Original subtitles

[mysterious music]

- The initial news reports about the murder was shocking.

- [reporter] emotions are raw over the sudden loss

Of legendary boxer vernon forrest.

[camera flashing]

- He had been shot eight times in the back, arm, legs.

He was a world champion boxer.

- Police didn't know if it was a hit,

If it was a wrong place, wrong time.

- We want to try to find out if there are people

That actually have vendettas against him.

[dramatic music]

- One witness saw a man come out of the apartment building

That had been hiding.

- Another witness saw a red vehicle fleeing the scene.

- The surveillance video proved to be critical.

- It's like, damn, that's the key to this whole thing.

- The tragic murder will go down

As one of the worst crimes committed

Against a sports figure, not only in atlanta,

But all of the world.

[dramatic music]

[intense music]

- [narrator] atlanta sports fans have a lot to cheer about.

The city boasts several iconic teams:

The braves, the falcons, and the hawks.

But the big peach is also known for another crowd-pleasing

And hard-hitting pass time.

- Atlanta has always had a strong pulse

In the heartbeat of the boxing world.

In the 1970s, muhammad ali actually staged

His comeback fight to regain

The heavyweight championship of the world

Right here in atlanta, georgia.

- People from all over the world came to see muhammad ali box.

Sidney poitier, diana ross.

I mean, it was a really big deal and since then,

Atlanta has become its own little special place for boxing.

- We started to see a lot of up and coming boxers.

I remember going to the warren boys club

And I had the opportunity

To see evander holyfield there during that time.

- [narrator] but in the summer of 2009,

The city's cheers turned to tears

When one of its boxing heroes tragically meets his match

Outside the ring.

- On Saturday, July the 25th of 2009,

It was a very hot and steamy night

When the unidentified body of a young black male was found

At about 11:00 pm.

- I was at my home, in the city.

I was advised that there was a person shot

At the intersection of mcdaniel and fulton

And I was responding from my residence to that crime scene.

The new apartment buildings off

Of the I-20 interstate in atlanta.

- The neighborhood where this unidentified black male

Was found is part of atlanta that's called mechanicsville.

It is one of the oldest communities in the atlanta area.

- In 2009, mechanicsville was in transition.

Investors were trying to develop that area,

But by all means, it was a rough place.

- There was a shooting every other day

That occurred in that particular community,

But it was certainly a community that was on the rebound.

- [narrator] by the time zimbrick arrives,

Uniformed officers and emts are already on site

And a crowd of onlookers is standing nearby.

- I had crossed the crime scene tape

And that's where lieutenant meadows

Is standing, the homicide commander.

We have a short conversation about the area, the location,

And the fact that the individual underneath the sheet

Has been pronounced dead by emts.

- We made it a point to wait

For the fulton county medical examiner's office

Before we removed the sheet.

Once they arrived, we removed the sheet.

It was at that point,

I immediately recognized our victim

Was the well-known boxer from georgia, vernon forrest.

My heart kind of sunk, because I'm a fan.

- [announcer] vernon forrest!

[somber music]

- From the late '90s, early 2000s,

Vernon was a great boxer.

- [narrator] the champion boxer earned four world titles.

- He actually represented

The united states of america in the olympics in 1992

And afterwards became a professional fighter

Where he achieved great financial success.

- I'm a fan and it just immediately led me to wonder,

Who could have done this?

- This is an area of town that somebody

Of mr. Forrest's celebrity status

You wouldn't expect to find,

You know, midnight on a Saturday.

Why would he be in this particular location?

- [narrator] stunned and saddened,

Investigators watch closely

As the medical examiner's team performs

Its initial on-scene exam.

- I could see the injuries that were evident on the victim

Through his pink polo shirt.

He had been shot eight times in the back and arm and legs.

- Those gunshot wounds

Actually entered his body from the rear,

Which told investigators

That he had his back turned to the shooter.

- [narrator] as investigators try to make sense

Of the famed boxer's wounds,

Crime scene technicians begin

To canvas the area for evidence,

But they don't have to look very far.

- As we evaluated the crime scene,

We found eight .40 caliber shell casings

That were around the body.

- [narrator] while the .40 caliber shells

Appear to be the right size

To have caused the victim's wounds,

Something else grabs the detectives' attention.

- We were able to find within close proximity to his body,

A .45 caliber handgun.

- The shell casings that we found on the scene

Were .40 caliber, so obviously that gun didn't fire

Those shell casings that we found next to the body.

- [narrator] investigators need to find the gun

That killed the boxing icon.

- The medical examiner does an inventory of the pockets.

His wallet contained a couple of pistol permits for him

To legally carry firearms and he had in his pocket,

Couple of loose .45 caliber bullets.

[suspenseful music]

- It went through our minds at that point

That the .45 caliber handgun was mr. Forrest's

And there was a possibility that mr. Forrest

Actually fired at his assailants.

The condition of the weapon, it was open,

The slide was to the rear,

Which indicated that he might have emptied

The weapon itself.

- The fact that vernon had a .45 caliber firearm

That had been shot empty, leads you to believe

That there was a mutual combat situation,

Because the shell casings that are next to his body

Are not from the firearm that he has next to his body.

- [narrator] investigators then catch a break.

They get word from dispatch that police had responded

To a separate 911 call

Made moments before the shooting

At a gas station just across the expressway,

And the victim was vernon forrest.

- The gas station was located some 300 yards away

From where the body of vernon forrest was actually found.

- I walked back to the gas station

Over the interstate bridge.

I was directed to vernon's car,

The jaguar near the air compressor.

The uniformed cops who had got there first obviously

Had done a briefing and interview with the witnesses.

Ernest gilroy, an 11 year old kid,

Was standing with a uniforme police officer

Near that vehicle.

Ernest was identified to me as being the occupant

Of the jaguar with vernon forrest

At the time of the interaction.

- The young 11 year old ernest gilroy

Was the godson of vernon forrest.

- So we got the basics from the uniform officers

That did the initial briefing,

Because ernest had just gone through

This traumatic incident,

So we didn't want to compound that trauma.

Ernest had relayed to them that they needed air in a tire.

Vernon pulled into the gas station,

Pulled up to the front doors.

Ernest said he went inside to get some candy.

- [narrator] the 11 year old informs the officers

When he started walking back to the car,

He saw a man with a gun confront vernon.

He says vernon and the man exchanged words,

Then the man fled.

- Ernest tells the uniform officers

That after the bad guy runs,

Vernon gives chase and ernest gets in the car

And locks the doors.

- The young gentleman said

That he had heard shots immediately after that.

[gunshots firing]

- The store clerk had no idea

What was actually happening in the parking lot.

As soon as he hears the gunshots,

He hits the automatic door lock

For the protection of the customers inside the store.

- Everybody was baffled.

- We didn't know if vernon forrest

Had been targeted specifically because of who he was

Or because he appeared to be an individual

With an expensive car putting air in his tire

At 11:30 pm on a Saturday night.

- At that point, I directed detective zimbrick

To make sure that the gas station

Was taped off and roped off.

- [narrator] investigators search the area

Around the gas station for any evidence dropped,

But they come up empty-handed.

- I walked back the path that was taken from the gas station

To the shooting over the interstate bridge,

Looking for additional evidence,

If there was any, ballistic evidence or witnesses.

There were no pedestrians on the bridge,

But I was able to locate a single .45 caliber shell casing

That has been fired, which is consistent

With the firearm that vernon forrest had.

- [narrator] the discovery of the .45 caliber shell

On the overpass confirms investigators' theory

That vernon gave chase and fired at his attacker.

- We start looking for additional evidence,

Blood, therefore dna, but we searched the entire area

And we were unable to find any evidence

That the individual had been injured during the shooting.

[dramatic music]

- I immediately recognized the magnitude of the situation

And I knew that we wanted to try to solve this case

As fast and as efficiently as we possibly could.

- Law enforcement quickly realized

That there had to be something more to this,

Because of the manner in which vernon forrest was murdered.

- He got shot in the back with his back to the gunman.

This was definitely overkill.

[gunshot firing]

- What was this about?

Was this wrong place, wrong time?

Was this some sort of hit?

Was it a failed carjacking?

Who would kill this man?

[dramatic music]

- One witness reported that he heard gunshots.

[gunshots firing]

Observed two men running.

- We certainly did not wanna rule out

The possibility that mr. Forrest was targeted.

- The fact that he's a world champion,

We don't know if that's sour grapes to somebody else.

- I remember dropping the phone

And I remember saying like, "no,"

Like over and over, like, "no, no (bleep) way."

- Why shoot him when he's down on the ground?

There has to be more.

[dramatic music]

[intense music]

- [narrator] atlanta homicide detectives are on the hunt

For the gunman who brutally killed

38 year old boxing champion, vernon forrest,

Shot outside an apartment complex.

Police are now scouring the neighborhood,

Looking for any eyewitnesses

Who may be able to shed some light

On what happened to this atlanta icon.

- Mechanicsville was certainly a community

That was on the rebound.

The relationship from the late '90s,

Early 2000s was fragmented.

We had a couple of officer involved shootings

That took place in that particular community.

However, we were in the process of repairing

Our relationship with the members of that community.

- So we didn't have an abundance of eyewitnesses

That would come forward,

Even though every apartment there had a balcony

That overlooked the street.

- It became important for me to go into the crowd,

Because there's always someone in the crowd

That saw something.

- [narrator] the detectives' hunch pays off.

They find a few neighborhood onlookers willing to cooperate.

- One witness reported that he heard gunshots

And then looked out, observed two men running,

One wearing a pink shirt chasing another man

Around the building where he lost sight of them.

- It appears that vernon had chased perpetrator down

Into the apartment complex

Where he was observed standing there holding a handgun.

- The witness indicated that he saw a man

Had come out of the apartment building

Where he had been hiding

And flagged down a red passenger vehicle.

- [narrator] another witness from the apartment complex

Tells investigators she saw vernon walk away

From the building, then start arguing

With a different man on the street moments later.

- There was an exchange of words between the two of them

And at some point, as vernon began to turn and walk away

Is when the perpetrator actually shot him

In the back eight times.

[gunshots firing]

This witness was actually able to see

That red vehicle as it pulled up again

And the second assailant getting into the vehicle

And fleeing the scene at that point.

- [narrator] while the witness describes the car as red,

She isn't able to provide the make or model.

- So based on the statements of the witnesses,

We believe that there were at least three people involved

In the actual crime.

First you had the robber,

You have the driver of the red car

And then you have the actual shooter.

To identify the individuals responsible,

We were able to ask for and obtain video surveillance

From the apartment complex and the gas station.

- [narrator] given it'll take several days

Before the security footage is available,

Detectives are still in the dark.

Was this shooting a robbery gone wrong

Or the cold-blooded execution of an atlanta icon?

- You have to look at all possibilities

When you're investigating crimes like this.

We certainly did not wanna rule out the possibility

That mr. Forrest was targeted.

- The fact that he's a world champion,

We don't know if that's sour grapes to somebody else.

If this was a motive that, you know,

If you take vernon forrest out of the boxing game,

Does it give somebody else a chance to move up?

- The next day, law enforcement had to have

The very sad conversation with vernon forrest's mother

And notify her that her baby son had been murdered.

[somber music]

- The family was devastated.

It's always difficult to tell them

The most gruesome details of the event and what happened,

Especially this one, I mean,

Shot in the back this many times.

I can't recall ever seeing that in my career.

The family couldn't say that anybody

Had any beef with vernon forrest,

He didn't ruffle feathers.

He was a true, genuine, decent human being.

[pensive music]

- Vernon forrest was a kid from augusta, georgia,

Just two hours east of the big city,

The sixth of eight children,

A kid who had found a love in boxing.

- He come from a humble background.

He wasn't a rich kid, you know,

He was just a local humble kid from augusta

Who had a talent.

- [narrator] the talented boxer was a four time world champion,

Compiling an impressive record

Of 41 and 3 with 29 knockouts.

- He was a great boxer,

But he was an even greater human being.

- The man was selfless, man, you know.

He put his money where it really counts,

Did a lot for the community.

- Vernon, he was just a confident guy.

He had a good spirit about him.

When I started volunteering

At the police athletic league,

Vernon, he lent his support to us,

Because we're working with at-risk kids.

- He cared about his community.

He tried to help children that had tough beginnings

To see that they could always have a second chance.

- My communication with the family

Is now we need to know where vernon was coming from.

We need to know where he was going to.

Was he meeting somebody?

- [narrator] vernon's family tells detectives

The boxer was out late that night

Visiting family with his godson, ernest,

And was on his way back

To drop the 11 year old off with relatives.

Sussing out if robbery was the motive behind the shooting,

Detectives asked if vernon was wearing

Any distinctive jewelry, items police could trace.

- Vernon had on a gold ring that said "four time champ"

And had on a diamond-studded rolex.

- [detective zimbrick] they were not recovered

When he was discovered in the street.

- We didn't know if they knew who he was,

But we wondered if the suspects

Could have seen the jewelry vernon was wearing

And made it a point to single him out as a potential target.

- [narrator] even though it appears

The killer robbed vernon, investigators have a feeling

There may be more to this gruesome murder.

The execution style shooting

Still leaves several hard questions unanswered.

- The robbery is done.

They got the gold watch and the big gold rings,

So why shoot him in the back

And then shoot him when he is down on the ground?

[gunshots firing]

There has to be more.

[intense music]

- [reporter] emotions are raw over the sudden loss

Of legendary boxer vernon forrest.

- [narrator] news of boxing great,

Vernon forrest's grisly murder immediately hits the press,

Stunning the city of atlanta and the world.

- [reporter] Monday morning, atf agents

In fulton county sheriff canine units

Scoured the area where forrest was murdered.

- [narrator] the homicide team is already feeling the heat.

- Shortly after this murder occurred,

I started receiving calls from our mayor at the time,

City council members at the time

And media literally from all over the world

Wanting to know where we were with the investigation.

- It was all over the news

And we were covering it wall-to-wall,

Because initially we had no idea

Who had perpetrated this crime.

- We was trying to figure out,

How could this happen to a guy like him?

- I remember dropping the phone and I remember saying like,

"no," like over and over, like, "no, no (bleep) way."

I kinda blacked out on things.

[suspenseful music]

- This case really involved a whole lot more

Than just a simple robbery.

Investigators realized that they would

Really have to dig deep in order to get at the reason

And the motivation for such a senseless murder like this.

[gunshots firing]

- Vernon had on a gold ring, gave that over,

Had on a diamond-studded rolex, gave that over.

It was a very loud question of why.

Did you have to kill him too?

- [narrator] investigators work the few leads they do have

And try to track down the red car

Seen leaving the scene of the crime.

- The description given out over the radio

Was basically a red sedan.

We then later on checked the database

For any stolen vehicles that were un-recovered

And there were no positive hits

For a red sedan.

- [narrator] undeterred, the team pushes forward,

Taking a closer look at vernon's past associations.

- We want to try to find out if there are people

That actually have vendettas against him

And so we decided at that point that I would go and meet

With mr. Forrest's business manager, charles watson.

- Once law enforcement speaks with charles watson,

They find out that vernon forrest

Doesn't have any nefarious business dealings.

- All of that information was important for us

To develop so that we could eliminate possibilities.

- The information that meadows got from vernon's manager

Was in reference to the charitable events

That vernon partook in

That further solidified that vernon was a great boxer,

But more importantly a decent human being.

- Mr. Watson was able to provide

All of mr. Forrest's known associates

And we were able to talk to some of his friends,

Like xavier toliver, one of vernon's closest friends.

We wanted to get some clues and leads in the case.

They couldn't think of anyone

That would want to harm mr. Forrest.

- He didn't have any enemies.

Again, he was a good guy.

- He always was looking out for all of us,

Somebody who saw the need and they meet the need.

- He created a a not-for-profit organization

Called destiny's child,

Which helped to create housing for autistic individuals

Or people who were living with different types

Of psychological, emotional, and physical disabilities.

- The most I rewarding thing that I get is

When they feel a sense of accomplishment.

- Atlanta embraced him.

The mayor gave him the keys to the city.

[gentle music]

- After law enforcement had the opportunity

To speak with vernon forrest's

Close friends and family members,

Police really had no leads.

This investigation was going nowhere.

- [narrator] with no viable suspects,

Detectives are at a loss.

But 72 hours into the investigation,

They catch a break.

The surveillance footage from the gas station

And apartment complex is in.

- One of the things that law enforcement officers

Always get very, very excited about

Is when there is video cameras

That could have potentially not only captured the crime,

But also can identify the perpetrators themselves.

- The video at the gas station is definitely dark

In the corner where the air compressor was

That vernon was robbed.

So we're able to see figures,

But we're not able to identify individuals with that camera.

- Because the surveillance video

From the gas station was hard to see,

The apartment complex video proved to be key and critical.

- The cameras at the apartment complex

Are crisp, new, and are very good quality pictures.

We're concentrating initially on the camera view

That is shot from inside of the stairwell of the apartment

And you can see out into the courtyard and to the street,

And that video shows us an individual run past

The front door of this stairwell close to the door

And then just a few seconds, two or three seconds later,

We believe we see vernon forrest run past the door

And then we continue to watch

To see if we see anybody coming back.

- [narrator] the video then reveals an agitated man

Entering the building, holding a gun,

Exactly as witnesses described earlier to detectives.

- And then faces the camera, looks right up at the camera.

[dramatic music]

- When we see him look up at the camera, we're like,

"man, that was a great shot."

- [narrator] with this surveillance video,

Detectives are one step closer to identifying one

Of the three suspects involved in vernon forrest's death,

The robber, the getaway driver, and the shooter.

- It's like, damn, that's the guy.

The robber from the gas station,

That's the man we need to identify.

That's the key to this whole thing.

[dramatic music]

- [narrator] three days after boxing hero vernon forrest

Was violently gunned down

Outside an atlanta apartment complex,

Homicide detectives get word

The surveillance footage from the building is in.

To investigators' astonishment,

The security cam video reveals a key piece of evidence,

The face of one of the assailants.

- The apartment complex video proved to be key and critical,

Because that video, you could actually see

A person of interest actually look dead into the camera.

- They turn and look at the camera,

And then they turn back and look outside,

And then they jump in that car,

And it's the red car as ascribed by several of the witnesses

As being directly involved.

So at that point it's like,

Wow, this isn't a witness to the event,

This is the person that vernon was chasing.

We need somebody to tell us who this is.

[suspenseful music]

- Once the atlanta police department view

The video footage in this case,

They made the decision to enlist the cooperation

Of the media in showing this video footage

To the general public in hopes that they would be able

To identify any potential suspects

That were captured on the video.

- We hoped that somebody would be decent enough to call in

And identify the individual.

[tense music]

- When the community heard

Some of the details about this case, they were outraged

And they let atlanta police know

That they wanted these killers off the streets.

- It's a big loss and you know, the city needs to make sure

They find the guys that were behind this.

- You shoot a man in the back, you know, you a coward, man,

And so I wouldn't mind having some face time

With (indistinct).

- [narrator] on August 4th, 2009,

Nine days after vernon forrest was slain,

His family and friends gathered to say their goodbyes

To the world champion boxer.

- It was an emotional day, it was a sad day.

It was crowded.

So a lot of boxers, a lot of coaches,

A lot of the georgia amateur boxing association family

Was there.

Evander holyfield was there.

- The world wasn't ready for us to lose vernon forrest.

Yeah, he meant a lot to a lot of people, man.

- I just remember just going and you know, of course,

Showing my respects to vernon for the last time.

It was just a pretty sad situation, a sad time.

- It was a rough day for me, man.

I remember having to leave out for a minute to get some air.

That was vernon in there,

But it didn't particulary, didn't really look like vernon.

[somber music]

- I believe in god.

I believe in the justice system

And we want justice served to the fullest.

- [narrator] as vernon's family

And friends mourn over their loss,

The media blast sets off a flurry of calls.

- As a result of the releasing of the video footage,

Law enforcement received hundreds if not thousands

Of potential tips seeking to identify

The individual that was shown in the video.

- [narrator] one tipster who says they know the suspect

But asked to remain anonymous,

Goes beyond calling the police.

- Somebody actually walked into

One of the many precincts in the city

With a picture on their phone

With the individual that had been pictured

To prove that they knew what they were talking about

Who this individual was.

So having that information,

We immediately go to the database

That we have available to us.

We're able to identify a picture

Based on the name and date of birth that was given to us.

- Ultimately, law enforcement was able

To identify that individual on the surveillance footage

As 20 year old demario ware.

They do a deep dive into his background

And learn that he has a long and checkered history

Of contacts with law enforcement.

- But the criminal history that we saw of demario ware

Was not indicative of an individual

That would shoot another individual

Multiple times in the back.

He just didn't have that kind of a criminal history.

We believed that demario was with the shooter

That night at the gas station.

We didn't have a warrant for demario ware.

We knew that he was probably good for the robbery,

But we knew he was not good for the murder.

So we wanted to go out and get his perspective,

His side of the story.

- They're hoping that demario

Would be able to provide some context to motive.

Did you know vernon forrest?

What was this about?

[dramatic music]

- We were obviously eager to hear his story.

- Finally, law enforcement hoped to find out

Why vernon was shot eight times in the back

While walking away.

[gunshot firing]

[suspenseful music]

- [narrator] atlanta homicide detectives have identified

One of the suspects in the brutal murder

Of boxing champion vernon forrest.

Investigators are now on the hunt

For 20-year-old demario ware,

The man they believe robbed at gunpoint

The atlanta icon of his championship ring

And multi-thousand dollar rolex watch.

- Detectives discover that his last known address

Is with his grandmother rose watson.

- So we went to that location in southeast atlanta,

Which was probably less than a mile

From the actual shooting scene.

His grandmother knew why we were there.

His picture from video surveillance is on tv.

She said demario was a good kid,

That he had his bumps and bruises,

But he wasn't a vicious killer.

- Days after the murder,

He told the grandmother that he was involved with the crime.

Then she says he's gonna have to own up to it

And he's gonna have to pay the price

Of whatever crime he may have been involved in.

- We advised his grandmother to ask demario

To come to the office for us to meet up with him.

She indicated that she would do her best

To convince him to come in.

- [narrator] the following day,

Demario ware makes good on his promise to his grandmother.

- Demario ware and his attorney show up at our office.

We were obviously eager to hear his story.

Demario said that he and two guys are at the gas station

Waiting for a couple of other individuals to show up.

They were gonna go to a club.

They see the jaguar pull to the parking lot.

- [narrator] demario tells detectives

That's when he and his two friends decided

To put their plan into action.

- Demario indicates to law enforcement

That he took off running

In the direction of the apartment complex.

Vernon then took off pursuing him.

- Demario says says he then works his way

To the front of the building

And that's where we see him on the video

Sprinting out the door and jumping in the car.

- [narrator] knowing multiple perpetrators are involved,

Investigators ask demario about his accomplices,

But there's a hitch.

- During our interview with demario ware,

He wasn't able to give us the actual names

Of some of the individuals involved,

But he was able to give us nicknames.

- [narrator] visibly shaken,

Demario explains what happened after he left the building

And jumped in the vehicle.

- Once demario finishes his statement,

We still haven't figured out why the shooting takes place,

But he is taken into custody for the robbery.

[pensive music]

The information that we obtained was good.

He identifies the two occupants of the red car

At the time of the robbery and the planning of the robbery.

- [narrator] with one suspect behind bars,

Investigators quickly drill down

On finding the getaway driver and the trigger man.

- Through our nickname database,

We look for individuals to see if we can come up

With the individual's actual name.

- We are confident in quante, the driver of the vehicle,

As being jquante crews.

Once demario gets identified,

Then we look at his phone records.

Jquante's phone number is there

The night of the murder and the robbery.

So a warrant is issued for jquante crews.

We provide that warrant to the regional taskforce

Of the us marshal's office

Whose job it is to go out and track fugitives.

[camera clicking]

The next day, he is taken into custody

At his brother's house without incident.

He doesn't wish to speak to the police at all

And he is transported to the fulton county jail,

Charged with an array of crimes.

- [narrator] with getaway driver jquante crews in custody,

Investigators turn their attention

To identifying the alleged shooter, twin.

The nickname database turns up nothing,

But for one of the us marshals assigned to the case,

The unusual moniker rings a bell.

- He says, "well, I know a guy named twin,"

And gives us his name of raymon sinkfield.

I'm able to discover that raymon sinkfield

Is actually in federal custody

And was at the time of the shooting.

One of the other sergeants in the office says,

"well, I know raymon's brother, twin, is charmon sinkfield."

Charmon sinkfield is not in custody at the time.

- Law enforcement discover that he had several arrests

For very violent crimes.

- So to get charmon's picture,

I put together a lineup with charmon sinkfield in it.

Demario ware immediately identifies charmon sinkfield

As twin, as the individual that is responsible

For the shooting death of vernon forrest.

[tense music]

- [narrator] nearly three weeks

After famed boxer vernon forrest was slain,

Detectives track down his alleged killer

At his home in northwest atlanta.

- He was taken into custody for the outstanding warrants

And transported to the atlanta homicide office.

- Finally, law enforcement hoped to find out details

About why mr. Sinkfield would choose

To shoot vernon eight times in the back

While he was defenseless and walking away.

[dramatic music]

[intense music]

- [narrator] atlanta police have just arrested

Charmon sinkfield, the alleged trigger man

Responsible for the brutal murder

Of boxing champion vernon forrest.

Detectives are hoping sinkfield will come clean

And tell them why he killed the famed boxer.

- He never confessed to the crime itself.

[suspenseful music]

- Later in speaking with charmon sinkfield

About the reason why so many shots to the back,

He believed that it was wrong for vernon forrest

To challenge the robbery

And leaving ernest in the parking lot alone.

Charmon indicated to me

That he made that statement to vernon

And vernon at that point turned his back on him

And that angered him even more

As a sign of disrespect by vernon forrest,

And for whatever reason, sinkfield felt the rage

And fired that gun.

[dramatic music] [gunshots firing]

That sudden rage, anger, that to me is,

I can't wrap my head around it.

Search warrants were obtained for locations

That the individuals that were arrested had access to.

We were unsuccessful in finding any of the weapons

Or any of the jewelry.

- Finally, the community,

They were breathing a bit easier again,

Because they knew that together,

Law enforcement and the da's office,

They got these killers off the street.

- [narrator] on August 25th, 2009,

One month after the brutal shooting,

Demario ware, jquante crews, and charmon sinkfield

Are each indicted for the robbery and murder

Of boxing great vernon forrest.

- In the state of georgia,

The law allows for the conviction

Of parties who participate, encourage,

Assist in the commission of a crime,

Even if they are not the ones

Who actually pull the trigger and commit the murder itself.

The surveillance footage,

Combined with the ballistics evidence

And then the subsequent confession by demario ware,

Makes this almost an airtight case

And one in which no prosecutor

Would ever want to make the mistake of losing.

[suspenseful music]

- Fulton county district attorney's office was dogged

About making sure that these killers met justice.

- Ultimately, these cases all individually went to trial.

- [narrator] in 2011,

Two years after vernon forrest was killed,

Demario ware was convicted of felony murder.

The following year,

Jquante crews was also found guilty of felony murder.

- Both mr. Ware and mr. Crews received life sentences

With the possibility of parole.

- Due to just the volume of cases

That fulton county prosecutors are dealing with,

It took seven full years into 2016 before charmon sinkfield

Was able to be prosecuted and sentenced.

- Mr. Sinkfield was convicted of all charges

And received a life sentence

With a term of years stacked on top of that

To run consecutive in effect, a virtual death sentence.

- I was very happy, but it still didn't

Bring vernon back, you know?

What it did was, it left a hole in our community.

- Demario ware was the type of young brother

That vernon forrest would try to help

And so it was really sad.

- The murder of vernon forrest struck

At the heart of so many people in the community,

Because he was willing to come back

And give back to his community

And ultimately, it was his community

That brought about his demise,

And so that leaves many people heartbroken.

[somber music]

- What I miss about him most is just being my friend

That was always straightforward.

I would tell him I love him

And that I really appreciated the time

That was spent with him and never took it for granted.

- He helped out boxing gyms all over georgia.

Vernon would want us to keep doing the same thing,

You know, reaching out to kids and making a difference

And teaching them the dream and showing them the right way.

[somber music]