Original subtitles

[dramatic music]

♪

- Wow.

♪

- Physical evidence is great to have

in a homicide investigation,

but most murders would not be solved

if it wasn't for the reliable witnesses

brave enough to come forward with what they know.

- You were right there in this old boy's piehole.

So all we're asking you to do is to tell the stinking truth.

- Tonight on "The First 48: Critical Minutes"...

♪

- A victim's best friend

helps bring justice in two cases.

- Apparently, your girl knew about my murder.

She's found dead.

- Then a witness flees and is caught on tape.

- He's face-to-face with the shooter.

♪

- And a community bands together

in the face of gang violence.

- Everybody said they didn't see anything.

- Can't stand the gang activity.

They want to speak out against it,

but they're afraid.

- While you're standing around, not telling what happened,

you just might be the next victim.

♪

- Witnesses are extremely important

because there are so many questions

that you just can't answer as an investigator.

We're working after the fact,

but we certainly don't wanna put somebody's life

in danger as well.

Even when you're off, you're wondering,

you know, I hope everything is going well with them.

I hope that they're OK.

It's a very real concern.

♪

- I just got a call from patrol

about a Latin female that was found out in West Dallas,

and it's looking like it's gonna be a murder.

♪

- OK.

♪

- [sighs]

- Please?

♪

- She's got a bottle of beer.

♪

- And then her lip is pierced.

- What's that on her left chest?

Is that a defect?

It's not a bullet hole, is it?

♪

Oh. - Oh, it's a bullet hole.

- It's a bullet hole.

♪

[camera clicking] Right in the heart.

Man, who'd she piss off?

♪

Looks like the earring got shot.

- Yeah. - Wow.

- Oh, I found the other one, left temple.

- Head shot too? - Yeah.

- So she was probably executed.

♪

Bam, bam. - Yeah.

- Yeah, 'cause if you dumped her,

why would you dump the two beers with her?

- Yeah.

♪

- First and foremost, we gotta find out who she is.

Somewhere out there, the family has no idea

what's happened to their daughter.

♪

narrator: The next morning...

[phone rings]

- This is Sayers.

narrator: Sayers gets a possible lead.

- Hey, Scotty, this is Monte.

You're not gonna believe what just happened right now.

♪

[line rings]

You're not gonna believe the call that I just got.

I may know who your victim is.

♪

- Oh, really?

- Apparently, two girls know about my murder,

and one of those girls is missing.

♪

Hey, look her up on this website.

She should be on there.

- OK, I'll look it up.

Hey.

- Hang on. I'm looking at her picture.

This one right here looks-- she's got that piercing

on her upper left lip just like it.

♪

Wednesday was the last log.

- That her? - That's the--that's the--

that's her earrings!

That's her!

Boom!

♪

Her picture, she's wearing the same earrings

that she was wearin' at my crime scene.

♪

narrator: 21-year-old Isamara Niño,

known to her friends as Isaa,

was born in Mexico and came to Dallas when she was three.

Since graduating from high school,

she's been taking classes to become a hairdresser.

- Probably one of the most unbelievable breaks

I've ever gotten in my career.

♪

- That's what I'm talking about.

I told you. - [laughs]

- Come on, let's break it down.

♪

Apparently, your girl knew about my murder.

She's found dead.

♪

My murder happened 11/22.

- Right. - Thanksgiving Day.

Victim, Edwardo Garcia.

♪

narrator: Montenegro has been working the murder

of 24-year-old Edwardo "Chico" Garcia,

who was killed two weeks before Isaa.

Chico left behind a young daughter.

- On my murder, I only had a dead body

inside his own house.

♪

And my motive is robbery.

They took drugs, money, a Galaxy phone.

My victim had a friend.

So all that time, he's been calling me and giving me tips.

And all those tips have been no good until today.

He calls me and says that there's two girls

that know about my murder, Cynthia and Isaa,

who's missing now for three days.

- Oh, that's my girl.

- Cynthia Hernandez knows about my murder.

- That Cynthia girl's life is in danger.

- Let me call Cynthia.

We need to get her as fast as we can.

♪

[line trills]

- Hello. - Yeah, is this Cynthia?

- Yes. - This is Detective Montenegro

with Dallas Police.

We need to talk to you about, you know,

what's going on with Isaa and everything else.

And I want you to-- - OK.

- There's gonna be a couple detectives

that are gonna go, OK?

- OK. - OK, bye-bye.

- Do you want to go? - Go.

- Yeah. - Go get her.

♪

- Cynthia? - Yes.

- OK. I'm Detective Sayers.

Thank you so much for coming down here, OK?

I've been working for the past two days on a case.

- OK. - OK? It's a girl

that we found and... [sighs]

I'm pretty sure that my girl that I found

is gonna be Isaa.

- [sniffles, sobs]

- I'm so sorry. - [cries]

♪

- OK.

Listen to me. Look at me.

OK, so you know how serious this is now, right?

♪

Let's just kind of start from the beginning

and how it eventually came to this.

- So last time I saw her-- I saw her,

she was all, like, really nervous.

♪

And I was like, "What happened?"

♪

And she was like, "I gotta tell you something."

♪

- What did she say?

- She was like, "OK, have you heard about Chico?"

♪

♪

narrator: She says Isaa overheard a man

named Eder Morales tell a friend that he shot Chico.

- And then at that point,

did Isamara tell you who Eder was talking to?

- Yes.

narrator: She gives them the contact info

for Eder's friend.

- OK, well, what do you think Isamara got killed for?

- She had Chico's phone? Isamara had Chico's phone?

narrator: She says that Isaa had the Galaxy cell phone

that was stolen when Chico was murdered.

- Why would she do that?

♪

- Let me assure you that we are not going home,

OK, until we catch the guys that did this

and put 'em in jail, OK?

'Cause I know you're concerned.

- [sobs]

- OK, let's start doing some research on Eder.

We gotta act fast.

- Now's when the adrenaline starts.

♪

- Got Eder?

♪

- He may have already killed one witness.

♪

Right now, we don't have enough evidence to charge Eder

on my case or on Monte's.

We know he confessed to a friend that he shot Chico,

so we need to find that witness.

♪

narrator: Two hours later,

the witness arrives at Homicide.

- Are you willing to talk to me about what I'm working on?

- All right.

Tell me what you know.

♪

- And what did he tell you when he came back?

♪

- No, that is not enough.

[laughs] Really, that's not enough.

♪

I know that you know about Eder.

And I know you know what happened to Chico.

So I'm asking you, tell me what happened with Chico.

♪

- [sighs]

- There you go. - Come on.

- He told you what?

♪

- Were you there?

♪

- Was this the reason that Isamara is dead?

What happened with that?

- [sighs]

- I need your story.

♪

♪

- You saw him shoot Isamara?

- What happened to her?

narrator: The witness says that on the morning

of the murder, Eder brought Isaa

to the field in West Dallas.

- And then what happened?

♪

- How many shots?

♪

- If Eder threatens you in any way,

you call the police.

You get me?

- Monte pulled off a miracle and cleared his case and mine.

I don't think there's any doubt in anybody's mind

that Eder did this.

♪

narrator: Sayers calls in the U.S. Marshals

to hit Eder's last known address.

♪

Six hours later...

♪

They track him down.

♪

- Eder? Detective Sayers.

[sighs]

OK, I had a murder of a sweet little girl, Isaa.

♪

What were you doing Thursday morning?

narrator: Eder claims he was at a hotel

the day Isaa was found murdered.

- Right now, I'm being told

you're the one that did it.

♪

♪

I don't talk to that girl, you know what I'm saying?

'Cause she stole my phone.

♪

narrator: He says that Isaa took a white Galaxy phone

from him several weeks ago.

- I told her, I'm like, "Bitch, you got that coming."

♪

And then one of my girls was gonna get on her ass.

But, man, killing? Come on.

♪

- Listen to me, son, I can put you at my crime scene, OK?

♪

What's it gonna be?

Did you shoot this girl?

- [sucks teeth]

♪

- [sighs]

I gave you an opportunity. You know what you did.

♪

- [sighs]

- He's not gonna give me nothing.

It ain't happening.

♪

- It's messed up. I ain't do nothing.

I'm innocent.

♪

- I can't even begin to count the number of cases

that I've had where I've had to push a witness.

Sometimes witnesses deny or they downplay

what information they actually have.

It's a delicate situation

because you don't want a witness to shut down on you.

♪

narrator: Police and EMS race to the motel...

♪

And find two men shot.

♪

[siren wailing]

They rush them to the hospital,

but one of them dies.

♪

[indistinct police radio chatter]

♪

[indistinct police radio chatter]

♪

- So who knows what's going on?

♪

♪

- Do we know who our victim is?

- Rodney was outside.

♪

narrator: The first victim,

52-year-old Rodney McGee,

was born and raised in Tulsa.

He was known for taking in those who were less fortunate

and for helping the homeless get back on their feet.

He leaves behind three daughters and one son.

♪

- Leroy Coleman was inside the room,

shot in the neck.

♪

- He's at the hospital.

narrator: 29-year-old Leroy Coleman,

known as Trey to his friends,

worked as a maintenance man at the motel.

He and his girlfriend were expecting

their first child together in three months.

narrator: Trey's girlfriend was with him when he was shot.

♪

- See the glass?

Fires a round off here,

hits the guy in the neck.

♪

There's a--

- I don't see any shell casings.

- There has to be a hole through it.

- Unless they were peeking out of it.

♪

narrator: Patrol has located several witnesses

who were in the room next door.

♪

narrator: One of the men who was staying next door

in room 103

forced his way into Trey's room after the shooting.

♪

[indistinct police radio chatter]

♪

- We're gonna have to go find the dude

that kicked and ran off.

♪

- We've got more than one view on the camera, right?

- We're gonna have this camera,

and then there's one through the front here.

Oh, I'm downloading every camera.

♪

- OK, well, I'm gonna head downtown.

You're gonna grab the video.

♪

- Hopefully this worked.

♪

♪

- And...

this is the dude that's gonna get shot.

♪

- All that dude's doing is charging his cell phone, yeah.

- Mm-hmm.

♪

- Wow.

- So now he goes over to where the second victim's at.

♪

- Some dude opened the door there, you see that?

♪

- Yeah.

This guy next door comes out.

♪

And that's Trey, the second victim,

coming out right there.

♪

- That's freaking cold-blooded.

♪

Take that back just a hair. Let's watch that one more time.

♪

- He starts to go here, and then he's like, "Oh, wait."

♪

- I think it's possible that he notices

the victim looking out his window, and boom.

♪

Maybe he was shooting him because he thought

he was a witness.

- This guy right here who opens the door,

that's our witness that-- that ran away from the scene.

♪

- He's face-to-face with the shooter.

- Yeah.

♪

- Let's see what Trey's girlfriend has to say.

♪

You OK? - I just wanna know he's OK.

- Far as I know.

I have not heard anything different.

So tell me about tonight.

- He was sitting on the bed.

He was right in front of the window.

- OK.

- They only shot one time, but it hit direct hit to him.

- OK. - Pop...

narrator: She says a friend from room 103 came to help.

♪

- He heard me screaming, and he kicked the door open.

And that's when I yelled at him to go call 911.

♪

- OK. And who's that?

- He's a younger white dude.

- What's-- - Trey's known him for a while.

- What's he look like? - He's a little white--

he's a white dude.

- Anybody over at your room today?

narrator: She says that Rodney,

the murder victim, visited her room

not long before the shooting

to talk to Trey.

♪

- What are him and Trey talking about?

- He had just said that he had gone to the store for somebody

and ran off with their money, pretty much.

♪

- I don't--I guess he was supposed to go

to the store and get him some pop and some snacks.

He had been gone all day and never came back.

♪

- OK, well, hang tight for a couple minutes, OK?

♪

- We have a line on the guy

that kicked in the door and ran off.

- Awesome.

narrator: Patrol tracked down the man who saw the shooter

and are transporting him to Homicide.

♪

- Hey, Ronnie,

take a snapshot of that guy when he's at the front door

so we can show it and say, "When you opened the door,

who was that standing there?"

[printer whirring]

♪

Kind of want to know firsthand from you

not what you heard but what you know

for right now, OK?

- Were you inside of 103 at the time?

- OK.

- Who'd you see?

♪

- Look at that picture.

Do you know what's shown in that picture?

♪

- So from where that front door is that you opened,

and you're gonna try and tell me

you didn't see that old boy?

♪

- Wow. Listen to me for a second.

OK?

♪

You were right there in this old boy's piehole.

So all we're asking you to do is to tell the stinking truth.

That's it. Nothing more, nothing less.

- Do you know the guy that got shot in the neck?

- So do you think what happened is right?

♪

♪

- All we're asking you to do is the right thing.

♪

So when you opened that door, who'd you see?

♪

♪

- What do you know him as, like street name,

nickname, something like that?

♪

- Where does he stay at?

- Mm-hmm.

narrator: According to the witness,

Jay is homeless.

- If I showed you a picture of Jay,

would you be able to say, "That's Jay"?

♪

- OK.

♪

narrator: Patrol officers recently arrested a man

who could be Jay.

♪

- Yeah, he just got out.

- Really?

- Look. - Yep, there it is.

- Thank you.

♪

- Yeah, he just got out of prison

or just out of jail yesterday.

- [bleep]? - Tulsa jail.

- I gotta go get some pictures together,

show him a lineup.

♪

- There are several reasons

why you would put together a photo lineup.

Sometimes they can be used when the witness doesn't know

how to give you the information that they know.

It's very rewarding to an investigator to say,

"I didn't provide them one picture.

"I gave them six individual pictures,

"and they picked one of them,

and that one person is our suspect."

[printer whirring]

♪

- We're back.

OK, gonna show you a group of pictures.

- [distorted voice] Yeah.

- I'm looking for the gentleman

that you know as Jay.

♪

Jay in there?

♪

Which one is he?

♪

OK.

And you don't know how I can find Jay?

- Hang tight, man.

♪

The only thing is, it's--we're looking for a homeless guy.

♪

- John, what's up, buddy?

- I just got a text that Trey Coleman has passed away.

Well, his condition was OK,

but I got a text that said he had died.

So both the guys will have expired.

♪

♪

- So now we're looking at a double murder,

and Mahdavi may not have the resources to get very far.

Gonna get his name out and pictures out to the media

and hopefully get him picked up soon.

♪

- We begin here with the arrest of a man

accused of killing two men

at a West Tulsa motel last Friday.

James Mahdavi was booked

into the Tulsa County Jail this morning.

♪

- Okey doke.

- All right, let's do this.

♪

- James, how are you, sir?

- Hey.

- Hey, my name's Detective Brown.

This is Detective Leatherman.

Couple of quick questions for you.

Do you want to talk to me? - Nope.

♪

- So, James, how come you don't wanna talk to me?

- Got nothing to say.

- You don't have nothing to say?

♪

You know there's a warrant out for you, right?

- For what?

- For murder.

Two counts of murder. - Hmm.

♪

- You sure you don't wanna talk to me about what happened?

Get your side of the story?

♪

Okey doke. Well, OK, man.

♪

The only curiosity for me is the motive,

whether it was a money issue, and that's it.

I have no doubt that he did what he did.

And I mean, he's got his own reasons why,

and only he can tell us.

♪

- See you guys. - Thank you, sir.

Good job. - Thank you, sir.

♪

narrator: Atlanta, Georgia.

2:13 p.m.

♪

An apartment complex on the south side.

narrator: As officers arrive...

- Over here! [people clamoring]

narrator: They find the gunshot victim dead.

♪

[helicopter rotors whirring]

♪

[indistinct chatter]

- We're getting the lowdown.

narrator: Detective Jamael Logan

will lead the investigation.

- Well, we get here, and he's literally as is.

♪

- His name should be Calvin Clark Jr.

- All right.

♪

narrator: 23-year-old Calvin Clark Jr.

worked as a waiter at a golf club

and planned to enroll in technical college

for a career in trucking.

He leaves behind his parents and five siblings.

- I spoke with the victim's girlfriend.

He had the gun on him 'cause...

narrator: Detectives learn that Calvin recently bought

a gun for protection.

- The gun is missing?

- Yeah. - OK.

Anybody say they seen anything that you spoke with?

- Everybody said they didn't see anything.

- [sighs]

♪

I used to work this area when I was on patrol.

♪

It's, like, Crip gang territory.

There's a lot of good, hardworking people

that live out here, though,

that can't stand the gang activity.

They want to speak out against it,

but they're afraid 'cause of retaliation.

So this case is gonna be tough.

♪

- It's extremely difficult,

for cases that involve gang members,

for people to feel comfortable coming forward,

providing law enforcement with information.

The evidence is right in front of them of the violence.

Not everybody has the resources to relocate.

Not everybody has the resources to move to another community.

So you put yourself in their position.

I certainly understand why they don't want to get involved.

♪

- [screaming] - I think that's the father.

narrator: Calvin's family arrives at the scene.

- Yes.

- I'm Detective Logan, the lead on the investigation.

I'm trying to piece together everything that transpired

out here with your son.

- Right, I understand that. My son, he worked.

He don't bother nobody. I heard he might have moved...

narrator: Calvin's father says Calvin just moved

to the apartment complex

and doesn't know who would want to kill him.

♪

♪

I just hate this, man.

- I'm sorry about this.

My cell number is on there.

♪

[knocking]

- You know anything, whoever is involved?

- You didn't see nobody run?

- Oh, my God.

narrator: After canvassing the complex...

♪

- Logan.

narrator: Detectives have located

a potential eyewitness.

- Got you.

I know they're scared.

I'm gonna see if they'll talk to me somewhere else.

♪

narrator: The next morning...

♪

[phone rings]

♪

- Hello.

♪

- All right, I'm coming down.

♪

I really appreciate you coming down.

So you have information involving the homicide

that took place, correct?

♪

narrator: The witness says a couple of days

before the murder,

a neighbor overheard Man and Quaa

talking about Calvin.

- And she said they were planning on...

narrator: According to the witness,

Quaa and Man planned to lure Calvin

by offering to help him buy weed.

narrator: The witness says Calvin took out his pistol.

♪

narrator: Calvin tried to escape,

but his apartment door was locked.

- That's kind of crazy.

♪

- You know what they look like?

narrator: The witness saw Quaa recently in a Facebook post.

♪

- That's him right there.

♪

Apparently Quaa and Man are Glocc gang members.

The Glocc gang is a faction of the Crip gang.

I just got a picture of Quaa.

I just gotta get a real name for Man and Quaa.

I gotta be out there tomorrow,

figure out who these people are.

So they're beating everybody up,

robbing everybody, shooting everybody,

and everybody fears 'em.

♪

I'm 'bout to pass out some flyers.

♪

narrator: Later that night...

- We've been getting tips saying

that Quaa and Man keep threatening

to kill people if they talk.

♪

These boys ain't playing.

♪

I did get a call to my phone.

Let's hope.

♪

[line trills]

- Hello, this is Detective Logan.

- You're gonna stay anonymous.

I just want you to give me this name.

- OK.

Man.

♪

These people putting they life on the line.

They trying to reclaim their community

and try to get the gang infestation out.

♪

- I've had cases where

communities have just gotten tired of the violence

and they've banded together as a community and say,

you know, "Whatever happens happens.

"And we gonna do everything we can

"not only to get this person off the street

"but to send a message to show

that it's is not gonna be tolerated here."

Takes an exceptional amount of bravery.

♪

- There you go. Yeah, that's Quaa.

narrator: 20-year-old Jaquavious "Quaa" Johnson

has no prior convictions.

[phone rings]

- Hello, this is Detective Logan.

How can I help you?

♪

- Send me that picture, like, ASAP.

- You can remain anonymous.

I'm not gonna put you out there, all right?

♪

This is Man.

Gotta figure out who Man is.

I'll work it as long as I can tonight

and try to get him ID'd.

narrator: Then Logan gets another Crime Stoppers tip.

♪

"They call him Man. He is armed and dangerous.

"Please get this man off the street.

I asked her his name and she said Scean Mitchell."

♪

narrator: 19-year-old Scean Mitchell, aka Man,

has no prior convictions.

- We'll work up some lineups of both of them

and see if the witness can pick 'em out.

♪

narrator: The next day...

- All right, you sit in that chair.

narrator: Logan brings in his eyewitness,

hoping to get a positive ID on Calvin's killers.

- Detective Griffin is gonna show you some photographs,

see if you can identify who Man is.

I got one more photo I need to show you, though,

before he comes in.

Who's that?

- OK, and you seen him out there that day?

- Mm-hmm. - With a gun?

- Mm-hmm. - I'll be back.

♪

- [sighs] We got enough to get Quaa.

We ain't got enough to get Man.

♪

narrator: Two days later...

- [sobbing]

narrator: Calvin's family holds a vigil to ask

for the community's help.

♪

- This is where he laid and died.

We are hurting.

He didn't deserve this. - No, he didn't.

- While you're standing around, not telling what happened,

you just might be the next victim.

♪

So I'm praying that God will soften somebody heart

and let them come forth.

♪

- I had a second eyewitness come forward.

narrator: Logan heads to meet Detective Jarion Shephard

to show the witness a photo lineup.

- See if they can pick out Man.

Right now, they're my only hope.

♪

I appreciate you meeting with me.

narrator: Shephard shows the witness the lineup

with Scean Mitchell's photo.

narrator: Now detectives need the witness

to identify the second suspect.

- I'm gonna hand these photos to you.

Take a look at 'em.

narrator: The witness ID's Jaquavious Johnson, aka Quaa.

- Yes, ma'am. Thank you.

♪

The next move is to get warrants for these guys,

then start looking for 'em.

narrator: Over the next six days...

- Police!

narrator: The fugitive unit hits the streets,

searching for Man and Quaa.

♪

Then...

♪

- I just got a email that Man got picked up

while checking in at his probation office.

♪

- Oh, it's like that? - Yeah, it's like that.

narrator: Man refused to talk and was taken to jail.

- I would have liked to have gotten a confession

out of Man, a chance to talk to him.

But hopefully, I have a chance to speak with Quaa.

♪

narrator: Four days later, Quaa turns himself in,

accompanied by a lawyer.

- Logan's out right now,

so I'm gonna go in and fill in for him.

♪

How you doing today? - Good.

- You don't want your client to make any statements.

- I guess we're done here.

♪

- People really stepped up and fought back

against Man and Quaa.

I really need 'em when the trial comes around.

Hope nobody gets any cold feet.

Being out there and that intimidation factor

that's going on, I mean, it's tough.

I need to get a conviction in this case.

I need to put away Man and Quaa

for Calvin's sake and for his family's sake

so people in that community can get some peace.

♪

- You know, the greatest majority of witnesses

are reluctant to come forward because of a fear.

And sadly to say,

people tend to not wanna get involved

until they're the victim of a crime

or a loved one of theirs is the victim of a crime.

And then they see how it feels to not

have people that can make the difference

in the case to do that.

♪