All language subtitles for Sin.City.Murders.S01E02.720p.WEBRip.x264-BAE[EZTVx.to]

(upbeat music)
(crowds cheering)

- [jeff] his stage
name is mikey p

And my stage name is ekoh.

- Yep.
(mikey beatboxing)

- We were making a name
and getting a buzz going.

Everything was bright
on the horizon.

- The caller reported a
male covered in blood,

Laying in the parking
lot in front of the bar.

- You see some type
of exchange going.

There may be a
drug deal going on.

- I didn't believe it.

And I said, no,
that's impossible.

- We don't know if this
involves a love triangle.

- Mikey's ex-girlfriend
started dating an mma fighter.

- The vehicle had
been left running

And the interior had
been set on fire.

- Finding the bloody shoes,

I would say that's finding
a needle in a haystack.

- I was so mad that
god would do this.

How could you do this again?

(music crescendos)
(mikey beatboxing)

(pulsating theme music)

(edgy upbeat music)

- [narrator] under the
neon lights of las vegas,

There are thousands of
people hustling every day

To make a name for themselves.

- Las vegas is a place that
you go to get discovered.

You never know who's
gonna be there.

Everyone comes to vegas.

- [narrator] and
the shows in vegas

Have become just as big
of a draw to the city,

As its casinos.

- Vegas has always had the
biggest artists on the planet.

The biggest rappers,
the biggest pop stars,

The biggest country stars.

It's tough.

You know, for anybody trying
to make a name out here is,

You gotta work, I
think, extra hard.

- [narrator] but in sin city,

The path to pursuing your dreams

Can quickly become a nightmare.

On Wednesday, March 30th, 2011,

A 911 call comes in
just before midnight

From the tenaya creek brewery,

A bar located in the
northwest part of town.

- My name is frank coumou,

I was a chief deputy
district attorney

Here in the clark county
district attorney's office.

The tenaya creek brewery is in

A relatively very
good part of town,

That had almost zero crime.

- My name is dean raetz.

I joined the las vegas
metropolitan police department

In 1991.

The caller reported a
male covered in blood

Laying in the parking lot

In front of the bar.

One of the patrons came
out to check for a pulse,

But no one knew what
exactly had happened.

The victim was laying face down.

First responders encountered

A bullet wound in
the lower back.

They also found a bullet
wound in the back of his head.

At that point, they realized
that medical intervention

Would not produce any results.

Homicide detectives
are dispatched.

- [narrator] as the
brewery parking lot

Becomes an official crime scene,

Las vegas metro pd quickly works

To recover any evidence
left behind at the shooting.

- At this point, I was assigned

To document the scene with
our crime scene analysts.

There was some cash on the
ground near the victim,

Only a few dollars.

The question arises on
whether there was a robbery.

We don't know if the
victim was holding cash

And just dropped it
when they were shot,

Or if somebody had
gone through pockets

And grabbed a wad of cash and
inadvertently dropped some.

- One of the interesting
things that was found

Was a cigarette butt
underneath the victim.

He must have fallen on a
cigarette that had fallen down.

- We didn't know if the
victim was a smoker or not

Or if it was dropped
by the suspect,

But it had a longer ash than

Somebody who was trying
to put a cigarette out.

So because the cigarette
had partially burned,

We were hopeful that it was
involved in the incident

And cigarettes are a
good source of dna.

We knew the victim had
been shot multiple times.

However, there were
no cartridge cases

Recovered at the scene.

So, we believe that we were
looking for a revolver.

- The revolver expels the
bullet out of the cartridge,

The case remains in a cylinder,

And we found absolutely
not one single case.

- We found a driver's license

In the name of michael portaro.

The driver's license
matched the victim's face

And he had his last name

Tattooed across the
top of his back,

So this was confirmation
of his identification.

(mysterious music)

- [narrator] also found
in michael's pockets

Is his cellphone,

Which is collected so
detectives can begin

A records request on it.

But what is unclear
is how and why michael

Ended up in an
empty parking spot.

- We were able to
do a dmv search

And determine the vehicle
that michael portaro owned

Was a gray 2006 nissan altima,

But it was not in
the parking lot.

Nobody saw or heard anything.

However, there was
cameras on the building,

So we're hopeful that security
cameras capture everything

In up to the minute detail.

- [narrator] as investigators

Scrutinize the security footage,

They get their first break.

- On the video, we see
the gray sedan pull

Into the driveway of the
brewery parking lot.

The occupant was
michael portaro.

The bartender stated
that he did remember

Seeing a gray sedan pull
into the parking lot.

The car stayed there for a
while with the lights on,

But it appeared to the bartender

That the occupant
of that vehicle

Was waiting for somebody.

- The videos speak loudly.

You see michael pulling up,

Making a couple of circles,

Almost as if he's doing a
surveillance of the parking lot,

Then he backs the car in.

He's standing with
the car running,

Waits for another
car to show up.

You see him then walking
up to the passenger side

And leans into the car,

And you see some type
of exchange going.

The only rational belief

Is that there may be
a drug deal going on.

- The white car then
left the parking lot

And mike portaro went
back to his vehicle,

Sat down behind
the steering wheel,

But left his door open.

- In the background, you
see an individual walking,

He's wearing a sweatshirt.

His head seems to be covered up.

You cannot make out the face,

But you can kind of
give an identification

That it was a black male.

- Once he got to the
rear of the portaro car,

Did an immediate 90 degree turn

And walked right up to the door.

There was some kind of struggle.

Because the resolution is so
low on the camera footage,

We don't see everything that
happened during the struggle.

But moments later, michael
portaro is laying on the ground

And his vehicle is driving
out of the parking lot.

At that point we did
broadcast a bolo on the radio.

We are hopeful that
a patrol officer

Somewhere in the valley

Will encounter the nissan,

Or identify whoever
is driving it.

This person had something
long and cylindrical,

It was white, hanging
from his mouth.

We were hopeful that
it was the cigarette

We found under mr. Portaro's leg

That we've sent for dna testing.

- [narrator] as detectives wait

For a hit on michael's
car and the dna,

They have the heartbreaking task

Of notifying his loved ones.

- During the dmv lookup,

We were able to determine

That mike did live at
home with his parents,

And we did make
contact with the family

For the death notification.

- My name is cynthia portaro.

I'm mikey's mother.

It was 3:30 in the morning.

There was knocking at the door.

(hand knocks on door)

I said to myself, oh my gosh,

Mikey forgot his keys again.

And when I went to the
door, it wasn't mike.

It was a police officer.

I knew if police
come to the door,

That it's fatal.

And he said, can we come in?

I said, no, I wanna know
who it is right now.

He said, it's michael.

(sad music)

And I didn't believe it.

And he handed me his
driver's license,

And I just,

I lost it on the floor.

I just screamed.

- Making contact with the
family of a murder victim

Is never easy.

They want to know what
happened to their loved one

Just as much as we do.

And it's our job to help
provide them with answers,

But part of our
getting those answers

Is asking them
questions as well.

- He asked me if mikey
was out selling drugs

And I said, no,
that's impossible.

He was always a trusted kid.

I mean, he never did
anything bad to anybody.

Mikey was selling
tickets to a concert

With his best friend jeff.

- We got a pretty good sense

That michael portaro
was a clean-cut kid,

But in this case, parents
don't know every aspect

Of their child's life.

And from the video,
it did appear

That he could have been involved

In hand-to-hand transactions,

And so we made contact
with jeff thompson.

- When I got to
his parents' house,

I talked to investigators.

I remember being angry
that mike's dead,

And the second
emotion was guilt.

- Well, I felt like
it was my fault.

(dramatic music)

- Mikey had at least
$1,200 in cash.

The majority of that
$1,200 was missing.

- Investigators are
trying to figure out,

Do you have any enemies?

Your brain starts just reaching,

"is that person
capable of that?"

- An anonymous caller calls in

And identifies an
individual by name

As the person involved
in this murder.

(dramatic music builds)

(pulsating theme music)

- [narrator] it's
the morning after

22-year-old michael
portaro was shot and killed

In a brewery parking lot.

And las vegas metro
pd homicide detectives

Speak with friends and family

About his life
and final moments.

(sad contemplative music)

- My name is jeff thompson.

Mike and I were
making music together.

We would both come up
with ideas for songs.

(mikey beatboxing)

♪ mikey p on the beatbox ♪

♪ paid all the money
for your beat ♪

- And we would do the
beatboxing and rap together.

So when the news
was broke to me,

I was in a complete
state of disbelief,

'cause I felt like
it was my fault.

I got him involved with

This music thing
in the first place

Which is the whole reason

That we're here
selling these tickets.

March 30th, we had
a show the next day

And mike and I were out and
we were selling tickets.

We were both super
excited that day,

We were gonna make some money.

It was looking to be like one of

The biggest shows
that we had played.

Everything was bright
on the horizon.

- [narrator] despite
spending the day together,

Jeff tells police he
wasn't there at the brewery

When mikey was murdered.

- We had one stop left
that we had to make,

But I had to go home.

So he dropped me off at home

And went to go
make the last sale

To one of our friends

That just happened to be
at tenaya creek brewery.

The investigators were trying

To get to the
bottom of the story.

What was he doing?

Was he selling drugs?

No, mike was not
doing any drug deals.

I know the type
of person he was,

A good person, great person.

- [narrator] mikey's loved
ones echo jeff's sentiment

And they go on to
tell investigators

More about mikey's
personal life.

- I have five children.
Mike is three in line.

Mikey is pretty much the
reason we found faith.

He had open heart
surgery as a baby.

My husband and I
prayed together.

That's where it all began.

- My name is joseph portaro.

I go by joe.

I am mike's little brother.

Mikey was everything you'd
expect out of a big brother

And he showed me how to
do everything I know.

- Mikey was a superstar athlete,

But he wanted something else.

(quick rap beats)

- Mike has always had
an interest in music.

We were always into dancing

And learning new dance moves,

So it fit him really well
when he started to do it.

- Mike was a
incredible beatboxer

And a great dancer.

- [cynthia] go mikey, go! Woo!

- S'up?

- S'up?

So when I do a show,
I would bring him on.

- First time I
saw mikey perform,

I remember going
with my whole family.

My grandma even came.

- He was the hype man.

- His stage name is mikey p.

And my stage name is ekoh.

- The two of them, together,
were a dynamic duo.

They were powerful on stage.

- We were making a name
and getting a buzz going

And figuring it out.

So when we were selling
tickets for the show,

We were stoked,

Because the amount of tickets
we were selling was crazy.

- Some of the information
that thompson provided us

Was that mikey had at
least $1,200 in cash,

Either on his person or
in his car somewhere.

So we did know that

The majority of that
$1,200 was missing

And had been taken.

One of the questions that
was asked of thompson

Was whether or not they
had any musical rivalries,

Or had had any altercations

With anybody else involved
in the music scene.

- Investigators are
trying to figure out,

Do you have any enemies?

They had the security
footage, but I had no idea.

Your brain starts
just reaching, like,

"is that person capable of that,

Or is that person capable?"

- And thompson told us no.

Through the interview
with jeff thompson

And phone numbers dialed on
mikey portaro's cellphone,

We identified the
occupant of the vehicle

That michael had made
initial contact with,

And we conducted an
interview with her.

- [narrator] since
authorities only have

The word of mikey's
family and friends

That he was not conducting
a drug deal that night,

Investigators have to
find out for themselves

What mikey was really up to.

- The interview with
that particular female

Confirmed the fact that
money had exchanged hands

In that transaction

For the cd and the
concert ticket.

There was no hand-to-hand
deal involving narcotics.

- [narrator] and when mikey's
autopsy results come in,

They only further debunk
the drug deal theory.

- There was absolutely no
drugs found in mikey's body,

No alcohol either.

Mikey was clean.

There was absolutely nothing
that he was doing illegal

Prior to this particular
unfortunate homicide.

- We knew it was not even close

To being anything about drugs.

Mikey was just trying
to be a good guy

And promote his music.

- [narrator] the
autopsy also confirms

Vital information about the gun

Used to murder mikey.

- [raetz] bullet
fragments and bullets

That were recovered from
mikey portaro's body

Were 38 caliber and were
fired from a revolver.

- [narrator] so investigators
now shift their focus

To anyone else in mikey's life

That may have had
reason to harm him.

- In this case,

We were told about
a recent breakup,

And they had just broken up

Within the last couple of weeks.

- Law enforcement looked into
the ex-girlfriend of mikey.

She had gone back to
her previous boyfriend

Who happened to
be an mma fighter.

- Detectives explored
the possibility

That mikey might have gotten
caught up in a love triangle

Between his ex-girlfriend
and her boyfriend.

Did something happen?

Mma is a violent sport,

So learning that
mikey's ex-girlfriend

Started dating an mma fighter

Piqued investigators' interest.

- It upset him pretty good.

- We were hopeful that
this is a big lead.

(dramatic music crescendos)

(pulsating theme music)

(tense music)

- [narrator] while digging
into hip-hop artist

Michael portaro's personal life,

Las vegas metro
homicide detectives

Learn of a recent breakup

And a potential love triangle.

- Mikey had a girlfriend.

They liked each other a lot.

She would come to
the house a lot

And she would come
to his concerts,

Selling tickets before
the show at the table

When people were coming in

And she was a nice person.

- Mike was the kind of boyfriend
that girls dream about,

Very respectful and he was kind.

Mike and his girlfriend
did eventually break up

A month or two before
everything happened.

- She had gotten back
with an ex-boyfriend,

But mike was never on
bad terms with her.

- The boyfriend happened
to be an mma fighter,

So law enforcement
looked into that angle.

- Knowing that mikey had been
involved in a recent breakup,

We obviously wanted to
speak with that person

And she was interviewed
three days after the murder.

She had described
their relationship

As a little too fast for her,

So she broke it off.

- [narrator] detectives probe

For more information about
the mma fighter boyfriend,

But several factors cast
doubt on him as the killer.

- We determined
that his skin tone

Was in fact much lighter than

What was depicted on the
video footage of the incident.

And he was not in las vegas
the night of the murder.

He had been in thailand.

We didn't have any
reason to believe

That the former boyfriend

Had been involved
in this at all.

(moody soft music)

- [narrator] less than a week
into their investigation,

Detectives crossed one
suspect off their list

While mikey's family
waits for answers.

- That at the
beginning was tough

Not knowing who did it.

Luckily we have a really good

Police department
here in las vegas,

And our detectives
were very adamant

On finding this person quickly.

- I just knew, from the time
they came into the house,

That detective dean raetz
was just a really hands-on,

"we're gonna get this
done no matter what."

- [narrator] investigators
soon get an update

On the dna from
the cigarette butt

Found at the crime scene.

The dna does not match mikey,

Meaning the unknown profile
could be his killer's.

In addition to the dna,

Investigators also
get new information

On mikey's stolen vehicle.

- We got no results
from the bolo,

But I did an entry into
the national crime database

Listing michael portaro's
car as being stolen

And also having been
used in a homicide.

I received a return that that
vehicle had been impounded.

- The city workers found
the car in north las vegas.

The city of north las vegas

Is a separate municipality,

North of the city of las vegas.

- Most locals view
north las vegas

As a little bit more rough of
an area than las vegas itself,

And you could see why, maybe,

That caused the suspect
to dump the car there.

- The vehicle was
found in an empty lot.

It had been left running

And the interior had
been set on fire.

When it was found, there was
damage inside the vehicle,

But the vehicle
was not destroyed,

Because the doors
had all been closed

So the fire had in
fact been smothered

Due to lack of oxygen.

We knew that the suspect
was trying to destroy

Whatever evidence he
might have left behind,

Just wasn't very smart
in the way he did it.

- The failed car fire was
good news for investigators,

Because they were hoping to
find evidence inside the car.

- We know he touched
the steering wheel,

We know he touched
the gear shift,

So we're looking to see if
we can get some dna evidence.

- [narrator] while they
wait for dna results,

Investigators wonder whether
mikey was randomly targeted.

They look at all carjackings

That may include similar
elements to mikey's murder,

Including the use of a gun.

- When they had absolutely
no suspects, no leads,

It's very incumbent on
a homicide detective

To then start looking
at all reported crimes

Involving armed robberies.

They look at any crimes

That may have occurred
in the valley,

And also in the
surrounding areas,

Involving an
individual that matched

The description of the suspect

As they knew it from the video,

And whether or not a
revolver was involved.

- We now want to see if
there are any patterns.

So one of the things that we do

Is we do a search of stolen
vehicles in the area.

What we find during this search,

Is we find that a vehicle

Of the same make and model

Was recovered earlier
that day of the murder,

Less than a mile away from
the tenaya creek brewery.

In fact, it was recovered

In an apartment complex

To the north on tenaya,

And we know that the suspect

Appeared to have walked
southbound on tenaya,

When he came into
the parking lot.

When we get the details
of this incident,

We start thinking that
we're on the right track.

We are hopeful that this victim

Will be able to visually
identify the suspect.

(dramatic music builds)

(pulsating theme music)

(tense music)

- [narrator] nine
days into the search

For the killer of las vegas

Rising hip-hop
artist mikey portaro,

Homicide investigators
learn about a carjacking

That occurred a few miles
away from the murder.

When detectives learn the
details, they're intrigued.

- There is a difference
in the two crimes,

In the fact that the victim of
the carjacking was not shot.

So we went and spoke with
the victim of that incident.

He was a security guard

At a local cardenas
market in that area.

- [narrator] the
victim, elvis canamaro,

Relays his terrifying
ordeal to investigators.

- The victim was sitting behind
the wheel of the vehicle,

On break in the alley
behind the market

When he was approached
by a black male

Wearing a hoodie
with the hood up,

Who produced a silver revolver.

- The suspect had forced his
way into the driver's seat,

Forcing the owner of the car

To move into the passenger side.

Fortunately for that owner,

He slipped out on the passenger
side door and ran away.

(car screeches away)

What caught law
enforcement's attention

Was the victim
identified an individual

That seemed to match
the description

From the suspect that we had

In mike portaro's
surveillance video.

Second, the victim
was very clear

That the individual who did
this to him had a revolver.

- The reason why the revolver

Being used in this
incident is significant,

Is because we knew
michael portaro had been

Shot multiple times
with a revolver.

- They found the
car in a parking lot

Of a local apartment complex,

Just north of the

Tenaya creek brewery.

What was interesting
to that first robbery,

Was it happened to be the same
type of car, nissan altima.

- [narrator] after hearing
that the cardenas carjacking

Involves the same
type of vehicle,

Weapon and suspect
description as mikey's murder,

Police are now connecting
the two crimes.

- We are working
on the assumption

That this suspect
had stolen the car

And had it stashed in
this apartment complex.

When the police recovered a car

And took his mode of
transportation away from him,

He's out looking
for another one.

- Although elvis canamaro
provides investigators

With a general description
of his attacker,

They still don't have a name

Or identity of
someone to pursue.

- We were working
on the assumption

That the two carjackings
were connected,

But we don't have anybody
that we are looking at

Or zeroing in at, specifically,

For our homicide
investigation at that point.

So what we want to
do is, hopefully,

Be able to identify somebody

Or a person of
interest for our crime

And then take it
to the other victim

To see if we'd be
able to identify

Somebody for us in the future.

- [narrator] as
investigators work

To develop their next lead,

Mikey's family holds services

To celebrate the life
of the aspiring artist.

(sad contemplative music)

- We had a celebration
of his life,

Maybe two weeks after.

There was about
1,100 people there

And probably about six
or 700 watching online.

- It was both, you
know, emotionally rough

And also, you have
a sense of pride

For the person you knew,

That it's an auditorium
packed full of people

Who cared about this guy.

- It was a rough day

To have to speak in front
of all those people.

And rather than making
it sad and upsetting,

I was very uplifting,

Because that's the kind
of person that mike was

And everybody loved mike.

- We did a balloon release

And then his coach
gave me his jersey.

It was a beautiful celebration.

- [narrator] while the
family continues to mourn,

Weeks pass with no
new suspects in sight.

- Almost six weeks
after the murder,

We're at a standstill.

But as a common practice in
investigations like this,

When we do not have
a known suspect,

We use the media.

- Paul, portaro's
family is now offering

A new reward in the case.

- His family is offering
a $30,000 reward

For the arrest and capture

Of the man that is
the son's killer.

- I remember doing a television
thing with the sheriff,

Telling everybody
that, you know,

Call this number,
call this hotline.

- There's an incentive out there

For the public to come
forward anonymously.

You get hundreds of
these tips that come in

And you've gotta cull
through all of 'em

To try to see one that has

Any type of information
that you you can work.

- Luckily for investigators,

There was one tip that
stood out from the others.

- So, an anonymous tip came in,

We don't know from who,

But law enforcement
suddenly got a name

Of possibly the one
who could have been

The perpetrator of
mikey portaro's death.

Second, it also talked about
a revolver that was used,

And it was a bonanza
for law enforcement.

(dramatic music crescendos)

(pulsating theme music)

(tense music)

- [narrator] an anonymous tip

Has just given
homicide investigators

The name of a potential suspect

In the 2011 murder of

Aspiring las vegas
hip-hop star, mikey portaro.

- Almost six weeks
after the murder,

An anonymous caller calls in

And identifies an
individual by name

As the person involved
in this murder.

So this tip identified
brandon hill,

And further stated
that brandon hill

Was recently arrested
carrying a concealed weapon,

Which happened to be a revolver.

They also identified
brandon hill's residence,

Which is in the same
general area as the murder.

- [narrator] it's a
detailed and compelling tip,

But detectives can't
get an arrest warrant

Based solely on
an anonymous call.

- We just concern ourselves

With trying to prove that

That information that
was provided is correct.

So when the tip comes in,

I do a criminal history,
a search on brandon hill.

And I'm able to confirm that

Brandon hill was
encountered by officers

Close by the apartment complex

Where the car from cardenas
market was recovered.

- [narrator] but after his
concealed weapon arrest,

Brandon hill was
released from custody

And is currently walking free.

So investigators begin to see

If the evidence supports
hill being mikey's killer.

- We knew that a
revolver was used

In the death of mikey portaro.

We also knew that

Elvis canamaro gave information

That it was a revolver
that was used.

- I found the evidence impound
for brandon hill's revolver

And requested that
forensic testing be done

And compared to the
ballistics evidence

That we recovered from the
body of michael portaro,

And it ultimately
comes back as a match.

Now we know that we're
on the right track,

That we know we
have the firearm,

We most likely have the
right suspect as well.

- Firearms, like fingerprints,

They're unique.

So it ends up being
of a huge moment

For law enforcement
to discover that gun.

The detectives then
made a photo lineup

Consisting of six photographs,

Including the photograph
of brandon hill,

And then they go
to elvis canamaro

To see if he can identify

Who committed the
robbery on him.

Elvis canamaro had
absolutely no hesitation.

He identified brandon hill.

- [narrator] with
the deck of evidence

Stacking against brandon hill,

Police feel they have
enough to make an arrest.

- A swat serves the search
warrant on the residence

And brandon hill was taken
into custody without any issue.

- Law enforcement, in the
execution of the search warrant,

Seized on some tennis shoes.

Close examination of those shoes

Appear to be spattering of a
red substance on the shoes,

And determined
that it was blood.

- A request was put in
for forensic testing,

Dna testing on those shoes.

Once I take custody
of brandon hill,

I obtained his search
warrant via a buccal swab,

Swabs on the inside
of the mouth.

- [narrator] while detectives
wait for the results,

They interview brandon hill.

- So when I start
speaking to him,

We initially only bring up

The carjacking over
at cardenas market.

Of course, he denies
all involvement in that.

And then we ask him about

The gun that he was carrying

The night that he was
arrested, a few weeks previous.

And he tells us that
he bought that gun

In the parking lot of
the apartment complex,

Where the car was recovered.

You say you're not involved in

The carjacking at
cardenas market,

Yet you just told us
that you bought that gun

In the same parking lot where
police recovered that car.

He immediately lawyered
up at that point.

Our discussion was over.

- [narrator] initially,
police are only able

To charge brandon hill

With the cardenas
market carjacking,

Which keeps hill detained

While forensic dna
testing is completed.

While investigators eagerly
await the test results,

Tragedy strikes the
portaro family again

In September of 2011.

- It was about six months
after my brother died,

My sister, christina,

She asked me if I wanted
to go to ride the atvs

With her friend chandler,

But unfortunately I couldn't.

(phone ringing)

- My phone rang and
it was her calling me.

And I said, "hi honey."

And then this man says to me,

"there's been an accident.

You need to get up to
aspen road, right away."

All the way up there,

All I could think of was,

What if she broke her arm?

I was thinking all these things.

Never

What I was about to encounter.

And she had rolled
the atv on her,

And it crushed her to death.

And there she was on
the side of the road.

I wouldn't leave her side.

I was so mad

That god would do this.

How could you do this again?

- Yeah, it was really hard.

'cause of how close
our family was,

It was really hard to lose
another one after six months.

They always tell you that,

You know, time heals all wounds,

But it doesn't feel like that

When you're that close to
your brother and sister.

- [narrator] with the
portaros overcome by grief,

The detectives are more
determined than ever

To get the family answers,

And soon they're alerted

That the dna results
are finally in.

- The evidence against
brandon hill was stacking up,

But we would need forensic
evidence to match,

To prove that he did, in
fact, kill mikey portaro.

We had the dna from the
cigarette at the scene,

But it was an unknown
profile at that point.

So I put in a request for
dna evidence to be compared.

So, we are holding out
hope, at this point,

That we're gonna
get lucky with dna.

- If the dna results come back

As not a match for brandon hill,

Then investigators are
back to square one.

(dramatic music builds)

(pulsating theme music)

- [narrator] months
into the investigation

Of mikey portaro's murder,

Investigators have
received dna results

That could either prove
brandon hill is their killer,

Or send them back
to the beginning.

- As a prosecutor,
you're always hopeful

That dna will be found,

But it's a gamble.

- It turns out that the
dna off the cigarette butt

That was under
mikey portaro's leg,

Matched brandon hill.

And the blood droplets
on those shoes

Came back to michael portaro.

- Finding the bloody
shoes in a house

That mike portaro had
absolutely no connection to,

I would say that's finding
a needle in a haystack.

- In the surveillance video,

It looked like brandon
hill smoking the cigarette

That ended up
under mikey's body,

And wearing the shoes

That ended up with
mikey's blood on them.

It was damning evidence.

- Once we got the dna matches,

We went down to the jail

And booked him
back in for murder.

- When I heard that they
had found mike's killer,

I wanted to confront
him and ask him, why?

Why did you do this?

- The case was submitted

To the clark county
district attorney's office

And we determined that we were

Going to seek the death penalty.

- [narrator] as the portaros
wait for their court date,

They are faced with yet
another family tragedy

When mikey's father,
richard, dies from cancer.

- I thought I was gonna lose

Almost everybody in my family.

It kind of just
felt like a plague,

And it just kept happening.

- Nine months after
christina died,

I got a cancer diagnosis

And the doctor said that
I had six months to live.

And I said, no, that's
not gonna happen.

- My mom is a fighter,

So she did decide
to fight the cancer

And she won the battle.

- I love family,
family is everything,

And I wasn't going anywhere.

- [narrator] amidst all
the family obstacles,

Four years have passed
since mikey's murder

And his trial is
finally on the horizon.

- The moment you seek
the death penalty,

The case will just sit
there and stagnate.

There is a lot of pressure
that's put on a prosecutor.

Extremely valuable evidence

Came from that cigarette butt.

However, my biggest concern

Was the circumstantial evidence.

The video was valuable,

But it does not
identify brandon hill.

We couldn't say that
those were the shoes,

But we suspected that they were

The shoes worn by brandon,

Because of the blood.

- [narrator] in
addition to the dna,

Ballistics and video evidence,

The prosecution
presents the jury

With evidence that
gives a glimpse

Into brandon's state of mind.

- Prosecutors showed the jurors

That brandon hill made
social media posts

Before and after mikey's murder,

Implying that he wasn't
afraid of using a gun,

And that his crimes were
showing up on the news.

- February 20th, 2015,

The jury had reached a verdict.

- Brandon jay hill
was found guilty

Of the shooting death
of michael portaro.

- When I first went
in the courtroom,

I wanted justice.

I wanted him to rot
in hell, period.

But through the
whole entire trial,

That word "death penalty"
didn't reside in my soul.

Do I want more death
surrounded by death?

- [narrator] after the verdict,

It's still two months
until the sentencing.

With time to contemplate
the ultimate outcome,

The portaro family
is at a crossroads.

- I was getting ready
to present my case

And to my big surprise,

My co-counsel tapped
me on the shoulders

And said that cynthia
wanted to talk to me.

And I did not know
what was coming.

- I said, frank,

I need you to take
away the death penalty.

He said, are you crazy?

- I actually tried
to talk her out of it

Because we had come so far,

But we decided to honor
cynthia's request.

He ultimately was sentenced
to 40 years total,

With the possibility of parole.

- Brandon spoke
to me, apologized,

Asked me to forgive him,

And I just felt
god speaking to me

And so I said, I forgive him.

I told him, I said,

You have a chance to live,

Whether it's behind bars,
wherever you're gonna go,

You have a choice to make

To better yourself
and to help others.

(sad gentle music)

- There's never a
day that goes by

That I don't think
about him and miss him.

I have pictures around my house

And I make sure to show
my son who his uncle is.

- The impact that
he had on my life

Is present in everything I do.

Mike and I started
this together.

I need to take it
as far as I can.

- Today, I wish
things were different.

You know, I wish
I was that retiree

Playing golf with my husband.

I wish my other kids were
here, but they're not.

And you have to make life work.

(gentle music)