All language subtitles for Episode 05 Is That Blood

You hear about stuff
all the time,

and you never think it would
happen to your family.

This was actually my first
serious case.

It was surreal,

just the fact that I actually
went to school with Dani.

This definitely raised flags
for US.

It was the most
violent body death

that I've seen
in my career.

The tazewell county sheriff's
office dispatched two officers

to the pruett home to learn
more about the missing woman,

29-year-old Danielle pruett.

On those types of cases,
most of the time the person

just...i hate to say it,
that they're not missing,

that they're just not answering
their phone

or their phone is dead
or they just lost their phone.

When I went to the house,
we just wanted to get a baseline

of who she actually spoke to
throughout the day,

just trying to figure out
what actually happened.

Officers arrive
and are greeted by

Danielle's mother
and her twin sister, Nikki.

What's up, man?

...and I said, "Dani..."

Nikki explains that
Danielle's roommate, Chris,

is also her ex-boyfriend.

Nikki stated that Dani
had a phone call,

and she told the person
on the phone to meet her

on the next street over.

After that, she left,

and then that was
the last time

that they ever heard from her.

We were very close.
She was my best friend.

We were always together.

We -- we basically lived
at the skating rink

or the bowling alley every
weekend with our friends.

You know, if you seen her,
you seen me.

We were -- we were
together all the time.

Dani was a single mom.

So if she was going somewhere,

you know, she would
definitely let, um,

me or my mother know
where she was going,

how long she was gonna be, and
have one of US watch the kids.

She wouldn't just, you know,

she wouldn't leave 'em
like that.

So we knew something
was wrong.

I called the police
right there, like,

please do something
to find her.

After leaving
the pruett home,

officers head
to Danielle's house

to speak with her roommates,
Chris and Savannah.

They arrived to find
only Chris.

He was very irate.

He wasn't happy I was there.

He was short-tempered,

one-word answers.

I asked him if I could
step in the house
to speak to him further.

He said no,
I couldn't come in the house.

He was very, um,

not forthcoming
with the stuff I wanted,

you know, just to ask him.

I wasn't trying to pin
anything on him.

I was trying to find her.

I didn't know if she could be
in the house or, you know,

or he could just be
holdin' her there.

At that point, I figured that
we needed to

go back at the house at some
point to see what's going on,

if there's any evidence
or if there was actually

miss pruett or Savannah
or anybody else in the house.

The next day,

there's still no sign
of Danielle.

So officers return to her home,

this time with
a search warrant.

All right.

When we got the warrant
on the house and we responded,

the SWAT team, which I was
part of at that point --

went inside the house
and cleared it

just hoping to find
Dani or Savannah

or any other evidence
that might lead to

finding miss pruett
at that time.

SWAT officers clear
each room in the home

but find no one inside.

After completing
the search,

Savannah or miss pruett --

they were not inside
the house.

Just as worrisome, however,

is that Chris seems to have
also disappeared.

We didn't actually know
where to go to at that point.

There was no, um, leads.

There was no evidence there
that we seen right off

at that time that could lead
to her.

And we just knew we had
to find her for,

you know, her family
and for her kids at that point.

Early morning of the 18th,

I actually went back
to her family's house.

I was tellin' them
everything that was

going on in the case
about -- that we're still

trying to find her,
still trying to search for her.

During that time,

Chris called and said
he found the vehicle.

Detectives are shocked
to learn that this is

the same Chris that had
seemingly vanished earlier.

They immediately dispatch
to the scene,

an auto body shop
on the edge of town.

When I first arrived
to her car,

the family also arrived

on scene, as well,
which made it chaos there,

just trying to get everybody
back from the car to just --

to see what was actually
going on on the scene

at that point.

Detectives
investigating the disappearance

of 29-year-old Danielle pruett

have just located her car

with evidence of blood
on the outside trunk.

The family of
miss pruett showed up.

It was chaos there --

they're screaming and hollering
and crying.

Investigators
search the vehicle,

but they find no trace

of Danielle or her missing
roommate, Savannah.

Honestly, I was kind of hopeful

that we would find her in
there in time, but she wasn't,

and her car had been wrecked,

and there was blood
on the back bumper.

So that was even
more clarification

something was wrong.

Even though we didn't
find her yet,

I felt like it was too late.

This was actually
my first serious case.

And it was...

It was different for me, it
was surreal, just the fact that,

you know, I actually
went to school with

both of them, and...

That she could be
gone at that point.

Officers continue
to process

Danielle's car for
further evidence

when Danielle's
roommate, Savannah,

suddenly arrives at the scene.

Savannah found out about
the car discovery,

and she came over directly
because she was,

um, Dani's roommate.

We also wanted
to check with Savannah

to establish what kind
of information that

she had in regards to where

Dani might have gone to

or who she was maybe
going to meet.

When the police pulled me
to the side to talk to me,

I was very emotional.

I really couldn't get
the words out.

I just constantly cried --
we were best friends.

They gave me time, and
eventually they pulled me back

to the side and was like, okay,

we need to know what you know,

and I told 'em, and...

It was just very hard.

Um...

Savannah's account
matches what Danielle's sister,
Nikki,

had told police.

But then Savannah reveals
a startling new detail.

Danielle sold drugs
to make extra money.

Savannah was able to relate to
US that -- that Danielle was

selling drugs so that she could

provide a better life
for her kids.

Danielle was a single mother.

She was struggling, was really
just trying to get by.

Yeah, um...

Savannah also mentions
that earlier that morning,

she had been looking
for Danielle.

It was actually Chris
who found the car.

It flew up a red flag to me,

because of
the earlier dealings

I had with him
at her house.

Then also,
earlier in the night,

I drove by that same place.

I never did see the car.

And it made me wonder,

could he be involved
in this case?

Detectives bring Chris,
Danielle's ex-boyfriend,

to the station
for questioning.

Investigators
then press Chris

about discovering
Danielle's car.

In my mind, I'm not saying
he's the one done it, but,

you know, I'm being very
cautious that, you know,

there's a link here,
and then the car

automatically turns up
not far away from home.

So there's a lot of questions,

a lot of unanswered questions

that we're trying
to figure out.

You know, I pressed some details

that was inconsistent of
the investigation,

he started getting
really agitated

and started yelling back
towards me.

And I explained to him,

we have to know what happened,
because you may be the last

point of contact of her
of US finding her.

I was skeptical about
believing some of his story,

but some parts of his story
I knew was true because of

the other interviews
that we had done.

At the end of
Chris's interview,

we felt like we couldn't link
him any further

to Danielle's disappearance.

He cooperated fully,
so we decided to let him go.

We would follow up
what he provided US

in the investigation.

Back at the scene,
detectives canvass

the area where Danielle's car
was found.

As we turn the corner,
we saw what appeared

to be a brown blanket
covering something.

Police
in tazewell, Virginia,

believe they have just

discovered the body of
Danielle pruett.

Pshew.

When I peeled back
the blanket

and saw that we had
a human body here,

we started seeing tattoos,
and the one tattoo

of the flower
on her upper body,

her family said that that was
the newest tattoo that she had.

And once we saw that,
we knew that the victim
was Danielle.

Investigators
examine the remains

and identify injuries
to her face and skull.

It was obvious that she had
died in a violent way.

Her hair was saturated
with blood and leaves

and sticks from where she was
drug to the scene.

Her jaw was askew
from being broken,

and both of her eyes
were blackened.

There were numerous
lacerations, cuts,

scrapes, drag marks.

We weren't able to recover
any murder weapon,

but I could tell that she died
from some type of

blunt force trauma by the damage
to her head,

and it was one of
the most violent

body deaths that I've seen
in my career.

Several years ago
in my career, I was
the d.A.R.E. Officer,

and I had Danielle
and her twin sister
in my d.A.R.E. Class,

and I had known them since
they were in fifth grade.

And standing there
looking at her face...

I could see that
fifth grader again,

and that just really lit
the fire under me

to find out
who did this.

When the officer came in there
and said he found her,

I was hopeful,

but he said

not long after that
that she didn't make it,

and it really felt like...

He was wrong.

He was...

It wasn't true.

He made a mistake.

I just didn't feel like that

could really happen
to my sister.

You hear about stuff
all the time,

and you never think it would
happen to your family.

So I really felt like it was
a nightmare, that I was

gonna wake up and it was --
she was gonna be there.

I felt like a part of me
went with her.

As detectives
search for a suspect,

a woman arrives at the station

who claims to have information
about the investigation.

We had a female come
into the office that had --

felt like she had
some information about

a gentleman that had been at her
apartment the night before.

He was just
acting really hyper,

you know,
suspicious acting.

Okay.

The woman tells detectives

the man's name is
Shaun Wakefield.

Shaun gets there to
their apartment, you know.

He's asking for a shirt
to put on.

They felt that
it was very odd,

that something wasn't right.

She then states
that Shaun also made

a second request that
caused her even more alarm.

While we're listening
to the individual

provide US this information
about Shaun,

this definitely raised flags
for US.

After her interview,
detectives arrange to drive

the woman home.

While taking her home,

the female provided US
additional information that

she forgot to tell that
she felt like it was important.

The woman states
that the next morning

Shaun actually picked her up
and drove her to run an errand.

While traveling
in the vehicle with Shaun,

he tries to get off of
the main highway,

gives her some of
his clothes,

"I need you throw 'em out now,
throw 'em out now."

In between the seats.

She's telling US this,
so we had to stop

what we were doing
and find the clothes.

We needed to get there
and get there quick.

Officers searching for

Danielle pruett's killer
in tazewell county,

Virginia, have just learned
that a man named Shaun Wakefield

discarded clothing that may

hold the key
to Danielle's murder.

We get there,
and we find Shaun's clothes

at the exit that she states
that she threw 'em out at.

We were very lucky to be able
to find these clothes

and get 'em as quickly
as we did

once we learned
of this information.

We recovered Shaun's jeans,

his pullover shirt,

and a sock.

Once we discovered clothes,

we noticed some types of

red stain

that was on the clothes.

There was a good indication
that it was blood.

Detectives
collect the clothing

and then send it to the lab
for forensic testing.

The discovery of these clothes

to the investigation
was a very key element,

and we knew we had to talk
to Shaun.

At this point,
we wanted to question Shaun

because we believed Shaun
was a possible suspect.

Detectives dig into
Shaun's background and are

surprised to learn of
his current location.

It was very easy
to locate Shaun.

He'd actually been picked up

the day prior on
a probation violation.

So he was easy to locate
at the jail.

Detectives bring Shaun
and his lawyer into the station

to question him
on his whereabouts

the day
Danielle disappeared.

Shaun has been fitted
with an ankle bracelet

that tracks
his whereabouts,

so police know well
what to ask about.

When I questioned Shaun
regarding his activities

the day of
Danielle's disappearance,

he was very
specific initially,

and then he had large gaps
in his story

around the time that we believe
Danielle was murdered.

While I'm questioning Shaun,

I'm analyzing
his body movement,

I'm looking at
his eye movement,

and I can tell immediately
that he's not being truthful,

that he's aloof.

I felt that very little
of his story was truthful.

I felt that he was being
very deceptive,

very dishonest
the entire time.

As soon as I started to
question him very specifically

on his inconsistencies,

Shaun's attorney immediately
shut the interview down.

But checking Shaun's
account of his whereabouts
is easy.

Officers simply download
a map of

his GPS coordinates
off his ankle bracelet.

Being able to establish
that he still had

his ankle bracelet on was very
important to this case.

And through the use of
GPS monitoring,

we were able to track Shaun's
movement everywhere

he had gone.

With his ankle
bracelet intact

on the day of
Danielle's murder,

officers canvass the route

Shaun's GPS confirmed
he traveled.

We were able
to identify businesses

and residence and different
locations that had cameras,

and that was gonna provide
significant evidence

should this case go to trial.

Detectives scour
through hours

of surveillance footage

when they spot a vehicle that

stops them dead in
their tracks.

We were able to obtain
traffic cam footage from

a four-way intersection
in one of our local towns.

When we find
this video footage,

we are thinking, this is it.

This is the moment that
we're looking at our suspect.

Detectives investigating
Danielle pruett's murder

have just found shocking
surveillance footage.

During the course of
our investigation,

in utilizing this
ankle bracelet GPS

we were able to identify

Shaun in what we believe
is Danielle's vehicle.

We were able to see Shaun
coming up to

the traffic light and making
a right-hand turn,

and then he drives around
for a short period of time

and then leaves the vehicle

at the location where we find
the vehicle the next day.

So now we were able
to be 100% certain

that this was
Danielle's vehicle,

and this is a major piece of
the puzzle.

Investigators then go
to the construction site

next to where Danielle's
car was found.

The detective
downloads the footage
to a thumb drive

to review at the station.

Upon reviewing
the construction site footage,

in that video, Danielle was
going to meet Shaun.

We were able to see Danielle's
vehicle pull in,

and then we see Shaun's
vehicle pull in

shortly thereafter.

We see what we believe is
Danielle come into view,

and then there's a sudden
movement away.

It's a very quick jerking --
we believe it --

it was at that point
that Shaun actually

grabbed Danielle and began to --
began to murder her.

If police are right,
they're looking

at the start
of Danielle's murder.

And then we see
Shaun's vehicle drive away.

A couple of minutes later,
we see Shaun walking back over,

and then we see Danielle's
vehicle leave.

We never see Danielle again

from that point on.

We believe that Shaun was

driving Danielle's vehicle
with Danielle

in the back and looking for
a place to dump her body.

While detectives have
their suspicions about Shaun,

the evidence they have against
him is circumstantial...

...until they receive

the results of
the forensic tests done

on Shaun's clothing he dumped
on the side of the highway.

Once the lab had examined
the clothes,

it had Shaun's DNA,

Danielle's DNA --

we felt we had
a very solid case.

Armed with
this new information,

police bring Shaun in for
a second time and confront him

about the inconsistencies
in his story.

We wanted to question
Shaun again in hopes of

getting him to confess to
Danielle's murder.

Confronted by
the new evidence,

Shaun admits that he contacted

Danielle to buy drugs
the day she disappeared.

Based on
all the evidence,
it's my opinion that

everything coming out of
his mouth is an outright lie.

Okay.

At this point, even without
Shaun's confession,

we were very certain
that Shaun is our person.

So I believe that Shaun
acted by himself and Danielle

did meet Shaun in order to sell
him an eight ball of cocaine.

I believe Shaun is there
to Rob her.

He has no intentions
of giving her any money.

I believe Danielle
is a fighter.

And I believe it
got to the point

where the only
way that

Shaun was gonna
walk away from this

was that he had to
kill her.

Once he killed her,
he realized what he's done,

and he had to get rid of
the body.

And at some point,
he found a place

where he felt safe enough
to dump her body.

But he forgot that
all-important piece

of evidence that he had
around his ankle,

and that was that
GPS monitoring,

and with that,
we were able to nail him.

Although he never
confesses to investigators,

after being confronted
with the evidence,

Shaun Wakefield pleads guilty
to first degree murder,

grand larceny, and concealment
of a dead body.

He is sentenced to 57 years

in prison for murdering
Danielle pruett.

This was not
my first homicide,

but I got to interview
my first murder suspect.

Being able
to sit across from somebody

and look into their soul

and know that the person

that's sitting across
from you committed murder

is very exhilarating for me,

and I -- I always
wanna win.

And that was my entire goal

with this is we wanted
to win,

and I think we did.

I have a lot of hatred
in my heart for him,

and I hate that, because that's
not the type of person I am.

And I hope one day,
I can forgive him,

but I can't right now.

For US to get him
to plead guilty to

first degree murder was
an absolute relief,

and it was
very important for US

to provide that closure
to that entire family.

I always knew Danielle as a best
friend, as a sister, honestly.

She was my back,
and I was her front,

like, that's how close we were.

And the saying is true,

like, you never know what
you got till it's gone, and...

I definitely know what I lost.

Life's a lot different now.

I just want everyone
to remember

how great of a mother she was,

how great of a friend.

Just remember how caring
and how giving and how loving

she was.

I'm sorry I took her
for granted.

I'm sorry about
all the silly fights.

I didn't realize
how much I need her,

that she is my best friend.

It physically hurts
when I think

about her,
like it really hurts.

I'd give anything
to have her back.