Original subtitles

Demery: there's nothing about Murder that goes down easy.

Sometimes it's the blood That gets to you.

Sometimes it's just The look on their face,

Frozen in time forever.

That look of terror, Or worse, surprise.

But honestly, The hardest part isn't the who

Or even the how.

It's the why.

Getting to that, Untying that knot...

That's the hard part.

Murder and me, we go way back.

When I was a child, Murder took my mother.

Years later, It came for my brother.

That's when I found My mission in life.

Every case I worked, I solved.

Every case I solved, I got a confession.

I'm detective rod demery.

I didn't choose murder.

Murder chose me.

--captions by vitac-- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

Mack: It's early evening, 8:00.

Officer yarborough Is patrol officer,

Riding his beat And cruising down freewater.

Woman: hey! Hey!

[ siren wails ]

Help! Jesus!

Please! My boyfriend! My boyfriend's inside!

-he's been shot! -he's been shot!

Back up! Stay right here! Don't move! Don't move!

Mack: there are so many things That got through your mind --

Is this a suicide? Is this a homicide?

Police! Anybody in here? Police!

Crow: as officer yarborough Made entry...

Police! Anybody in here?

Put your gun down now!

...He noticed on the couch

The figure of a black male Laying on his back.

Put the gun down!

As he approached And got closer to this figure...

Put your gun down!

[ television playing ]

...He saw what looked To be brain matter

Sticking out of a gaping hole On top of the man's head.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Call homicide. We got a dead body right here.

3-0-3.

Send me a homicide Detective this way, please.

Demery: I was 6 years old When I saw my first dead body.

The man in the coffin

Was a friend Of my grandfather's.

He was laying Perfectly still,

Dressed in his sunday best,

Surrounded by flowers.

In that moment, Death didn't seem so bad.

More like a nice, long nap.

A well-deserved vacation

From the hard work Of living life.

[ sobbing ]

Only years later did I realize

That death isn't always So peaceful.

[ liquid dripping ]

In 2001, I had just started My homicide career.

I was pretty anxious

About catching My first homicide,

For a couple Of different reasons --

To see if I could do it, For one.

The other, I don't know.

It was just This burning curiosity

On how The investigations worked.

-martin. -yes?

We got a body Down on freewater.

You need to get Down there right now.

Uh, and take The rookie with you.

Demery: the homicide was Assigned to detective martin.

Being new, I was assigned to him.

So it was kind of Go along in the shadow

And kind of learn the job

And get some exposure And experience.

So, when we get down there, You just follow my lead.

-and you'll be fine, okay? -all right.

Well, I'm parked over here. I'll meet you there.

-you got it. -all right.

When I went to homicide And I found out

I was going to be Working with martin,

I don't know that I expected a lot from him.

He was not A very passionate person --

Very by-the-book And, you know, there's a rule

And there's a way To do everything.

And, you know, I don't know That I took to that very well,

Because I didn't think Everything fit

The same set of circumstances.

[ police radio chatter ]

[ engine shuts off ]

So, I understand We got a body.

-still here? -yes, sir.

He's on the couch In the living room.

He's a 45-year-old male Named albert small.

Mack: officer yarborough tells Him he lived in the house

And was not transported To the hospital

Because, as we like To say in the business,

He was d.R.T., Which means dead right there.

Do we know How he was killed?

We got...The body.

It could be a suicide.

Jones: officers responding To the scene

And who saw mr. Small Lying basically

With his arms crossed Across his chest

With his hands on a pistol

That could've been used In the suicide.

Why don't I check the body

And you talk to the girls Who found the deceased?

Will do.

My job was to just kind of talk

To the people Who discovered the body.

-how you doing? -hi, sir.

One was shaka ware, who was The girlfriend of albert small.

She's a 25-year-old female, Black.

The other was shaka's aunt.

How you guys doing?

All right, look, I know this Has got to be really difficult,

But I need to ask you A few questions, okay?

Yeah. Okay.

Could I get something To drink first?

Sure. Can you get her Something to drink?

Yes, sir.

Shaka, you talk To this man.

How you doing?

Shaka was kind of sad, Distraught.

She seemed to be in shock, Actually.

When you encounter somebody That's distraught,

Your main job Is to try to reassure them

And calm them down At least enough

To gather some information.

So, what can you tell me About albert small?

How long Have you known him?

I've known albert For about four years.

I've been living here For a while.

Okay.

I love him.

We took really good care Of each other.

Ferrand: She tells demery that albert

Is pretty popular In the neighborhood.

He's a skilled mechanic, So a lot of the people

In the neighborhood get help From him with their cars,

And he's very generous.

Demery: shaka told me That she got home at about 8:00,

After she had went To the neighbor's house

And smoked a cigarette.

Well, I'm glad You got to stop by.

She said her aunt Shows up there.

They decide to go To shaka's house.

Albert!

Baby, wake up. Aunt erica's here.

Albert! Why's your gun out?

Albert? God. Albert?

They find albert laying on his Back with a gun in his hand,

And she just assumed That he shot himself.

Oh, my god!

Oh, my -- What did you do!

Oh! Come on, come on.

We got to go. Let's call on the way out.

[ sobbing ] I...

Why would he do something Like this to himself?!

Shaka's telling me her story.

She's obviously becoming More and more upset,

And part of that is Because she's still At the crime scene

And mr. Small's remains Are still inside the home.

My thought at that point Is that we need to get her

And any other witnesses And remove them

From that environment As quickly as possible.

I don't understand!

Hey. Do me a favor, please.

Would you find her aunt and take Them both down to the station

So I can get A formal statement?

-yes, sir. -go with him, okay?

I'm gonna go inside and take A look and just -- thanks.

[ police radio chatter ]

This is my first case As a homicide detective.

And though I know good and well What I signed on for,

When I walk into the room Where albert's body is...

...It hits hard.

-hey, detective. -yeah.

Someone needs to speak To you right now.

Sure.

How you doing?

Doing fine, man. I need to talk to you.

Okay. You are?

I'm billy. Al was a good friend of mine.

This guy explains to me That he didn't believe

That mr. Small Committed suicide.

Okay. How do you know He didn't commit suicide?

I saw him today.

-what's going on, al? -what's up, man?

He just actually Paid off his house.

He paid off Another property.

He would've never taken Himself out like that, man.

The fact that wells Was so concerned,

I was beginning to be A little suspicious.

To think you're investigating A suicide is a mistake.

All these cases should Be investigated as homicides,

Because there's No real telltale way

To find out, initially.

Okay. Thank you.

-it's bull. -yeah, no, no. Thank you.

[ sighs ]

Hey. Excuse me.

Hey, detective, What do you think?

Well, it looks Pretty clear-cut to me.

We got a suicide here.

-really? -yeah.

[ television playing ]

Demery: martin's theory was

That small had placed A gun in his mouth...

[ gunshot ]

...And the top of the head Is where the bullet exited,

But I was very skeptical Of that.

-mind if I take a look? -oh, sure. Go ahead.

[ indistinct conversation ]

Crow: you really couldn't tell How this wound occurred.

If it was self-inflicted,

There would have to be An entry wound somewhere else,

Possibly in the mouth...

Under his chin...

Someplace that you Couldn't readily see

When you initially Looked at the body.

-hey, detective? -yeah.

He's still got The gun in his hand.

Yeah?

Demery: the other thing is I didn't believe

That someone could fire A gun into their head

And perfectly put their arms

Back in a position of rest Across their body.

Arms are gonna fall haphazardly,

And the firearm's Gonna fall to the floor.

Anybody find the bullet?

Yeah, one casing on the floor, But no projectile.

Demery: I'm listening To some of the discussions

That are going on,

And I see that there's

A half-eaten plate of food On the floor.

The thought that someone Would be enjoying a plate

Or bowl of red beans and rice And then say, you know,

"I'm gonna shoot myself In the head,"

Just didn't make A whole lot of sense to me.

Well, I've seen enough.

Let's call the coroner, Get him over here,

And make the call.

Demery: He can have his theory.

He can have his authority And his rank,

But there was no way I was gonna

Accept martin's theory For what happened.

The trick was gonna be Getting him to understand

And accept mine.

[ siren wails ]

Demery: I'm investigating My very first homicide.

45-year-old albert small Has been shot.

The lead detective has Determined that it's a suicide.

I'm not willing to accept that, And I believe it's a homicide.

Hey, detective. Detective!

What?

Can I speak to you For a minute outside, please?

Sure.

The problem is That at this point

In my detective career, I wasn't in a position

Where I could just tell people What I thought and how I felt,

And being diplomatic

Is not something That I'm skilled at.

What's the matter, demery? First-case nerves gotten to you?

No, man. You know what? Look --

Don't worry. Coroner will be here.

We'll be out of here once He signs off on the suicide.

Heck, you'll be home by dinner. Don't worry.

So, my thought At that point is

That the coroner's Investigator's gonna come in,

And that person, I was certain,

Was gonna see it The way I saw it.

Hello, detectives.

-hey. -hey.

Demery: So I waited for the coroner

To get there And validate my suspicions.

Was a projectile found?

Found a .380 casing But no bullet.

Interesting.

My guess is the bullet Is still inside the head.

Any signs Of an entry wound

On the temples Or under the chin?

No that I can see, no.

But it is A suicide, right?

It doesn't appear to be.

The coroner was unable To find a wound

Beneath the chin or in the mouth

And determined that the wound On top of the head

Was actually an entrance wound Rather than an exit wound.

Someone shot him In the top of the head.

I don't see Any other way around it.

Well, now that You mention it,

That's kind of what I was thinking.

Martin reversed his theory And tried to redeem himself.

And after the coroner Validated my theory of homicide,

It kind of boosted My confidence level,

And I felt like I could do this.

All right, demery,

Looks like we got Ourselves a murder.

Yes, sir.

At that point, Putting my trust in martin

And following his lead Wasn't gonna happen.

That was my awakening.

Tell you what. I'm gonna head out and see

If I can find Some family members,

Maybe make this Death notification.

Good idea.

-hey, detective. -yeah?

I think mr. Small's sister Is outside.

She lives around the corner. Her name is esther foster.

She got wind something Happened to her brother.

[ sighs ] All right. I'll talk to her.

[ police radio chatter ]

Demery: the neighborhood Was pretty close-knit,

And small's sister,

She knew before I did That small had died.

But I did need to interview her

And try to gather whatever Information I could.

Hey. Detective demery.

Listen, they're saying He committed suicide,

But my brother Wouldn't do that.

Actually, we've determined It wasn't a suicide.

Wait. So you're saying Someone murdered him?

Who would do that To him?

That's what we're Trying to figure out.

At that point, I didn't have Any reason to hide anything.

It was reported as a suicide,

But she had just as much Trouble with the fact

That somebody would've Wanted to kill him.

Can you tell me If albert had any enemies

Or anybody That was mad at him?

She didn't have any belief

That anybody Would want to kill him.

He was helpful, friendly

To all the people In the neighborhood.

Shaka -- she did struggle From time to time.

-what do you mean by "Struggle"? -drugs.

What foster did tell me

Was that shaka Was a substance abuser.

She was a drug addict.

Shaka basically has a problem, An addiction to cocaine.

And she hangs out With a lot of shady people.

[ train whistle blows ]

Albert's death definitely Could have been

A byproduct of shaka's drug use.

Crow: did she owe money To a drug dealer?

Did she have a falling-out

For some reason With a drug dealer

That, in order to get at her,

Got at the person That she cared about?

All these things Had to be looked at.

[ thunder rumbles ]

Anything else You can tell me?

No, but albert's friend Was out here earlier.

He said he knew something.

Okay, you know Where he is now?

No, he's not out here Anymore,

But I saw him talking to one of Your cops up front earlier.

All right, well, look. Thank you for your time.

And if I have any questions, I'll be in contact.

-thank you. -okay.

Demery: After I talked to foster,

The first responding officer, Yarborough,

Tells me the witness's name Is bobby evans.

He said he was a friend Of the victim.

And he did mention that he did See something earlier today,

But the guy had to go, But he did leave his address

If you want to talk To him later.

Damn right.

I'm hoping that evans Is gonna be able to tell me

Who would kill small, But at that point,

I didn't really have any idea What he was gonna say.

What I did know was That I had to talk to him.

[ door opens ]

-come on in. -thanks.

One of the officers said

You might have Some information for me

Related to the death Of albert small?

Yeah. Let me explain What happened.

Earlier that day, I was with a buddy of mine,

And we saw albert's car Parked on the street.

I mean, I'll take all The overtime he's gonna give me.

I know that's right.

-all right. -hey. Look over there.

-hey, is that albert's car? -that's albert's car.

Demery: Evans explains to me

That he saw small's car Earlier that day.

He approached the car, And small wasn't in the car.

He said that shaka was In the car with a younger man.

-what's she doing? -I don't know.

Albert don't let nobody Drive his car.

-not even shaka. -then who's that?

I know one thing. That ain't albert.

He was really suspicious And really curious

As to how shaka had possession Of this vehicle.

Now, you've got to Understand, man.

Nobody, And I mean nobody,

Drives that car But albert.

-okay. -that was his baby.

-mm-hmm. -he didn't let anyone near it.

So I went over to shaka to Find out what was going on.

Oh, hey. How are you?

Where's albert?

Oh, he's sleeping. You know him.

He know You driving his car?

Yeah, he told me I could use it.

-you like? -oh, okay.

Evans didn't believe it.

To him, That was very significant.

And afterwards, We just left.

Okay. This guy. You recognize him?

No, sir.

What'd he look like?

I don't know. He was a dark-skinned dude.

Demery: evans explained That he was small-framed,

Close in age to shaka, Early 20's...

That he was wearing A blue shirt and khakis.

Shaka introduce you To him?

No. Not at all.

She didn't introduce us Or anything.

That's what was so weird About it, you know?

After speaking with evans, I really want to find Out who this guy is.

Something's obviously Not right here.

I want to know why he's in a car He's not supposed to be in.

He's important. I need to find him.

[ siren wails ]

Demery: I'm working My first homicide case,

Which was thought To be a suicide.

Now we've confirmed That it's a homicide.

We found that the victim's Vehicle was being operated

By his girlfriend And some unknown man.

We need to find out who he is.

There are more questions

That need to be answered In this case,

So I'm gonna go talk to Shaka's aunt, erica clark.

She was with shaka When the body was discovered.

I'm hoping she can shed A little light

On who the gentleman was Inside the car with shaka.

-hey, erica. -hey.

Detective demery. We spoke last night.

Yeah.

Listen. I have A few questions for you.

Okay. This is so unbelievable.

I feel so bad for shaka.

Tell me this.

How did you and shaka Come to find the body?

I mean, were you guys Together the whole day?

No. She came by earlier, But she didn't stay.

And she was driving Albert's car,

Which I thought Was strange.

-hey, auntie. -hey.

Strange because albert never Let her drive the car, right?

No, because wherever One of them went,

They both went.

Mm. Tell me this.

Was albert -- I don't know --

Possessive or Controlling of shaka?

You could say that, yeah.

But shaka didn't exactly

Give him reason To trust her, either.

[ television playing ]

-where you going? -I'm going for a run.

-I'll be back. -going where?

To get some cigarettes.

No, you're not. Not without me.

I have my own money, okay? I don't need your --

-it's not -- -you're -- stop!

-don't grab me! -I'm still going with you.

Man, whatever.

Demery: erica believed That albert didn't have

A whole lot of trust in shaka.

He thought that She was up to something

When he wasn't around,

So he was always Suspicious of her.

Albert wasn't with her When she came by.

Was anyone else In the car?

No one else Was in the car.

Even though erica told me She didn't see anyone

In the car with shaka,

I gave her the description Of the person

I'd heard that shaka had been With earlier that day.

Erica didn't have any idea Who that may have been.

What was she coming for? You guys had plans?

She said She wanted to talk.

I need to talk to you About something important.

I don't have time, Sweetie.

Please. I just need Five minutes. Please.

I-I really can't. I will talk to you later.

All right. All right.

Demery: Shaka then leaves the house

And says she's going To her uncle leroy's house.

Erica explains that She doesn't see shaka again

Until later that evening When the two of them

Go over and discover the body.

You see this stuff All the time in movies,

But you never expect to find A dead body in real life,

Especially Somebody you know.

Trust me, I understand.

After I talk to erica, I'm really concerned

There's something going on there That's just not right.

Crow: you had to wonder, Is this the type of relationship

That could become violent Because of these trust issues?

Demery: albert's death Could be drug-related.

It could be a Domestic-violence situation.

Or both.

-hey, demery. -hey.

You made any progress On the albert small shooting?

Yeah. Actually, I was just Getting ready to come find you

And give you an update.

So, here's what We got so far.

Even though I've kind of Taken off on this case

And started investigating It the way I wanted to,

Martin is still The lead investigator.

There are a lot of different Avenues at this point.

So, the way I figure it It's either gonna be drugs

Or maybe in a crime of passion,

But either way, I'm gonna run albert and shaka

Through the system and see If we've got a file on them.

Okay. Keep me posted.

Will do.

When I run their names,

I'm hoping I might Come across a little dirt,

Some minor brush with the law That could lead me somewhere.

Instead, I discover Something much bigger.

I find out That earlier in the year,

Shaka had reported that She was raped by albert small.

However, as I read Through the reports,

I find out that the case Eventually dissolved.

Ferrand: At that time, investigators

Tried to follow up on that case,

And when they did, Shaka wasn't cooperating

And was not giving them Any more information.

Crow: Nothing became of that case.

With an allegation of rape,

You start developing A picture of someone

Who may have a motive For mr. Small to be dead.

[ indistinct conversations ]

[ drawer opens, closes ]

Hey, demery. Where you going?

-going to see shaka's uncle. -mm-hmm.

Trying to get some Additional information.

Now I think there may be A history of domestic violence.

You want me To go with you?

No, I think I can handle this.

But if I have any questions, I'll give you a call.

Tell you what -- I'll go ahead

And have her brought back in For more questioning.

Okay. Thanks.

Demery: shaka's aunt, Erica clark, had told me

That shaka was going To her uncle leroy's house.

If there was An abusive relationship

Or evidence of such,

Leroy might be able to give me Some information on that.

[ rock music plays ]

-how you doing? Leroy? -yeah.

I'm detective demery With the shreveport p.D.

-how you doing? -good. You all right?

Good. I got a couple of questions

For you about Albert and shaka.

Man, those two were Like oil and water.

Two people couldn't Be more different.

-mm-hmm. -and the age difference.

I mean, he could've Been her father. You Know what I'm saying?

[ television playing ]

Crow: shaka's uncle Thought that mr. Small

Might be taking advantage Of someone much younger,

Putting her into A type of relationship

Where he was being Very controlling

As to who she saw, Where she went.

And then there was other Things he did to her.

Other things? Like what?

[ sighs ] You know. Getting rough with her.

Demery: leroy told me That he actually knew

That shaka was the victim Of domestic abuse

To the point where He actually interjected

And got into it with small.

-what's up, leroy? -you know what's up.

Where's shaka at? I need to speak to her.

What you need to speak To her about, man?

-shaka! Shaka! -whoa, whoa, whoa.

Why you hollering On my porch, man?

What gives you the right To beat on her like that?

Man, what the hell You talking about, man?

You put your hands On her one more time...

-what's he talking about, shaka? -I don't know.

-uncle, please. -this is my woman.

Shaka, get your stuff. Let's go.

Get out of here, man!

-please. Please. -shaka.

-you need to go. -bye.

So he had a real problem With small.

He was well aware Of small's abuse

And wasn't too keen on it.

And I had asked shaka, "What in The hell you see in this guy?"

-mm-hmm. -she'd just brush it off

Like it wasn't nothing.

It was hard as hell trying to Talk some sense into that girl.

Demery: there are A couple different reasons

Why people stay In abusive relationships.

The obvious is out of fear.

The next thing is for resources.

In this case, when someone Has a substance-abuse problem,

They can't get out Because they have nowhere to go.

Listen.

A friend of albert's Saw shaka driving around

In albert's car With some young,

Dark-skinned brother, Skinny.

Any idea Who that might be?

Well, that could've Been her ex-boyfriend.

When she left here, she said She was going to see him.

You got a name On that ex-boyfriend?

Uh, vernon. Last name turner, I think.

Demery: Now, at this point,

I'm wondering what type Of relationship

Shaka has with vernon.

Have they gotten back together?

Is she trying to get Somebody to help her

With her problem with small?

A person who feels like They have no options

And they feel like their back Is up against the wall

Are very dangerous.

Demery: I've witnessed Hundreds of autopsies,

And believe me, it changes you.

Those bodies on the table Were somebody's father,

Somebody's mother, Somebody's child.

The empty eyes...

The colorless cheeks That look like clay...

The lifeless silence.

I'm investigating the murder Of 45-year-old albert small.

I found out that shaka ware, His girlfriend,

Has been enduring an abusive Relationship with small.

-how you doing? -I'm good.

I'm looking for Vernon turner.

-yeah, he's right over there. -thank you.

Demery: so now I'm looking to Find shaka's ex-boyfriend.

I want to find out what He knows about the murder.

-vernon turner? -yeah.

Detective demery with the Shreveport police department.

Mind if I ask you a few Questions about shaka ware?

I don't know What to tell you.

We're not together anymore. Me and shaka are still friendly,

But it's 'cause I care about her.

And I worry about her With that albert guy.

As I talk to vernon, he Explains albert's relationship

With shaka in his opinion Was abusive.

He wanted to see her safe.

When was the last time You saw her?

Yesterday.

She was acting All kinds of crazy.

Crazy how?

Nervous, jumpy.

And she said something Stupid like

She hurt albert Or something.

Shaka, what's Going on with you?

[ breathing shakily ]

[ sobbing ] I did it.

I told you I would do it.

Yeah, sure you did, Shaka.

She told him that She'd killed albert.

Vernon didn't believe that.

Girl, you know You ain't killed nobody.

What you talking about?

-of course, I killed him! -well, good for you.

Vernon didn't believe her, Kind of laughed it off,

And he said he even joked About helping her hide the body.

I'm guessing You haven't heard.

What's that?

That albert's dead.

Looking like shaka Might be the one.

Shaka's crazy, But she ain't no murderer.

Demery: Vernon's opinion of shaka

Was that she would never Do anything like that.

It's just not something He's gonna accept.

He knows her too well.

Or at least he thought he did.

Where's shaka at now? Can I talk to her?

No. But I'm about to.

The fact that there was

Some other mysterious man In the vehicle

And all these other things were Totally dismissed at that point.

I think she killed albert small

Simply because He was abusing her.

-hey. -oh, hey.

-where's shaka? -she's in the back.

One of our officers Is taking care of her.

All right. Cool. I'm gonna go talk to her.

Uh, what's up? What's going on?

I tell martin everything That I've learned thus far.

Martin clearly appreciates The gesture,

But martin tells me that he's Gonna lead the interrogation,

And my job Is to sit and observe.

Demery, you've done A great job at this one,

But there's a big difference

Between field work And interrogation.

You better Let me handle this.

Martin just simply wanted To close the case.

Figuring out the case And developing a theory

Was something that had Already been done for him.

Okay. Would you bring shaka ware Down into interrogation?

And I'll talk to her There.

Once I found out

That martin wanted to lead The interrogation,

I determined that I was Gonna go in with him

And let him do so, because, One, I owed him that respect,

Because he was A senior investigator,

And, two, I wanted To see him fail at it.

Come on, demery. You got to watch this.

I'll bet you learn Something today.

[ door closes ]

Hello, shaka. I'm detective martin.

I believe you've met Detective demery at the house.

I knew enough, Even as a rookie detective,

To know that If you don't know exactly

What the moving parts are In a murder investigation,

You can't interrogate anybody.

So my hope was that he'd go in, At some point release the reins,

And let me go on With the interrogation.

We pretty much know What happened,

But I want you to tell me.

Demery: I'm watching shaka.

She looked like she was Totally frightened to death.

But I noticed that she had Some bruising on her arms

And her legs, And I'm pretty certain

That she got those From albert.

After I left My aunt and uncle's,

I went to the neighbor's To smoke a cigarette.

Then I went home.

I found the body. I figured he'd shot himself.

[ scoffs ] You can cut the crap.

We both know You shot him.

Demery: martin tried to Confine her to a timeline

And tried to debunk Any response that she had

By shooting it down.

That type of interrogation Is a standard textbook thing.

The problem is, That made her feel

Like she was being attacked.

I don't have all day. Are you gonna come clean or not?

I already answered you.

Crow: This is just not going well.

I mean, she's not Coming off her story

That she had nothing To do with it,

That she came home And found him shot in the head,

And that's all She knows about it.

Okay. If that's the way You want to play it, so be it.

Demery: martin leaves, But I stick around.

Now it's just me and shaka...

Staring at each other, Not saying a word.

Although I had never done An interview or an interrogation

In a murder investigation,

I was confident That I could be successful,

So I figured I'd take that opportunity

To find out what I could.

Hey.

I'm sorry about that.

How'd you get Those bruises?

He was beating you, Wasn't he?

And that's why You shot him, right?

Demery: I'm looking at shaka. She looks like a little kid.

And she looked at me and said, "I knew you knew."

At that point, I realized

That she's gonna Tell me the story.

♪♪

Demery: so, now I'm In the office with shaka ware,

And when she told me that She had killed albert small,

I was excited.

I can't believe That I'm getting a confession

Off my first murder.

Shaka, I'm gonna have to read You your rights again, okay?

Mack: an interview With a murder suspect

Is a tall order For a veteraninvestigator.

For a rookie investigator, It's huge.

So, you kind of Have to bring your way

Of communication to the table,

Which is something Demery does like

He's been doing it 20 years.

Demery: listening to shaka, I'm Beginning to get a better idea

Of her and albert's Abusive relationship.

He used shaka's addiction To control her.

Albert knew that if he didn't Buy her crack cocaine,

She was gonna wander off

And she'd find somebody else To buy it for her.

So it's how he kept her there.

Shaka explains that albert Took her to get drugs.

When they got back to the house, Albert demanded sex from her.

-baby, no, not right now. -come on. Let's go.

Mack: he wanted to have sex, And she turned him down,

Told him she didn't want to.

They began to argue. He physically pushed her.

No! Aah!

And she stated That he rapes her.

[ albert panting ]

Shaka tells me That she is thinking

About her situation And the relationship.

She doesn't want To do it anymore.

She explained this.

She wanted to wait until He got into a position

Where he was vulnerable.

Hey, shaka, fix me some of That red beans and rice.

I'm hungry.

[ television playing ]

He asked her to make Something for him to eat.

And she explained That after he began to eat,

She waited for him To fall asleep.

[ television playing ]

Man on tv: And then, all of a sudden,

I just felt a bite In my side...

She said that After she had realized

What she'd done, She had to stage a crime scene.

She leaves the house. She goes to pick up her friend.

It's the young man That everybody has described

In the vehicle.

She goes to the drug house, Purchases drugs,

And she takes him back.

So he had no other role In the story

Other than going with her To get drugs.

Mack: After that, she started going

To all these Different people's houses,

And everybody seemed too busy

Or didn't want to believe She killed him,

So she returns back to see

Whether or not If he was really dead.

[ television playing ]

-shaka, it's auntie! -auntie, what're you doing here?

I told you I was coming. What?

What's going on, shaka?

What is albert doing With that gun?

I don't know. I think he -- I think he shot himself.

Let's go.

We have to call for help. Come on.

She said they went outside To call the police,

And she flagged one down

And told the police officer That small had shot himself.

It's wrong to take Anyone's life,

But in a sense, She was also a victim.

She had been through a lot With this man,

And maybe she made cries For help and didn't get heard,

And this was her way Of finally being heard.

Demery: shaka was able to Convince her attorney and others

That she acted As a battered woman,

And they allowed her To take a plea.

She was sentenced To 10 years in prison.

Well, demery, I got to hand it to you.

You really came through On this.

Demery: Martin was pleased.

To this day, he tells everybody How well he trained me,

And I say, "Hey, thanks.

You know, I appreciate your help."

1 for 1. That's a hell of a start.

Thank you, sir.

Solving this case set the tone For the next 15 years,

And I was very confident In my abilities

As far as following my instincts

And feeling natural and Comfortable in working homicide.

Gentlemen, We just received word

Of a murder On appaloosa street.

You think you can Handle this one, demery?

-yes, sir. -good. Then get going.

Demery: I was a homicide detective.

There was no turning back.