All language subtitles for CrimeFeed S01 E05_track3_[eng]

[reporter] This week
on CrimeFeed...

Did this yoga teacher
commit murder

in a fit of jealousy,
as prosecutors say?

Bombshells revealed
in the case against
Kaitlin Armstrong.

A yoga teacher,
a love triangle,
and alleged murder.

And justice delayed
in the death
of Shanquella Robinson.

She died on vacation,
in Mexico.

Her brutal beating
caught on camera.

But has no one been
arrested one year later?

This is CrimeFeed
with Nancy Grace,

Mara S. Campo,

and Derrick Levasseur.

Good evening.
I'm Nancy Grace.

This is CrimeFeed.

And I wanna thank you
for being with us.

Breaking news tonight.

She's glamorous,
she's poised,

she's a yoga guru,

and she's deadly.

According
to Texas prosecutors,

the so-called
glam yoga teacher,

now accused of shooting
a female love rival
in the heart

in a jealous rage.

Mara, what happened?

Yeah, Nancy, the prime
suspect in a fatal shooting

became an international
fugitive,

evading law enforcement
for six long weeks.

Detectives believe the killer
was triggered

by a burning obsession
and extreme jealousy.

Here's that story.

[narrator] On May 11th, 2022,

police discovered
the body of pro-cyclist,
Moriah Wilson

in the bathroom
of an Austin, Texas home.

The 25 year old suffered
multiple gunshot wounds.

And nine millimeter bullet
casings were found
next to her body.

When investigators checked
surveillance video
from a neighboring home,

they saw a black
Jeep Grand Cherokee

at the crime scene
when the murder occurred.

According to witnesses,

the last person with Moriah
before she died

was 36-year-old pro-cyclist,
Colin Strickland.

And when police
visited his home,

they noticed
something interesting.

Parked in the driveway,
was the same black Jeep
that was caught on camera.

Colin admitted he had
a romantic fling with Moriah.

But denied knowing
anything about the murder.

When asked about the Jeep,

he said the vehicle belonged
to his live-in girlfriend,

34-year-old yoga teacher,
Kaitlin Armstrong.

After testing a gun
belonging to Kaitlin,

investigators determine
the nine millimeter
bullet casings

found at the murder scene
were a match.

And Kaitlin emerged
as the prime suspect
in Moriah's murder.

Well, Nancy, after
43 days on the run,

the yoga instructor
was arrested and charged

with killing Moriah Wilson,
in what police call

a jealous rage.

She was captured
in Costa Rica.

But take a look
at this.

Her strange behavior
did not end

once she was in custody.

After she was arrested,

Kaitlin tried to escape
police custody

during a doctor's appointment.

She was apprehended
about a mile down the road.

Police said she was never
out of their sight.

She had told them
she had an ankle injury.

But looks like her
ankle was fine to me.

Yeah. And she worked out,
dressed appropriately,

and charmed the prison guards
in order to get away.

Now, I can't give them
an A for effort.

Because she was shackled
at the hands,

if you look carefully
at that video.

And it took them
a while to catch her.

Did you see her jump
over that fence?

So this in my accounting
is the third time

Kaitlin Armstrong
has fled the jurisdiction,

all over a man,

Colin Strickland,

who's been on the stand
the last couple of days.

[Derrick] Yeah.
We really can't blame her.

Because this case against her
in my opinion is very strong.

You have a little bit of--

But did you just say you
really can't blame her?

She knows she's going away.
Think about what
there's against her right now.

You have digital DNA.

You have the digital
evidence of it.

You see you have her GPS
coordinates from
her cell phone

matching her vehicle
GPS coordinates,

that was in the area
Moriah was killed.

You also have the video
that we just played here.

You have her vehicle
in the area as well.

Then on top of that,
it's enough
you have DNA evidence.

You have Moriah's bicycle,

where you have Kaitlin's
DNA found on the seat,

and the handlebar
of Moriah's bicycle,

which was later found

in a bamboo brush area,

about 60 yards away
from the house.

And finally, as you just
said in the package,

you have the firearm,
the shell casings
that come back to--

-[Nancy]
Hold on just a sec.
-Yeah.

-That is an understatement.
-That's the key. Yeah.

I think it all fits together.

But when you say,
they expelled cartridges,

this is really important.

This shows
pre-meditation.

First of all, you've got her
following Mo, Moriah,

up and coming world
class competitor.

And she follows her
on Strava.

-Which is a--
-Workout app.

[Nancy] Yeah.
Workout app.

But not only that,

little did Colin Strickland,
the love object know,

or I guess he forgot,

she could see all
of his texts and emails.

They shared apps.

They shared devices.

So he could see
her texting Mo,

even though he put
Mo's name under
another woman's name.

Which, warning,
if you find out

your husband changes
a woman's name
to a fake name,

you need a divorce lawyer
right then.

So she's stalking.

And on that video, Mara,

the video,

the night that Moriah
is murdered,

you see her going
round and round,

and round the murder scene
before she goes in.

Chases Moriah.

And this is what
I'm getting to,

shoots her three times.

The neighbor said
he hears bam, bam, pause.

And the third shot shooting
her in the heart.

And you know,
all of this, of course,
speaks to the motive.

What was the motive here?

And what you had was,
Moriah and Colin,

had reportedly dated
very briefly,

while Kaitlin and Colin
were on a break.

But he didn't wanna cut off
the relationship altogether.

So like you said,

he changed her number
in his phone.

He would delete messages,

so that they wouldn't come up,
if she happened
to look on the phone.

[Nancy] She knows
she's watching him...

[Mara] But she's
seeing everything
that's taking place.

And let's look at what Moriah
represents to Kaitlin.

It's not just any
other woman.

Colin is a cyclist.

Moriah is one of the biggest
rising stars in that industry.

In fact, Colin himself said
she was the best female
cyclist in the country,

if not in the world.

And of Kaitlin, he said,
he didn't like
riding with her,

because she would
hold him back.

She was too slow.

So here you have
a 25-year-old much
younger woman,

who is a rising star
in the field that he's in.

And she just couldn't
manage that jealousy.

Her friends said,
when she found out
that they had been dating,

she was visibly
shaking with rage.

[Derrick] And think
about that day, right.
So as you said,

the iPad, she's seeing
the text messages

and she's seeing Colin's
actively lying to her

about where he is
and who he is with.

So like you said,
she's driving
around that block.

I think Moriah
comes out of the home.

She's got her
cyclist bag with her.

Kaitlin confronts her and--

Wait, wait, wait.
That's bass ackwards.

So, Colin Strickland,
the boyfriend,

and there's nowhere
that's says

they slept together.

They went swimming
at, I think it's called

little Eddy swimming area.

Then they had
a hamburger.

-That's it.
-Right.

Then Moriah comes back.

She goes in.

And within one minute,
after Strickland
dropping her off,

then you start seeing, uh,

Kaitlin Armstrong
circling the area.

-Then she goes in.
-Yeah.

That's when it goes down.
But there's three bullets.

So important.

Because, I mean,
pre-meditation can be formed

in the twinkling of an eye.

The time it takes me
to pull a gun--
pull a trigger.

That's enough
for pre-meditation.

She shot her three times.

Over a hamburger!

With a man.

You know what my
grandmother said, Derrick?
No offense.

Men, they're like buses.

Another comes along
every 15 minutes.

-Not you of course,
because you're special.
-[Derrick] Yeah.

But over a man
having a hamburger.

Yeah. No, it's something
where I agree with you.

She shows up.
I think she confronts.
Kaitlin confronts Moriah.

There's probably
a brief conversation.

I think at that point,
allegedly, this is my point.

[Nancy] Allegedly, yes.

She pulls out
the firearm.

Moriah does what she can.

She flees back
into the apartment.

Kaitlin pursues her.

It goes all the way
to the bathroom.

And like you said,
she shoots her twice.

I think, one, she actually
shot her in the finger.

Obviously that's her trying
to protect herself.

The final shot
is the execution shot,

to ensure that she
accomplished
what she wanted to do.

And then the door
not being locked.

I know it's a minor thing.

But the fact
that the apartment
door was not locked

-tells me that--
-Well, it didn't really
have a key.

-Yeah.
-It's not a traditional key.

It's a digital code
like we see

-out in the Idaho slays.
-Yes.

So a digi code.

You know that video
from the doorbell cam?

-Mmm-hmm.
-You hear
Moriah screaming.

Did the glam yoga teacher

manage to charm her way
out of the country,

get a nose job,

and hide out in a popular
surf town in Costa Rica?

Then, once back on U.S. soil,

manage to talk her way
out of the jail,

to mount yet
another escape.

A jury hears
a frantic 911 call,

and then a desperate attempt
to save the life

of a super-star cyclist,
Moriah "Mo" Wilson.

Wilson died of multiple
gunshot wounds,

including straight
to her heart,

all over a hamburger.

Yes. Yoga teacher Kaitlin
Armstrong's boyfriend

shared that hamburger
with Moriah Wilson,
say prosecutors.

The stalking,
the spying,
the scheming,

all leading to one thing,

murder.

Uh, joining us right now,
a special guest,
Brian Buckmire.

Criminal defense attorney
and legal analyst.

Brian, thanks for being
with us.

First, I want you
to hear this portion

of the opening statements
in court.

All of this is just alleged.

Kaitlin Armstrong
on trial for murder.
Listen.

Wow. Brian, what do you
think about
that opening statement?

I mean, for that aspect,
it was very good.
It's emotional.

You're getting it through
the story of what they're
anticipating to hear.

And the passion behind
it is very important.

I mean, we're all talking
about these two shots,

followed by a third,
execution style.

And that's what's
gonna really grip the jury
to wanna listen to more.

[Nancy] You know
what's interesting?
Did you hear the defense?

The defense said,
you know, DNA,
that's not so much.

DNA, eye witnesses,

all that together,
that means nothing.

DNA, you know, eh.

-Really?
-It depends on DNA.

Derrick and I were
talking about this.

We have children. I say,
"Hey, when I walk into
the studio, I will do this."

This morning I was
holding my son.

Now this table has
my son's DNA on it.

So if you come and say,
"Well, Brian Buckmire's son

was on studio at CrimeFeed,"
I say, no.

For me, it's about
the quantity of DNA.

I wanna know how much,
not just the fact
that it's present.

Interesting. Because for me,
it's location.

I don't care if it's
a lot of DNA

or a little bit of DNA.

Because, maybe,
you can answer this.

You're the renowned
defense attorney.

Why do you think

Kaitlin Armstrong
who had never

associated with Moriah
"Mo" Wilson,
the murder victim,

why was Kaitlin
Armstrong's DNA
on Mo's bike?

On the handlebars
and the seat.

And then it was hidden
in the bushes. Hmm.

-So I'll play
defense attorney.
-Oh, please do.

My wife's DNA
is also here.

Wasn't it that Colin
was in a physical
relationship with Mo?

So just like, when I came here
and I shook your hand,

I'm sorry, my wife's DNA
is on your hand.

-[Nancy] I ain't counting...
-I don't think the two of you
are gonna--

-It's the way it is.
-That's a good
thought, though.

-I respect that.
-It's the way it works.

And you might
get once you are
to actually believe it.

[Brian] And that's
all I need
as a defense attorney.

So your theory
would be that Colin
was with Moriah

and then he was
with Kaitlin,

although all he did
was swim with Moriah
and have a hamburger?

[Brian imitates yawning]

-Yeah. That's what...
-I don't take a lot
of my just friends

to go swimming.

I think the relationship's
a lot more.

But from my understanding,

they also lived
in the same house.

-I mean, how many
times are you walking--
-Who lived in the same house?

Well, Kaitlin and Colin.

But, to your point
about them being
more than just friends,

what I think actually supports
Colin's claim

that they were just
friends, is that,

he dropped her off.
She was staying
there by herself.

If he wanted to go inside,

presumably he could have
and he chose not to.

-But in terms of what your--
-[Nancy] That's
a good point, Mara.

[Mara] Thank you.

Well, looking at her
like a wife.

-At least he didn't go inside.
-[Brian] Well,
she chose not to.

[Mara] Perhaps. But...

in terms of things
the defense is gonna
have to explain,

how are they gonna explain

fleeing to Costa Rica,

using a fake name,

reportedly using
her sister's passport,

getting plastic surgery,

signing up for yoga classes
under an alias?

How are they
gonna explain that?

So you can explain
it one at a time, definitely.

But as I was telling
Derrick before, the jurors
will start to roll their eyes.

Because I can explain,
hey, you flee to Costa Rica,

the defense says,
she does this,

spur-of-the-moment trips
to go and be a yogi.

She's a 35-year-old-woman
who is in her mind,
cheated on.

She does plastic surgery,
'cause she wants to look
younger, more beautiful.

Because this man
clearly wants to leave
for someone else, right?

-But as I keep going--
-[Nancy] Why do men always
make it about them?

She did this because of him.

And have you noticed, Mara?

That we keep...
Well, not us.

Many people keep
talking about

Kaitlin Armstrong,
Kaitlin Armstrong.

What about Moriah?
What about Mo?

Her family has been
in that court room watching.

And how sick
do you think they are

of hearing people say,

glam yoga teacher.

She ain't so glam
with blood on her hands.

No, I think we're gonna
have a--

I think they're gonna get
the outcome
they're hoping for.

I know Brian
might disagree with me.

But Brian, I wanted to
go back to the case because,

I know you can break down
each individual thing,

the DNA,
you can pick it apart,

the-- her being near,
why she was there
in the first place.

But, when you consider
in totality,

you have digital evidence,
you have forensic evidence
with the DNA,

you have ballistics evidence
as well

and obviously you have
the stuff after the fact.

How, as a defense attorney,
do you attack all of that?

'Cause in totality,
you have to admit,
it looks really bad.

It is, you--
you're gonna get buried

by the weight
of this evidence.

There-- it is--
no way, shape or form
you can get around this.

I-I think at best,
as a defense attorney,

you hug the burden of proof
beyond a reasonable doubt

and try to create
some doubt.

And, I think this case,

largely feeds on
who you selected.

Sometimes, it's not
the information you have

-but who's receiving it.
And I think this is--
-You mean the 12 on the box?

-[Brian] Yes.
-The jurors.

One thing that really
is going to hit home,

you can explain away
a lot,

but she used a fake name
to leave the country.

-She used
her sister's passport.
-[Derrick] Yeah.

So far, her sister has not
been implicated
in any crime.

But, the fact that
you leave the country
under a fake name,

and Mara, uh,
I looked into it,

what she was teaching
or trying to teach

was surf yoga.

I don't know
what that is.

I guess yoga
while you're surfing.

I'm not sure,
but think about her choice
of Costa Rica, Mara.

You've got the rainforest
in, uh, Monteverde,

you've got the volcanos
in Arenal,

and then you've got the beach
in Tamarindo.

She could've blended in
anywhere.

But, because of her vanity
and that nose job,
they found her.

But what's-- that's what's
so incongruous to me

about this person
committing this crime

because yoga is all about
being centered.

Yoga's a spiritual practice

far more than
a physical practice.

[Nancy] Have you ever tried
to hold those

-poses very long?
-Well, you know, I--
[chuckles]

'Cause that is not
spiritual.

-It's pain!
-But-- it's supposed to
teach you patience

and it's supposed to
teach you how to endure
difficult situations.

So, you have someone
who is practicing
and teaching others

-the spiritual practice
that is centered on...
-[Nancy] Zen.

...loving, kindness
and compassion and namaste,

goes to Costa Rica

which is a hub
of that kinda activity

and inside her,
there's this duality.

-[Derrick] Yeah.
-The trial is going on
right now

and all of these crimes
are alleged.

She has declared herself
innocent.

Brian Buckmire,
thank you so much
for being with us.

Everybody,
when we come back,

with "friends" like these,
who needs enemies?

Shanquella Robinson
heads to a lux resort
for a girls' trip.

It's an all-inclusive
Mexican resort.

But, Shanquella never makes it
home to her mother.

I'm Nancy Grace,
this is CrimeFeed.

Thanks for being with us.

Where is lady justice tonight?

A beautiful young woman
with her whole life
in front of her

dies after a savage beating

that was actually videoed
by her so-called friends.

Warning, this video
is so difficult to watch.

Shanquella Robinson's
friends wake her up,

roused her out of bed

and the beating commences.

All the while laughing,
cackling, insulting her.

[inaudible]

It all goes down
at a luxe resort near Cabo.

Her friends even shouting
at her

to fight back
but she did not.

I don't get it.

Shanquella is dead.

The attack is caught
on video.

I have personally confirmed
the names of the "friends"

registered
at the resort.

They coincide
with the attackers
on that video.

So, why are they still
walking free?

Why no prosecution?

We will talk to
Shanquella's mother

and the family lawyer
in just a few moments.

But, Mara, what happened?

Yeah, the big problem here,
Nancy, is that this,

uh, if this was a crime,
if this was a homicide

and they still are not
necessarily able to confirm
that it was a homicide,

but if this homicide
took place in Mexico,
that is the complication.

Because you have
this taking place in Mexico,

then the group, basically,
sneaks out of the country,

The ask for a ride to dinner
on the day that
Shanquella dies

and then
they leave the country
with Shanquella's stuff.

The Mexican authorities
issue an arrest warrant
for Daejhanae Jackson

which is the woman
that was seen on video,

but she's back
in the United States

so, now, the United States
has a decision to make.

The State Department
and the Department of Justice,

do they extradite this woman
to Mexico

and make her available
for prosecution there

or do they prosecute her
here in the United States

based on a rarely used law
that says,

if an American citizen
kills another American
citizen overseas,

in some cases,
they can be prosecuted here.

-It's a nightmare.
-[Nancy] Got a question
for you.

Have either of you
heard the term,
because I had not

until this case,
atlas luxation?

-[Mara] No.
-Atlas luxation.

It is essentially a...

an internal decapitation

where your head is decapitated
from your spine.

That, an atlas luxation
is what happened
to Shanquella.

That's why she died.

In the Mexican autopsy
there's a lot about,

"Oh, she had been drinking
and we don't know
the cause of death."

Hello! She was decapitated,
internally.

So, when you look at the body
you don't see it.

When you look at the X-ray
you see it.

That's the COD,
cause of death.

So, little bit
of a surprise here,

I'm gonna play defense
attorney on this one
a little bit

because I have some issues
with this case and
it's... it's...

it's more about
what you just said, so,

Mexico, when they did
the autopsy report,

coroner Dr. Terrence Owens,
uh, Thomas Owens I should say,

he has a difference of opinion
as far as that autopsy.

First off, they did say
there was a dislocation
of the neck

and there was
a spinal cord injury.

-However, when Mecklenburg--
-[Nancy coughs] Sorry,
I choked.

-A dislocation?
-That's... that's what
they said.

That sounds more like,
"Ow, my shoulder hurts."

Not that your head
is literally separated
from your spine.

[Derrick] Well, here's the
problem with it, though.

So, Thomas Owens
says in his report,

"They never physically
examined her neck
or spinal cord."

So, they were... How were they
able to determine that?
But he did.

Even after the embalming
he was able to do that.

And he says, and I'm gonna
quote it right here,

"There is no evidence
of any disruption

of the spinal column alignment
or subluxation."

So, basically, he's saying
there's no injury to her neck
and on top of that

the alcohol, the toxicology
results which he...

he can't do those
after the fact,

it just came back negative
in Mexico

but he's saying, listen,
there were ten and a half
hours between the assault

and the time
that she passed away,

that would've been
plenty of time for the alcohol
to metabolize,

-so, it's still
possible that--
-I don't know if that's true.

That's what...
that's what he's saying.

-That's what he's saying, so,
this is a big issue.
-No, I know but he

is a... a per...
a person here

basing his opinion
on what he's been told

-as Mara--
-[Derrick] No,
he's doing the report.

He's doing the actual exam
of her body.

Yes, I know that.
Let me... let me clarify.

-Was he in the room
when she was beaten dead?
-[Derrick] No.

Oh! So, he doesn't know
what time it was.

Mara, we don't know
if ten hours stretched apart.

From what I can tell,
she was already with her head,

uh, severed...
internal decapitation.

When the cleaning lady comes
and finds her

and in that video
you clearly see,

and her family has told me,

she slept without
her clothes on.

Somehow, she's got
her clothes back on.

They have redressed her

and left her there
for the cleaning lady to find.

How long do I know
the time that passed?

Well, but... but Derrick
is speaking to is...

is discrepancies between
the two autopsies.

-[Nancy] Yeah.
-So, the Mexican government,
Mexican officials

didn't autopsy
the final morning.

So, at that time,
she died around
6:00 p.m.

They didn't do the autopsy
until the final day
around 9:00 a--

The next day around 9:00 a.m.

So, at that time they did
a toxicology for alcohol

and at that time
so much time had gone by
that it could have metabolized

and that is maybe
why they came up with
the negative for alcohol.

They also only did
a partial autopsy
according to US officials...

-That's right.
-...and as they say,
partial autopsies

lead to partial results.

So, by the time the body
came back to the United States

and US officials
did their autopsy,

A, the body had already
been embalmed.

B, part of the skull
had been removed.

C, they could not do
any more toxicology

because too much time
had passed.

So, there's a huge problem
here in answering
basic questions.

Did the beating
cause her death?

We don't know the answer
to that question.

[Nancy] Another question
for both of you?

Should I believe you
or my lying eyes?

Because I see her

yanked out of her bed
without her clothes on.

I see the friend hitting her

and you can see her neck
go over like that.

I can see it.

-But as you all know--
-You play that for a jury

and I guarantee you
they're gonna believe that

was the COD,
cause of death.

But the timeframe she--

The fight took place around
7:30 in the morning,

the housekeeper discovers her
in the bathroom around noon.

The friends can very well say,
"She was fine after the fight.

She got up, she got dressed,
we had breakfast,

we had drinks in the morning,

-we don't know what took place
in the four hours after."
-[Nancy] So?

Here... here's the thing
for me. Now, I've had
this happen

in a case, unfortunately
where we talk about detectives
and prosecutors

and defense attorneys
and how important they are.

You know who's the most
important person?
The pathologist.

Because if they don't
come back and say homicide,
you have nothing.

And then that's what's
going on here in the States.

They're saying,
"Listen, it's undetermined.
What do you want us to do?"

And I will say this
to your point...

Yeah, they're saying
it's a dislocation of the neck

but I can tell you right now
an embalming is not gonna heal
those injuries to that neck.

So, the fact that
she didn't have those injuries

when the pathologist here
in the States conducted
that autopsy,

-big problem.
-Well, you know what,

let's see what her mother
and the family lawyer
have to say.

When we come back,
what do we have to do

to get justice
for Shanquella Robinson?

We talk to her mother
and the family lawyer.

Their mothers
and their fathers,
those parents

or those six individuals

don't have no decency

to call and say, you know,
"Mr. Robinson,

we're sorry about the loss
of your daughter."

Their life is still
moving along

but this father right here
struggling each and every day,

you know. I cry.

Everyday is a struggle for me.

It's been one very long year

since Shanquella Robinson left
her home in North Carolina

for a girls getaway
at a Cabo resort
she never made it home.

Shanquella dies
after a horrific beating,

savagely attacked
by a group of women
she thought were her friends.

Shanquella just 25 years old.

With us now,
Sallamondra Robinson,
this is Shanquella's mother,

and Sue-Ann Robinson,

the lead attorney
working with the family
on this case.

Ms. Robinson, thank you
so much for being with us

and please know
we have been in prayer

for you and your family
and your daughter
since the get-go.

And to your lawyer,
Ms. Robinson,

what do you believe
is the cause of death
of Shanquella?

I believe that
the Mexican autopsy has
the most accurate information

because it was done
contemporaneously with
her death.

And the cause of death
would be what?

Her cause of death was listed
as an injury to her neck,
to her spine.

Sue-Ann, it's Derrick here,
I... I looked at the autopsy

and we're seeing the autopsy
from Dr. Owens as well,

uh, here in the States,
Mecklenburg County.

Uh, he's stating that
Mexican officials did not
physically examine

her... her spinal cord
or her neck

and he found no injuries.

Do you see that as a
complication in this case?

Do you feel that that's why,

uh, US officials are hesitant
to... to pursue
this case more?

No. Obviously,
I... I don't know what
their real reason is

but the... the issue for us
and for the family

and for everyone that has eyes
and has seen the video

is that,
the issue of her being beaten
was never addressed.

When the three individuals
came back

and visited with Ms. Mondie
which she can talk about.

They never mentioned
the incident that

-Shanquella was beaten
just prior...
-You're right.

...to her passing away.
It was never mentioned.

-So, that's always
going to be--
-[Nancy] Ms. Mondie,

can you tell us about that?

When they...
These girls in the video,

and there was one guy there,
a friend guy,

uh, they came and visited you.

They never mentioned
they pulled her out of bed,

your little girl, Shanquella,

and beat her,
and in the video,

Ms. Robinson, you can see
Shanquella's head

kick off to one side.

That's when the mortal blow
was landed, I believe.

I do, too.

What did they tell you
when they came to your house?

They told me
there was never a fight

and that Shanquella had drunk
too much.

But, um,
shortly after they said that

someone had called and said
that, um, there was no such
thing as alcohol poisoning,

said they was over there
fighting her.

And shortly after that
the video was released.

You know, the video
was already out

because people was calling
and saying that

but we didn't... we...
my family hadn't seen
the video.

And so, when we seen the video

we knew that they was lying
right then.

But we had questioned them
but they said,

"No, there was never a fight
it was only
alcohol poisoning."

She had drank too much.

Ms. Mondie,
the concierge of the hotel,
after the fact,

said that the night
that the group arrived,

Shanquella seemed
out of place.

And this is what he said,

"She seemed not to fit in
with the others.

She did not greet me or smile.
She was indifferent.

She was out of place
at that party."

When you spoke to her
did she indicate

that there were
any problems with other people
in the group,

do you have any idea
why they were fighting?

[Sallamondra] No,
I have no idea but
when I spoke with Shanquella

she seemed to be okay.

She said they was getting
ready to eat,

they had a chef,
they was finna eat tacos.

So, I didn't hold her up
on the phone.

I told her, I said,
"Well, enjoy yourself.
Love you,

and I will speak
with you tomorrow."

And that was the last time
I spoke with her.

Ms. Robinson,
when did you learn

that Shanquella was dead?

Um, Khalil Cooke called me
and told me

that Shanquella was sick
due to alcohol poison.

And I said
what is alcohol poison?

And he said
she had too much to drink.

And said
he was giving her water

and said a nurse
was on the way.

That's what he said,
a doctor, a nurse
was on the way.

And, um, he was, um,
going to, um...

I said, "Well, why you can't
take her to the hospital?"

And at that time he said
he needed $5,000

to take her
to the emergency room

because they
don't take insurance.

Isn't it true
that they waited hours?

Someone from Mexico al...
already had said

that they wouldn't even let
them take her to the hospital.

So, why wouldn't you let her,
let them take her
to the hospital

if she needed... needed,
um, doctor's care?

You know, the doctor came,
the doctor didn't know

what she was doing,
apparently,

because they telling her
alcohol and she's been beaten

and the doctor treating her
for alcohol poison.

Yeah, what was the doctor
supposed to think?

These "friends"
were giving the doctor,

giving the ER, giving the EMTs
all false information.

And we don't have justice
for Shanquella.

How is this somehow
Shanquella's fault that
she had had a few drinks?

How is that happening?
It's like we're blaming her.

Her neck is separated
from her head.

That is the problem.
Not the...

The, uh, Moscow mule she had
down in the restaurant.

Yeah, I also think that,
I'm not even gonna refer
to them as friends,

"travel mates", right?
These guys, obviously,
their behavior

during this event... terrible.
Shouldn't have happened.

But I also think I'm gonna
steal it from our
previous guest, a phrase,

"Consciousness of guilt,"
right? Their behavior
after the fact.

And I'd really
like to hone in on
the behavior...

The... the detour to take
a flight out of the country,
immediately

and then
the immediate response
to go to Ms. Mondie's home

to try to control
the narrative, right?

It's almost like, as parents
we know, you have your kid

who comes in from
the other room and says,
"Mom, Dad,

the plant got knocked over
by the dog but I...
I cleaned it up."

They're trying
to get in front of it.

That's what it feels like
to me here, that they were
trying to get in front of it

before they had a chance
to do their own investigation.

Well, now I do have to wonder,
uh, Sue-Ann Robinson,

uh, now that American
officials have decided

that they are not going to
prosecute here

and they're not gonna take
any further steps,

uh, when it comes
to this investigation,
what is your plan?

I know that the family
still very much wants justice.
What now?

I think that we've been clear
from the beginning
in saying that

even if the FBI
in Mecklenburg County
decided to decline charges,

that there's a clear path
to justice

because there's a treaty
in transnational
criminal cases

that would permit Mexico
to submit their documents,

their own investigation
which has been completed
and sent in

and the US State Department
would then have to authorize
an extradition proceeding,

which would then begin
a federal court case

where the person named in
the Mexican investigation
as the defendant

would have the opportunity
to protest the extradition,

say they don't wanna
be sent over,

challenge anything
in the Mexican investigation.

The US department
has failed to do so.

They have not authorized
the extradition proceedings
to begin

despite the fact
that Mexico has completed
their investigation

and sent
all the documentation in

to permit the US to do so.

Ms. Robinson, question to you.
I was thinking about

what you've been through,
uh, losing Shanquella,

not knowing
what was happening,
being lied to

over and over and over.

You know, Ms. Robinson,
we managed to find
these "friends".

They're not
really even hiding.

Now, immediately after,
some of them moved from
their apartment

and moved somewhere else but

they still got
the same cell numbers,

they're still using
the same credit cards,

they're still driving
the same cars.

They're very easy to find.

I gotta ask you, Ms. Robinson,

how do you put your head
on your pillow at night

and you think about Shanquella
and you know

that there has been
no justice?

Well, it's very hard but
you know I asked God give me
strength to keep going.

You know, and I...
I believe that we will
get justice

because, um, they didn't
get away with this.

It's too much evidence
out there

and now, for the U...
for the government
to say that... the US...

um, um, the FBI,

um, to say that they
don't have enough evidence...

First of all, they didn't do
their job correctly

and, um, there's plenty
of evidence out there.

Why would you stop her
from going to the hospital?

You know,
then you fly back here,

you [indistinct],
you come back here

and then you, um,
say that she, um,

she died with alcohol poison.

Clearly in that video
when Shanquella said no,

they woke Shanquella up
out her sleep to fight her.

Shanquella was not drunk
no kind of way.

You know, they woke her up
out her sleep to fight her.

If she had been drinking
she had slept it off.

Yeah, one quick thing,
the decision by you guys
to sue civilly,

I think is genius.

You can now force people
to be deposed and hopefully
from that case

you get more information about
what happened

because not everyone
had an equal,

uh, participation
in that whole incident.

And who knows, maybe through
that civil case you get
something out of it

that... that leads
to something further.

Ms. Robinson and
Sue-Ann Robinson,

thank you so much
for being with us.

Coming up, a family court
judge gunned down
in his own driveway.

His wife and child
inside the house

just hours after
he makes a ruling
in a divorce and custody case.

An abusive husband and dad
goes after the judge

who grants his wife
a divorce and
awards her custody.

Washington County
circuit court judge,
Andrew Wilkinson,

husband and father,
dead in the driveway
of his own home.

Washington County community
can breathe a little easier
this afternoon

murder suspect Pedro Argote
was located deceased.

Until the autopsy is complete

we will not be able to answer
questions surrounding his
cause or time of death.

That's Washington County,
Maryland, Sheriff Brian Albert
expressing relief

after state police discover
the body of Pedro Argote.

Judge Andrew Wilkinson heard
shocking testimony

from Argote's
very brave daughter

that her father was
extremely abusive

and then the judge
was killed in his driveway.

Mara, Derrick,
just so upsetting.

And clearly,
the judge was right.

You know, the mother described
having to stand between

her little 11-year-old girl,
that's the one

that Argote seemed
to hate the most.

He was going to attack her

and that is when the mom knew,
"I've gotta leave."

Yeah, well the... the abuse
that was described

during this custody hearing,
this divorce hearing,

the allegations were very,
very severe.

I mean, the mother claimed
that, uh, he abused
the children.

She said he would stuff
a towel inside
the baby's mouth

when the baby was crying
to try to keep them quiet.

He also would maintain
financial control.

Um, and then,
his adult daughter from
a previous relationship

testified, she said,
to protect her half siblings

and she testified about
the abuse that she endured

during her teenage years

when she was living
under the same roof with him

and in fact said that
she has not spoken to him

since she's been an adult.

Because of those allegations,

the judge's ruling
was very strongly
against this man.

It was granting the divorce,

the mother got sole custody
of the four children,

the father got no visitation
and he had to pay
child support

$1100 a month.

He was a no-show at court

and that certainly did not
help anything.

But, where does that leave
uh, us prosecutors

and judges and officers
of the court?

Both defense attorneys
and prosecutors.

-Yeah, as far as their safety?
-Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, listen,
it goes even beyond that.

As an investigator,
I can speak to an incident
that I had

where I was doing
an undercover operation

and I came into
the police station
and my chief tells me,

"Hey, we just got word
there's been a hit
put out on you."

Had to move my family
out of my home,

had to rely on state police

actually sitting
in my driveway for weeks.

It's a really
unnerving feeling
to do this job

because when you leave
that courthouse

or when you leave
that police station,

-it doesn't stop,
you're still in that role...
-No.

...and there are people
out there that can get
access to you.

Believe it or not, same.

I had to move
out of my house,

for the duration
of a trial

and stay out
for at least 6 months
after the trial

because it was so contentious.

Life behind bars,
that was what was at stake.

And there were factions
that did not take it
that well.

This judge, gunned down
in his driveway

after making a ruling.

[Mara] Yeah, and in fact,
we've seen

you know, unfortunately,
an increase

in these kinds of threats
against judges and you know,
officers of the court

and w-- what have you,

um, to the point where
uh, President Biden
has now signed legislation

to protect Supreme Court
justices even more

because the threats have--
have gotten so increased
in recent years.

And it all to me, starts with
domestic abuse in this case.

I believe that he went
after the judge,

he refocused his anger
off of his wife

and his children,

and focused it on the judge,

like it was the judge's fault.

And that's a hallmark
of domestic abusers,

they always blame
somebody else.

It's never them.

And he tracks
the judge down,

the judge comes home
from court, gets out
of his car,

it's over, just like that.

It was like he was hunting
an animal.

[Mara] Well, in this case,
as you mentioned,

uh, accusing other people
of being the ones doing wrong,

he tried to blame his wife
for everything

during these
whole proceedings.

He said she was a--
terrible mother,

she wasn't doing a great job
homeschooling.

Then, it appears he shifted
his focus to the judge,

anybody's fault but his.

[Derrick] Yeah, and I know--
I know Pedro's been
found deceased,

obviously, so he's no longer
a threat to anyone.

But, and this is obviously
a horrible situation
and my f--

my thoughts go out
to Andrew Wilkinson's family.

But I will say this,
it could've been a lot worse.

A guy like Pedro,

he could've easily gone
to the home,

killed his wife
and the children.

- It could've--
it could've--
-[Nancy] And the judge.

And the judge
and his family as well.

So, it's a terrible situation
all the way around.

There's-- nobody wins.

Did you know this guy,
Mara,

would actually take
his wife's car keys

whenever he left home?

So, she couldn't go anywhere
without his permission.

[Derrick] We didn't mention
the cameras.

He had cameras inside,
outside the home.

-[Nancy] Oh, please tell us.
-Yeah.

And the wife said this
that she would--

he would follow her,
track her through the cameras

and this,
this was corroborated
by his-- his other daughter

who came and said,
"Yeah, same thing with me.

I didn't even feel like
I could be myself
in my own home

because he was watching
the cameras all the time."

-This is a sick individual
for sure.
-We can--

We can take a look
at some of what they said,
I mean,

the wife said, "I-I don't
get out of the house
without his knowledge.

I know he has a weapon
on him at all times."

Um, and the daughter
the adult daughter
from the previous relationship

said he would beat her
with "whatever he had
close by,

belts and objects."

And that, uh,
he had her under surveillance

with-with the cameras

and that the reason, again,
she was speaking out
in court

was, "So that my siblings
wouldn't have to go through

the mental torment
that I have."

You know, I'm just thinking
about what the children
lived through,

not just being abused
themselves

but seeing their mother
being abused.

And also,

uh, many people have said,

"Well, the judge should've
had protection."

The judge this,
the judge that.

He was just doing
his job.

I'm sure he had
no idea

he had a big target
drawn on his back

and this guy, Argote,

was literally stalking him

like he would an animal.

[Derrick] Yeah,
and it's logistics too, right?

We would love to have
every judge

have personal protection
at their homes.

But, he's a
circuit court judge.

You have federal judges,
you have municipal judges.

There's not enough individuals
to perform these duties.

You have to pick and choose
your battles.

You have to look
at the threats that are--

that are against
these individuals

and-and provide the resources
they need.

There was really no warning
for this,

-from-from what we know.
-[Nancy] No warning.

[Derrick] So, this just came
out of nowhere.

So, again,
in hindsight,

how do you--
what could we have
done different

as invest--
as law enforcement officials

to protect this judge?

I don't know if there's
anything we could've done,
I really don't.

You know, it's not like
we're in Colombia,

where judges get gunned down
all the time.

Anybody even--
no one even wants
to be a judge there

'cause it's a death sentence.

But here, an attack
on a judge,

or a defense attorney
or a prosecutor,

is an attack
on our system.

It's not just the individual,
it's attacking the system,

and the domestic court
system, Mara.

Yeah, and family court
I feel like

is-is one of the
toughest spaces

-to work in because...
-[Nancy] Oh, it's terrible.

...it's more, you know,
when you're talking

-about civil court,
money's on the line.
-[Derrick] Hmm.

Money's important,
of course.

When you're talking
about family court,

you're talking about families
being together,

husbands and wives
and children and custody,

visitation, child support,

these are extremely difficult
issues to solve.

[Nancy] You know, I've got
a really good friend,

a female defense attorney
in Atlanta.

She handles
all criminal cases

and a few divorces.

She says she's never been
as afraid in her life

as when she's in
a contentious divorce case.

And this is why.

You know, every week,

we bring you the breaking
crime and justice news

from across
our great country.

The biggest bombshells

on some of the biggest
crime stories and headlines,

and some,
you may never have heard of.

from Mara and Derrick.

We'll see you next week.
Good night, friend.