for questioning.

He is extremely agitated.

We can't...
Until you calm down.

He is just
rubbing his pants on the ground.

And I noticed the blood there.

And I'm afraid he's trying
to rub the blood off.

And at this point, I'm like,

"why is he trying
to clean off his pants?"

Alright, bro.

Alright. Alright.

Alright, alright,
alright.

Alright, alright.

Alright!

Going to jail!

So, at that point
we make the decision

that we cannot interview him

because he is not
in any state to talk to US.

Because he had been fighting
with officers,

we have a resisting charge,
a battery on a police officer,

so and book him
on the current charges we have.

Detectives collect
blood evidence from Jules' pants

and send it off
for DNA testing.

It's not going to be anything

that's going to be helpful to US
right at that second.

We don't have a magical machine
that we can stick it into

and pull up a name
right at that point in time.

So while we're waiting
for this DNA evidence

to return from the labs,

it's imperative that
we follow up on other leads.

While investigators
continue their work,

the begay family gathers
to Bury their beloved Steven.

I selected not
to put him in a coffin.

So we wrapped him
in navajo blankets,

and we buried him
in the traditional way.

We bath them ourselves.
We get them ready.

We dress them.

And that's --

that's what I did
for my mother,

and that's what I did
for Steven.

I knew it was him.

But I couldn't recognize him.

My kids
still ask for him every day.

So, later on that night,

we received a phone call
from a female

who stated that her stepson

was possibly involved
in a stabbing.

Farmington police

dispatch s.W.A.T. Officers
to the scene,

worried the suspect
may be armed

and afraid of a potential
hostage situation there.

Officers draw their weapons
and surround the house.

Down!

Police working
the Steven begay murder

in Farmington, new Mexico,

are surrounding a suspect

they believe may have been
involved in the stabbing.

But, to their surprise,
he surrenders without incident.

We've located trustin.

Officers have him in custody.

The next step at that point is
to bring him back to the station

and see if he's willing
to talk with US.

Hey.

Okay.

Prior to me speaking
with trustin,

he seem unfazed
by being in a police department,

especially when he's there
to be spoken to about a murder.

The way he acted,
I was like,

"man,
maybe this guy isn't involved."

Every interview that you do,
the first thing you want to do

is just try to build rapport
with that person.

I'm sorry.

The suspect's last name, begay,

is the same
as the victim's --

however, detectives determine

there is no relation
between them.

The last name of begay
is very common.

It's almost like Smith,

especially within
the city limits of Farmington.

While I was reading trustin
his juvenile Miranda rights...

...he advised at that point

that he would like
to have his father present

during any questioning.

So, after trustin's father
gets in the room,

I stayed outside,

observed them on
the closed circuit television.

At that point,
the name Trevor came back up.

Trustin said that Trevor
was gonna be our suspect.

This was
a huge red flag for US

just because of the sheer fact

that Trevor's name had come up
in the past.

It's come up twice now.

It's definitely
not a coincidence,

especially
with trustin saying

that he was the one
who committed the murder.

Detectives wonder
if this is the same Trevor

their other suspect, Jules,
claimed was responsible

for the blood on his clothing
at the park.

So all these things
are kind of adding up.

Now that we had Trevor's name,

the main thing
that we wanted to do

was find Trevor.

Trevor was a person of interest
at that point.

Based on the
description trustin provides,

detectives identify
a man named Trevor in town...

And bring him in
for questioning.

Those officers were
actually able to find Trevor

relatively quickly.

They actually transported Trevor
and his father

to the police department,

where I met them
and ended up interviewing him.

Every time I do an interview,
I go into the room

and just have a conversation
with the person, initially,

try to get to know them
a little bit,

give them
some information about me

in hopes that we can build
some type of rapport.

Detective Solomon

continues to press Trevor
for answers,

but Trevor remains unfazed.

Trevor wasn't responding

to my questioning at all.

People that can talk
about a subject like that,

knowing information about it,

are more cold-blooded,
and they're harder to interview.

Okay.

Um.

As the interview went on,

I found it
to be very frustrating

with his constant denials.

He denied knowing trustin.

It didn't appear
as if he was taking me seriously

or this investigation seriously
at all.

He appeared to be playing dumb,

saying that he doesn't know
anything about the incident.

At this point.
It's a little unnerving

because maybe he's more involved
than what we think he is.

Unable to get Trevor to crack,

detectives decide to take
a more unconventional approach.

They lead Trevor
out of the interview room

and purposely walk him
down the hallway past trustin.

Our main concern
was to let them know

that we're talking
with both people

to try to maybe use them
against each other.

The hope behind that was that
they would know the jig is up,

that we had both of them,

and that
we were gonna interview them

and that
we would find the truth.

Detectives
next return to trustin,

waiting
inside the interview room.

No.

After I brought trustin
back into the room,

we realized that
we had the wrong Trevor.

Detectives hunting
for Steven begay's killer

in Farmington, new Mexico,

have two men in custody

and, after a case
of mistaken identity,

are searching for a third man
named Trevor,

leaving Steven's family
wondering

if the case
will ever be solved.

We talked to the cops.
We sat there for a long time.

Myself and my siblings...
Sat there,

and we cried and...

Were looking around,

trying to figure out
what was going on.

Before detectives
can locate Trevor,

they receive a visit

from a school friend
of trustin begay's.

She tells detectives that
trustin showed her a video

placing him
at the scene of the murder.

And then...

Okay.

So, at this point,

we get the information
that there's possibly a video.

And, holy smokes, that was --

that was a huge breakthrough
at that point.

The likelihood that there
would be a video

is, you know,
few and far between.

Very seldom do we get videos,
especially involving homicides.

It was very important for US
to find that video.

Essentially, at this point,
that's gonna be our smoking gun.

Narrator
before ending the interview,

trustin school friend

gives detectives
another big break --

a lead on where they can find
the person named Trevor

they've been looking for.

Hello.

Back at the station,
detectives question Trevor.

Trevor gives US information that
he's at the park with trustin.

Trustin's been drinking.

Trustin
seems to be agitated easily,

and he's even involved
in an altercation

with another individual, Jules,

just prior
to the incident happening.

Jules runs into Steven begay.

Words are kind of exchanged.

And Steven, at that point --

you know, they --
they start exchanging words

between trustin and Steven
across the park.

Okay.

Okay.

So, with Trevor telling US

that trustin is the one
who stabbed Steven,

it was extremely imperative
for US to find this video...

To determine who had
actually committed the crime.

At this point we have both
trustin and Trevor's phones,

and a search
is done on both phones

to determine
where the video is.

While all this is unfolding,

we try to speak with trustin
a little bit longer.

Trustin's dad
has a medical emergency

and has to leave the room.

He allows the interview
to continue without him,

so detectives
use the opportunity

to take
a more aggressive approach.

While interviewing trustin,

another detective
came in the room.

Trustin wasn't giving US
a whole lot of information

at this point,

but we knew,
in the back of our heads,

that we had the video,

and it was going to show
what happened.

After conducting the search
warrants on both phones,

we discovered that the video
was on trustin begay's phone,

and on that video
was something just horrific

to sit down and watch.

Detectives investigating

the murder of Steven begay

have recovered a video
they believe shows the killing

after locating it on the phone
of suspect trustin begay,

we also discovered

that the person doing
the filming was Trevor.

In the interview,

Trevor told detectives that,
prior to the stabbing,

trustin was in a fight
with Jules.

Trevor tells me,

after the altercation
with the other individual,

that that other individual,
Jules, runs into Steven begay.

The cellphone video
appears to start at this point,

with Steven trying
to intimidate trustin,

who had just hurt Jules.

Steven engages trustin
by standing up for Jules,

but the video shows

trustin raises the stakes
to dangerous levels.

So, at approximately
the 120 Mark

in the cellphone footage,
off to the side of the frame,

there's an attack between
the victim and the suspect.

He now has a red bloodstain
on the left side of his shirt.

See the victim
stumble and fall.

The suspect then,
like, almost excitedly

rushes towards where the victim
is located on the ground.

Trustin chases him down

after he knows
that he's injured him.

He chases him down
and continues to stab him.

We knew that
we had the video.

But detectives want more

to strengthen
their case against him.

The fact that he
and this other detective,

you know,
had it out for each other there,

you know,
they're kind of an argument,

and now this other detective
is out of the room.

At that point,

after several hours
in the interrogation room,

trustin finally cracks.

I felt a huge sigh of relief.

We'd been in there
for numerous hours,

and it was just grueling.

I would say, after doing
this whole interview

and him being so determined
that he was not, you know,

the person who had committed
the murder,

I would say that, you know,

he had no remorse
for what he had done,

almost to the point
where he didn't care

what had happened
to this individual.

Trustin begay is arrested

and charged with the murder
of Steven begay.

After a one-week trial,

he is found guilty
of involuntary manslaughter.

Due to his age at the time
of the incident,

he is tried under
new Mexico's children's code

and receives two years
in prison.

To me, the irony that

trustin was attempting
to act like a man, act older,

try to be something
I don't think he really was,

and then go to court,
and he's tried as a juvenile

doesn't quite fit

and wasn't appropriate
for his actions at the scene.

In exchange for
his testimony against trustin,

police decide not to
bring charges against Trevor.

This case
was very memorable to me.

You know, I dealt with
the family day in and day out,

you know, late nights,
over the weekends,

and...i almost feel like
they're part of my family now.

There were times
when we went to hearings

where he would turn around,
and he would smirk at US.

It just...

It's just like having been
slapped across the face.

I think we all feel
like two years is not enough.

There's no justice.

I want my brother back,
and he's never coming home.

My nieces and my nephews...
Want him to come home,

and he's never coming home.

I just thought, you know,
"who does that?

Who -- who --
who does that to somebody?"

I...

I can't come to terms
with that.

It's...

I know that he was really sad
after his mom died.

And now, you know,
what gives me comfort

is I know that
they're together somewhere.

He's back with his mother.

That gives me a lot of comfort.