Murder Mysteries and Voices from the Dead | "48 Hours" Full Episodes | Forensic Files

[Music] [Music] oh my oh my Lord it was disguise a limit for a 21y old that was talented and that everybody
[Music] loved I'm Kevin Harris's Dad okay he's my son and he was named after me it was going to be a suay like any
other even if he didn't go to church that day he was naive Kevin Trust Soul maybe a little too
much he'd say why you got to tell everybody I'm your son I said because I'm proud of
you my best friend my teammate I haven't been able to watch a a father take his son to the park with a ball you know for
a while so [Music] he was making a name for himself cuz I heard where Britney and Rihanna actually
were interested in some of his material Kevin always had it the Beats were great I knew he was going to make it
some people have that thing where it's like you're Relentless to a point where nothing can stop you
the stuff that he would send me was a lot of like an R&B feel mixed with like pop pop and
Hip-Hop Church like gospel like those ches a lot of things were happening too quickly can
get it videos camera shoots Ice Cube track and he went to that dog on Studio that
night and that happened last day and he kissed me on it on my left cheek he hugged me and he just held me
and I said what's wrong Kevin and he said nothing mom he said everything's just happening
so fast I feel like something's going to happen I said don't think like that 10 to 17 shots two different
handguns how much do you have to kill him a lot of suspicious things happened that
night the clues are absolutely out there we just need that one piece that one Smoking Gun
[Music] [Music] [Applause] time is of the essence I've hate how long my breath takes those are are the
words of Kevin Harris on his Twitter account in the summer of 2009 Kevin was just 21 when he was
gunned down shortly after 8:00 p.m. on a September Sunday that same year he had been sitting in his car alone in
Englewood California a small City in Los Angeles close to LAX I got a call at 9:15 are you at the
hospital I said for what what happened what's wrong Kevin's been shot Kevin Harris senior is Kevin's dad
we ran every light just to be told that we couldn't see him I was in denial Catherine is his mother the night that
he was murdered and I do say murdered people like to say he passed he did pass on but someone actually took the time to
murder him the harrises couldn't believe that somebody wanted their Son dead this is this is Kevin this was
during the the the photo shoot that they had so handsome confident very confident tell me about your angel our
Angel our Ang she called him angel face his mother his mother I wish he could have met him he was beautiful man and he
was still close with his childhood friends like Cameron Woods we've known each other since we were like two three
years old we continue going to the same school with each other all the way to all the way to
here um it's still so fresh yeah hold on sorry what are you thinking I don't want to
cry it's a little harder a little H yeah it's okay you know that right what do you miss most about him
his smile his generosity never heard anybody tell me anything bad about him say anything bad
about him never really heard him say anything about about anyone besides my be feel you know I
mean no one's perfect but he was he was close he was close to that the harrises led by example were
working hard dad at the LA airport and selling cars and Mom working retail they were regulars in church and
they sent Kevin to a Catholic school she and I were like helicopter parents under
surveillance at all time as a form of protection yes if he hadn't come home at a certain time I would text a question
mark just knowing the the possible hearts that lay out there in the street one of Kevin's h hob Cameron says was
hanging out with his mom spending time with his mom really yeah he love yeah wait wait wait a teenager enjoying
spending time with his parents I don't know if I should say but he was like kind of like a mama's boy but I mean I'm
a mama's boy so there's nothing wrong with that Kevin was a perfect date Jasmine
Tanner was Kevin's high school sweetheart hard not really a hugee dancer but like you know he had his
little twostep that he would do everything that he did was in from a very loving
place the harrises kept their son involved in sports especially basketball I'll take you through my
house right now right here in my room but his real calling was music much of the music you're hearing in this
broadcast is his see this all you need right here is a little kid right here see turn up the music a
second see got all that got the turntables mix [Music] s he taught himself to play he taught
himself he had Rock he had Classics he had Jazz uh East Indian music soon after high school graduation
Kevin landed a gig apprenticing at a local music studio yeah he start boobing that head then he just the next thing
you know he's like oh oh listen to this and then he'll click something it's like
going to the next level by the summer of 2009 he'd stacked up hundreds of hours in the studio he began breaking into the
Los Angeles hipop scene but he just wanted to be the best producer ever Kevin's Vibe was he was comfortable
with himself Sonia techly is a poet and singer one of a number of artists working with Kevin I had never felt
comfortable in recording sessions until my sessions with him and a lot of times like you
know guys are just trying to like get at girls and do all these things but he was
just he stayed in his Lane he was focused on his work as Kevin's career picked up speed
he bragged about working at a big fancy Studio where Michael Jackson once recorded Thriller and he was like right
there like you know like a pinball and you get your ball ready and and you pull it back and then let go but everything
would soon come to an abrupt and violent end my naive loving son probably just could have been possibly Sleeping with
the Enemy and had no idea [Music] [Music] to this day no one has been charged for
the murder of Kevin Harris they thought we're going to do this sneaky stuff here and we'll get
away with it they effed with the wrong father this [Music] time Kevin Harris senior is determined
to change that he spent the past 11 years Seeking Justice for his Nam sake I never got to speak to Kevin that day at
all I went to work 9:00 a.m. he was still asleep and I looked in on him and I left that Sunday morning in the summer
of 2009 Kevin shared breakfast with his mother Catherine I saw have the plate the paper the
napkin the last carton of juice I have all of that from that day you memorialized BL
him I just love him I love him retracing their son's steps the harrises say nothing seemed unusual that
day from what I hear at some point he wound up at a Pop Warner football game and then later on he went to his
aunt's Karen Staten is the last known person to see Kevin alive he was his regular happy go-lucky
self hi Auntie how you doing what'd you cook and he stayed we ate we laughed we talked and after a few hours Kevin left
saying he was headed to the music studio I said Kevin don't go we're having too much fun I don't want you to go
yet and he said auntie I have to go because the studio is quiet no one's there I can record I can go over some
things I can write I can perfect what I'm working on and we hugged each other and he was out the
door he drove to the studio in his beloved Green Camaro he was supposed to meet up with a friend known in the
community as a wannabe rapper but that friend was a no-show a lot of suspicious things happened that
night the studio was in a converted Garage in a residential neighborhood Hood Kevin arrived but never made it out
of his car he was shot multiple times from two different guns I never expected anything
like this to happen to Kevin Kevin's friend Jasmine says he didn't have a chance to find out that he was shot
outside the studio that he loved to go to so much it was just like nowhere is safe the harrises went to the crime
scene no more than 3 hours after their son had been shot the police were already gone it was already cleaned up
it was so weird and strange it was like why is this crime scene already done car
was gone everything it seemed as if there were more expeditious in cleaning up their crime scene than they were in
trying to find out who did this within the proverbial 24 to 48 hours that's what it seemed
like Catherine and took what was left behind I walked around in front of the studio and I saw blood wipe the blood up
off the street and uh the glass from his window was on the ground and I used my hands as a broom to gather the
glass this young man deserves better than what happened here there was early speculation that Kevin's death was Gang
Related an assumption that upset his father you hear shot and killed the first thing you want to say he drive by
was he in the game no no he wasn't he was just a loving young man with a heart as big as his
church music journalist Raman Duke says no matter how innocent the victim is people assume a crime like this is Gang
Related cuz there a young black man so it's automatic yeah and in that and specifically within that neighborhood
100% young black man shot in the music business yeah those are all elements and the odds of solving crimes
with those elements are slim for one thing witnesses can be hard to find people in these communities they stick
together when these situations occur they're like I'm not not dealing with with the law enforcement they weren't
here to help us why we going to why we going to help them I have seen people step forward but
the majority of the time that doesn't happen why a lot of times cuz they're afraid that person still has to live in
that neighborhood there there might be some retaliation there's this mentality where it's like just mind your own
business as time past Kevin's parents felt that the police pushed their son's case to the back burner even when they
tried to help and they would tell me just go home just go home we'll take care of
this we let the law enforcement handle it unfortunately it didn't work it was sat on the police told 48 Hours quote
our hearts go out to the parents and family of Kevin the Englewood police department has done everything possible
to bring closure and Justice to the family the harrises continued to push for answers they held memorials for
Kevin inviting the police and local officials but the stress of losing their son took its
toll the gun kills more than this intended victim and it always will and after he died not right away but a lot
of everything that meant everything to our family was destroyed [Music] two years after Kevin's murder the
harrises ended their 23-year [Music] marriage it was a dark time for Kevin Senior he searched for
[Music] Solace and he found it in church a Baptist Church in the Los Angeles community
[Music] of my heart is broken but God has piece by piece put it back together Pastor Winford Bell helped the
heartbroken father Channel his grief into a newfound purpose speaking out against gun violence for Bell's
organization Silver Lining of hope my heart has been ripped smiing Dre I really Revel in this because it's
medicine to my soul to speak about the loss of my son Kevin stepped up when they kill your
baby it's few people that want to fight to fix it so that your baby or my baby or anybody else's baby doesn't suffer
the same [Music] thing now more at peace with himself Kevin Senior found more will to keep up
the long fight to find out who murdered his son and he was about to get some unexpected help we're going to put as
much time and energy as it takes we will not stop we will figure this out [Music]
Kevin Harris senior continued to speak out 6 years after his son's senseless murder his heartbreaking story finally
had an impact the local police brought in the FBI to work the case when I heard I was going to get a call from the FBI I
felt that all my aggressiveness wasn't in vain have you met the parents I have the parents are fantastic and as soon as
I met them we immediately bonded and they have begged us to just find the people that did this and that's my
commitment to them vet Morgan is in charge of FBI criminal investigations in Los Angeles I'm vested so we'll find
them and we'll hold them accountable Welcome to the New [Music] FBI I think there was a tough case with
you know not a lot of evidence there was no DNA there was no actual physical touching FBI special agent Sean sterley
got the case he started with the crime scene photos and with what witnesses that did speak out saw a dark sedan that
pulled up next to Kevin Harris's Camaro the shots were fired from that car we believe there were probably three people
in the car the driver and two Shooters they were approximately about 6 in door too so so close that the shell casings
from the shooters guns two of them end up inside Kevin's [Music] car also new to the case former LA
detective John scags know the streets and I know how to talk to people where are you taking us right now
we're going to the crime scene where Kevin was killed there's a couple things I need to
look at and then there's a uh resident that I want to talk to scags came out of retirement to work with the local Cold
Case unit and assist the FBI so is this a hopeless case or a stalled case uh it is stalled and absolutely not hopeless
and what's the difference well there's still clues that haven't been burned out this is the street where Kevin was
murdered exactly [Music] detective scags walks into the house attached to the music studio hey John
skags from Englewood police and comes out a half an hour later with owner Randy Thomas Hi how are you I'm Michelle
Miller 48 hours so Michelle had a really good talk with Randy uh he was friends he knew Kevin for about four years and
Kevin would use his studio for for his music Randy says by the time he got outside that night the shooters were
gone I heard cap cap cap I thought it was firecrackers then the neighbor came outside and said somebody shot and you
saw Kevin's I saw the green camar I said oh my God oh my God the amms came in the
fir truck and they pulled him out tried to revive him but it was bad to see him here on the street in front of your
house broke my heart it's almost like someone had to have follow him here so you think it was
someone he knew that I don't know but I know that no one comes here on Sunday [Music]
nights the new detectives confirmed what Kevin's parents and friends had said all
along Kevin Harris was really quite a remarkable kid we probably did somewhere close to 70 to 80 interviews we could
not find anybody who would say anything you close remotely uh negative about [Music]
him and they learned that in the months before his death Kevin's career was on a
roll this studio was his home base there's a lot of steps be very care okay so you have a sound mixer right you
have a sound booth right so this is where we do the music at and Kevin had key he can come anytime he' like to come
[Music] in the summer of 2009 Kevin was becoming better known by his stage name track
bully I think he was just really positive about the way his life was going I mean his name was track bully
for exactly cuz his tracks was crazy one of the artists Kevin was closest with was jizzel a hip-hop poet
and rapper seen in this video with Diddy I look at this picture and what do you see oh man that was just bro when he was
hungry like just trying to figure it out he got the TV on his hat for track bully
but by then he was already like lit kind of huh yeah yeah he was lit and I used to go by Lady g at the time so he' be
like what's up lady G like man you got to mess with me on the music man and so he finally like sent me a a like a batch
of be [Music] we can get it we get it get it we jizzel and Kevin work together on
Poppin a catchy tune they believe could break through and become a hit this is poppin this is poppin wow that's you
yeah man is that him there yeah right there off to the side yeah Kevin was clearly proud of that song
jizzel may have been the star but Kevin made sure everyone knew he was the force
behind it and then there was his Triumph of scoring a really big sale it was to Hip Hop star Ice Cube once again proudly
tweeting about his feet right before he was killed he had sold the track to Ice Cube I mean how big of a deal was that
it's a very big deal Ice Cube was a legend in music not just hip-hop is music it's a really big
deal Kevin's career was skyrocketing and his dad was feeling a little uneasy if I
would have had a chance I would have reeled him back in just a little bit looking back Kevin Senior believes his
son was playing with fire put it this way there's not this evil Grim Reaper with a hood that's just
standing around on streets normally is someone that you know or someone you've had an acquaintance with a friend one
day and a me the next [Music] [Music] [Music] the new detectives continued to study
the crime scene photos is kind of like you see his life right there I mean high school basketball player great outside
shooter his laptop and his uh hard drive with all his his music so in his car for
all his loves and horribly that's where he died since Kevin's reputation was golden
they wondered if his death could could have been a case of mistaken identity they learned Kevin wasn't the only one
in town with a green Camaro there was an active gang member that lived less than
two blocks away from Kevin at the time that gang member they say had a look alike car I was able to interview
him the guy's changed his life and he's told me about some of the stuff that he was doing back in that day there could
easily be a cause for somebody to retaliate against anybody driving a green Camaro
when you grow up in La no matter how sheltered you are or how strict your parents are you're going to run into the
culture it's no secret that Los Angeles does have a gang culture even though he wasn't in the streets I think we all
kind of know what that's like you know your parents can't protect you from everything but detectives now say they
took a hard look at that mistaken identity Theory and ruled it [Music] out they believe that Kevin rolled down
his window to talk to the people who drove up next to him that night and that he would not have done that unless he
knew them so they're looking at each other eye to eye that kind of dispels gang retaliation shooting where Kevin
was misidentified for another gang member they were convinced Kevin Harris was the intended target but why were
there clues in his surging career for one thing in the hip-hop business you can get rich
overnight you have like really young artists like 18 19 years old and they're millionaires two three years before that
they probably have $10 in their pocket Kevin hadn't made any big money yet but he definitely was a prospect a kid with
big potential he was really hustling trying to get artists and putting music together and getting his music heard
Kevin was all over the place he was putting himself out there more people more parties and his tweets
show it party in Baldwin Hills pool party at the [Music] custom there's no other way to kind of
attain your goals and aspirations without going at 24/7 I could just see that in him you
showing up where you're supposed to show up and yourself out there putting himself out there he was
getting a little more flashy he put extra wide chrome wheels on his Camaro his dad didn't approve now you're kind
of blinging a little bit too much for maybe the average young man you have to be less visible and Kevin was also
getting louder on Twitter Kevin got real cocky his name was like really getting out there I did feel like you know maybe
he was kind of feeling himself a little fluffing his uh his little feathers I felt like blessing people with my
presence he tweeted word was that Kevin didn't want to work with people who weren't up to his level when you start
getting hot everybody wants a piece of you you just can't work with everybody and sometimes some people get
offended by that things could happen out of those situations and Kevin wasn't shy about
calling some people out that's clear in his tweets I'm getting bored by my so-called peers and here he says someone
was quote exceeding their talent in the music business words like that could be a problem there's no
difference between that and dissing someone in the streets what is a diss a diss is disrespect it's a very real
thing and again it goes back to like these Street rules so a lot of this conversation is through social media
Twitter specifically I'm sure that Kevin was aware of it did he think it would lead to him potentially losing his
life I don't think so just who was Kevin dsing in those tweets no one knows for sure could it
have been that wannabe rapper who stood him up at the studio that night was there bad blood between them the people
who knew Kevin best sensed he was uneasy in the weeks before his death his demeanor did seem a little different I
couldn't really pinpoint like what it was but I can tell when someone's Vibe is off he'll come home couple
times I'd see him look back out the door I'd say what's wrong man somebody following you no no I'm
okay the harrises that prepared Kevin for life growing up in a tough neighborhood there was sometimes gunfire
in the area but they believe they taught Kevin how to avoid it still Kevin Senior
was taken aback by a question his son had at one point he did ask me about what do you think about
bulletproof windows I said why I said Kevin is somebody bothering you no it's all right I'm okay I said
just let me know I left here long enough we could we could speak on and we can get it taken care of
peacefully no I'm all right Dad it was always I'm all right Dad I love you Kevin but something must have been wrong
after Kevin died Catherine was surprised to learn that he was thinking of joining
the military and getting out of town a week after uh he was murdered I received a letter from the recruiter's office for
him to go see the recruiter you know a lot of people say timing is everything and gosh I wish I kind of wish it would
have came a week [Music] [Music] earlier we get we can get we can get we can get we can get
Kevin Harris never lived to see his recording played on the radio that song by jizzel I was at work and then someone
told me that it would be coming on and then I hear it and I kind of broke down right
there everybody came running over you know I said that's that's Kevin that's my son 11 years later his father is putting
his faith into the new invest instigation the clues are absolutely out there we just need that one piece that
one Smoking Gun that we need to solidify this this is an active case so the detectives won't name the names of
anyone they have in their sites but scags did drop this clue about Kevin's last day he had made plans with one of
the individuals who's definitely a suspect in this case to meet him at at the studio at 8:00 as far as I know that
individual was the only other person that knew that Kevin was going to be at the studio at 8:00
p.m. we have now learned that that man was Desmond Carter the wannabe rapper that Kevin was supposed to meet at the
studio that night he definitely caught the attention of the police in fact 48 Hours has learned that Desmond Carter
was arrested for the murder of Kevin Harris in 2017 and here's the record Carter was questioned but never
charged with anything authorities told us the evidence they had did not cross the threshold of Reasonable Doubt still
Desmond Carter remains a suspect that's partly because there had been bad blood between Desmond and Kevin
word on the street was that Kevin had dissed Desmond by refusing to give him beats whatever it was that brought Kevin
to the studio that night authorities suspect it was a trap I believe Kevin Harris was set up Kevin's own words may
support that theory 10 days or 2 weeks before his death when he told one of his best friends that something's come up
missing I'm getting blamed for it I didn't have anything to do with it but I'm really scared of what might happen
what had gone missing that Kevin was being blamed for was it money drugs police have told 48 hours they do not
believe that Kevin was dealing drugs somebody blamed him for doing something that they did and blamed him to some big
hitters that were going to seek revenge this is a classic story of a kid who trusted too much in several other
people that he didn't really know that well but he gave them all his trust and he ended up being killed as a
result we reached out to Desmond Carter he didn't want to go on camera or comment directly but through a friend he
said he had nothing to do with Kevin's death and that he thought of Kevin as one of his best friends I'm angry yes
I'm angry I'm angry with certain people that were hanging around my son because it has all the ear marks of someone that
he knows well that was in the circle I grew up at the beach I really love the ocean and it's always been part
of my life detective Scag says walking on the nearby Beach helps clear his head and reminds him to be
patient it does not discourage me if these cases were easy it' all be solved I know that some of the people that I'm
interviewing are not telling me the truth so you know just makes it so hard detectives are hoping for new
information there's a ton of circumstantial evidence that kind of end ends up adding up into one big
significant theory that I think we're very close to proving we think we're 80 85% there I am fully confident that this
case is going to be solved yeah so anybody who has any information about what happened to Kevin
that day whether they were an eyewitness overheard something at a later date or later got knowledge of what happened to
Kevin and who hurt him that person needs to come forward for so many reasons first of all for justice justice for
Kevin and his family it's the right thing to do and could be preventing these bad guys from hurting more people
we really need help from the public and anybody who knows anything about this case and what happened to him and what
happened that night to come forward and that's what our plea is to uh to the public as the case stands today the
murder of Kevin Harris remains unsolved you still miss him what do you miss most I just miss his spirit I think um
it's just not knowing you know not knowing not supposed to cry but um just not knowing like to
see all that potential just to see that the path that he was on to know the support that he had from everyone around
him it's just really unfortunate to not be able to see that just you know reach his full
potential you know so I just I just miss the spirit I miss having him around I miss I miss the fact that I that we all
missed the chance to see how he would grow you know Kevin's parents say they'll never
give up I have nothing else to do with the grief that I feel every day but to be motivated by when I walk out the door
each day let's kick some doors in let's stay relentless with this you can't hide from God you
can hide here on Earth duck and Dodge go to another state go to another continent
whatever but you can't hide from God the FBI helped fund Billboards to help get new information they've also
contributed to a $50,000 reward the harrises say the reason they agreed to talk with 48 hours is their hope this
will finally bring Justice for their son but when I go to sleep and I dream he's
always there with [Music] me for my son I'm never going to stop [Music] grieving murdered he was
murdered these pictures are in my room and to be honest with you since we resemble each other so much I turn them
backwards it's kind of hard hard to look at him all the time like that Kevin Harris senior doesn't need to look at
those pictures anymore because the image of his son is fresh in his mind every single day and he is consumed with
solving this case for one reason so I can lay my son soul to rest properly his mother and I will make sure
his passion and his dream lives on [Music] the FBI is asking for information from
the public the tip line phone number is 3104776565 take an in-depth look into the
investigation to find who killed Kevin Harris at 48 hours.com I just my boyfriend in the
night but police say she confessed to murder I one big problem you can't hear it how do you mess up the
confession what will a jury believe 48 hours Saturday at 109 Central on CBS [Music]
[Music] [Music] I one with the address of emergency I call my wife on responsive
she's not breathing she may have taken to some pills okay what is your [Music] [Applause]
address when we get the alerts on they say it's an overdose they're saying that he's performing
CPR is somebody coming [Music] he's on his third fourth fth cycle 3 4 5 and that's when I get to the
house I'm officer gor De La Cruz I was the first officer on the scene hello what's going on male subject shows
up at the door and he just turns around and darts into the residence I can see him heading up the stairs I just see his
shadow from the light that's on so I followed him what's going on he's helping giving
CPR he's wearing scrubs so I believe he's a higher level of care than I can provide and I ask him you want me to
help do I help you and he right away relinquishes giving CPR what did she take I think CL has a p
she's been pretty depressed lately I don't see any drugs usually when somebody overdoses on drugs
the pills are nearby the needle nearby the syringe something's nearby and nothing
was I'm probably at the scene within the next 30 to 45 minutes I'm Sergeant Luis MAA Jr I was
the lead detective in the case then I start trying to get information from him and I noticed him not answering fully
and when I asked him what's going on Joel he goes well I live a very private life and those questions are something
that I don't want coming out Maria had been seeking help through the church through a pastor wasn't she
also being treated for severe depression and anxiety she had been getting some medical attention as well but this case
was unique because she was also expressing her thoughts her feelings her emotions in a diary
my fears are losing my family losing my husband damaging my kids making the wrong choice as the da my job was
putting the right team together to work this case she described that she was going
through a tough time but that she loved those kids and she couldn't wait to do more in the
future I want to be a good mom a mom that is present present engaged and involved with my kids how important how
crucial were those journals very she wasn't a drug abuser she loved those kids she would never leave them
behind there's no way [Music] [Music] in the early morning hours of September 22nd
2020 when Laredo Police Officer gregoria De La Cruz walked inside the home on Canyon Oak
Drive his body camera was recording the emergency unfolding in front of him what's going on at the top of the
stairs near the main bedroom helel poo dressed in teal surgical scrubs was performing CPR on his wife Maria Muno D
La Cruz soon took over we sometimes zoom into the body cam footage to avoid graphic
material what kind of shape was she in when you started giving her CPR she was warm she was still warm to touch while D
Cruz desperately tried to revive Maria he asked her husband about the drugs Hela told the 911 operator his wife may
have taken some pills he stands up he goes to the restroom he opens a medicine cabinet I can I can tell all this cuz I
hear it I'm not really sure upon his return he hands D Cruz a pill container Kazaam is a drug that is often
used to treat anxiety it had been prescribed to hoel not to his wife Maria D Cruz quickly tossed the pill container
aside to continue CPR H told D La Cruz that Maria had been struggling lately she's been super depressed how told the
officer that the couple's two young Sons were still in separate bedrooms nearby here asleep yeah seemingly unaware of
what was happening to their mother Maria she would like to take her children to the park she read to them
before they went to bed just a really dedicated mother yazin Martinez says her friend Maria adored her boys 5-year-old
Alejandro and Valentino who was turning two I am happy I am happy Maria enjoy being a stay-at-home mom take 1,000 she
was learning to play the piano and play to resume her career I asked her if she had gone to school and
she said yes she was a nurse in Puerto Rico and she's like I'm actually studying to take my test so I could work
here it was in Puerto Rico where Maria met how peot he was 11 years older and a nursing student a few years after they
married the couple moved to Laredo Texas how had landed a lucrative job as a nurse anesthetist known as in the
medical profession as a CRNA a nurse anesthetist or a CRNA certified registered nurse anesthetist and a
physician anesthesiologist use the same medication same techniques to provide anesthesia for people of all ages Tina
dores also as CRNA worked with Howell peot at doctor's hospital in Laro did he seem dedicated to his work yes very much
so he he always wanted to be better when I first met him he was very family oriented a hard worker smart guy he
would always talk about Maria and Alejandro and showing pictures of his son and just talking about family life
in general and now at the payot home paramedics and police were struggling to save the life of the young wife and
mother when more help arrived de Cruz sent h peo downstairs to the kitchen and that's when D La Cruz realized that the
pill container he had tossed to the side earlier hey there were some drugs here was now missing he had a prescription
drug where is it I was like he has to have them so that's when I ask hey does he have pills he comes up to the first
landing of the stairs and he tosses them to me all right so he had taken them now
I'm thinking now you're trying to hide something at 3:58 lesson 3 hours after helel peota call
911 his wife 31-year-old Maria Munos was declared dead inside their home what's going on what happened
police began asking how what had happened to his wife we had sex we took a shower then I I thought she was like
knocked out and then I go back upstairs and then she just by now they scenes just didn't feel
right to the investigators and there was something about Howell's appearance that
seemed suspicious he was really sweaty I'm wearing a vest I'm wearing a gun I'm wearing almost 20 pounds of gear right
and I'm not sweating as bad as he is so what went through your mind when you saw
how sweaty he was he's using drugs he may be under the influence of drugs you want to see a fire truck come
on let's go outside the couple's children now in the care of lawn enforcement what's your name were
escorted outside my name is Alejandro Alejandro authorities immediately launched a death
investigation when I get there um I meet with Officer De La Cruz he runs the information by me lead investigator
Sergeant Louise mat didn't know if Maria had died by Suicide an accidental overdose or if her husband was somehow
involved Ma knew he needed to search the house but to do it he would have to get
hoel pe's permission and he said well I don't want you going through my stuff cuz I'm a very private man then I said
look Joel I'm not going to force you to this is your right but I'm going to have
to go and get with my da and apply for a search warrant Howell eventually gave consent
for the search still ma had a lot of questions to get some answers he directed authorities to put how in a
police cruiser to take him to the station could you see him before you went in I could see him through my
camera everything's there is recorded he's hitting walls he's moving [Music] furniture it was scaring some of the
people down the hall in the dispatch room so that's how loud it was holding up okay
around 4:00 a.m. ma begins his interview with helel peot who claims he had given
Maria that container of Kazaam prescribed to him is it possible that she swallowed them
[Applause] all how many pills were there before I don't know muscle medals I agree he couldn't remember the minorous
things I don't know how many times I asked him play back to me the minute you got there what did you do and he well
what did I do what did I do what did I do well you know what if you remember the truth you don't have to think about
it what was the time period between the time you got out of the shower to when you noticed say she's not really
responding anymore 10 minutes not 100% sure the sudden death of a healthy 31-year-old Woman Like Maria Munos
didn't make sense to Sergeant Louise Mata and neither did her husband helel pe's
explanation his initial statement was that he went in and took a shower he thought she was
asleep and then 10 minutes later he realizes she's unresponsive going unresponsive on the bed when a common
person showers what's going to be in the bathroom steam condensation the smell of soap or
shampoo that master bedroom shower which is the one that he alleged to use was as
dry as a desert investigators had also discovered a syringe wrapper on the floor hey there's a needle right here
and a needle catheter on the stairs syringes and IV equipment in a medical bag were found inside the home why would
there be syringes in the house so like I don't know then H makes a hand gesture and Taps his
bicep with h peot at the police station Maria's close friend Angela Montoya and her husband Lis Ayala rushed over to the
house to take care of the kids Louise a cooworker of H says he had begun to see changes in hel's physique and
personality 2 years before Maria's death he L weight and then start gaining muscles did you suspect that maybe he
was taking steroids maybe maybe he was changing like more friendly with girls flirting more yeah the family man who
had once bragged to friends and colleagues about his wife and kids began changing his social media post too he
deleted the picture of Maria or he just started posting everything by himself not with his kids Howell in demand as a
nurse anesthetist was making a lot of money and according to Angela he enjoyed showing off his wealth he has this new
sporty car I bought Maria that one and I bought myself this one bragging about it
but friends say the changes they saw in ha went much deeper in 2018 around the same time Maria gave birth to the Second
Son how began pursuing a woman named Janet Arondo a surgical nurse he met at work Joelle took Janet to like a
vacation spree in Europe I don't recall which countries were that he took well there was one trip there was Spain and
then the next trip was France and Greece there you go there you go so Maria found
out about that while he was there with Janet according to Angela Maria confirmed her suspicion about her
husband's infidelity when she found a plane ticket for one of his European trips when her disappointment turned
into deep depression she was prescribed medication but perhaps the best medicine
for Maria turned out to be her daily journals discovered in her home by investigators I don't want to be sad
anymore I don't want my heart to hurt I don't want my mind to be in torture yet at times she seemed
hopeful believing her faith could mend the couple's 10-year marriage Lord this is a lot for me all I
really want to do is see change in him and it seemed to be working just months after her husband had taken his mistress
on those European vacations how treated Maria to a lavish getaway in Las Vegas and she showed me a couple of Louis
Vuitton he purchased for her but what seemed like a second chance for her marriage didn't last H could never
quite leave Janet how long have you been with Janette about 2 years so out of those
two years how long has Maria known about it she for a while for a long okay in fact Howell told Sergeant
maada that he no longer live with his family and that he had moved in with Janet Arondo 5 months before Maria's
death ma wondered how much The Other Woman knew and asked her to come to the police station to talk what is your
relationship with her I wouldn't have called you at 6:30 in the morning if it was just for for being nosy it's not
that I'm trying to be nosy but I'll get to where I'm going um he's he's my boyfriend ma continued pressing Janet
about howow you ever receive and then told her about Maria the reason that I'm here is
because last night H's wife passed away it doesn't appear to be right now any type of Foul Play we're still pending on
autopsy let's get with how did you and H even start dating I'm sorry um I understand take your
time I know it's all kind of thrown at you so you know I told you at the very beginning I'm going to be honest with
you so I am arming thing that was obviously what happened um I'm sorry about with your
question how when did how long have you and H been dating um almost 2 years now okay did
Maria his wife did she do drugs not that I'm aware of he just told me that he she
was very depressed when Sergeant ma mentioned Maria may have overdosed Janet seemed
surprised R minut are are you saying she overdose we don't know yet the main thing is this Janet is when we tell her
family you're going to think that either Joel did killed her or that you had something to do with it that's why we
have to rule you out okay has Joel ever confided in you that he was that he wanted to do something to his wife no
haa told believes that Maria may have overdosed on the drug claz aam he thinks she took these but when the autopsy was
conducted 8 hour hours after Maria was declared dead the medical examiner found no pill residue in her stomach and there
was something on Maria's body at the scene that puzzled both the medical examiner and investigators a tiny mark
on Maria's right arm it was a little little prick kind of like whenever you the common person draws blood or has her
blood checked when they go to the doctor one little dot that's it on her right crease no other signs of drug use or
anything like that the autopsy report states that Maria died from a mixed drug intoxication while the medical examiner
couldn't say how the drugs got into her system she did rule out suicide after talking to Maria's friends and reading
her journal on the day before she died Maria wrote what is it that I want move forward so could Maria's death have been
an accidental overdose or was it murder when Dr John Hunsinger an anesthesiologist and Howell's former
boss heard the autopsy results he immediately became suspicious and I called detective mat
and I told him my concerns he urged Sergeant mat to order a detailed toxicology screening to determine which
drugs had killed Maria and how they got there did you inject her tonight no with
anything authorities would have to wait nearly 4 months to get the answers they needed
on a Sunday afternoon at the First Baptist Church in Laredo the Victorious Life is is also a life of service all of
our lives were impacted by the precious life of Maria a large crowd of family and friends came to mourn Maria Munoz
including her estranged husband hoel her funeral was really sad H was there and he was crying he seemed very upset very
sad but to Maria's friend Yasmin Martinez he seemed a little too upset too sad what made me feel angry with him
near the casket crying over her giving her kisses like why now you have made her suffer and cry so much and you're
doing this now H pays display of grief hey you got a with defibrillator did nothing to
deter the investigation into his wife's death Sergeant Luis mat and Officer gregoria De La Cruz say the footage
captured by the body cam on the morning Maria died shows something curious remember the pills in a container that
Howell said his wife had taken D La Cruz tossed it aside when he was giving Maria
CPR he had a prescription drug where is it at some point it disappeared yeah I see it's still here
right now exactly and here's how it happened they say how grabs the pill container and
puts it in his pocket reach it and put it in he just reached over and put it right back in
the shirt if that's really what she took why would you want to hide that they were also suspicious of that needle
catheter hey there's a needle right here the kind used for IVs discovered at the
scene remember Maria had a tiny mark on her right arm sergeant has shared his concerns with the Webb County District
Attorney's office we have a 247 phone and law enforcement can contact us with any questions Chief assistant DA
Marisella Joan and district attorney Isidro alanes knew the case would be tough to prove since even the medical
examiner wasn't sure exactly how Maria died the medical examiner is saying I can't say for a fact this is homicide I
remember having this conversation with the Med medical examiner early on and I I remember her saying look I wasn't
there and neither were you all we know is that she has this combination of dangerous drugs in her bloodstream we
don't know who gave them to her if she had some in her system already if she took some later on either accident or
murder accident or murder investigators began to question Maria's friends and discovered that the Saturday before
Maria died there was a confrontation at Janet's house when Maria saw hoel's car there so that's when she stepped out of
the car and then she rang the doorbell according to Angela Maria seen on Janet's doorbell camera gave Howell an
ultimatum do you choose her or you choose me and then he says I choose Janet Janet called the police and when a
responding officer arrived at her her home he called Maria who had by then left with Howell when Maria answered her
cell phone the officer's body cam recorded the sound of ho berading her in the background hey I'm talking to you
right now I guess that's your boyfriend yeah according to Angela Maria told her that
H became violent and he got so frustrated with everything that he the windshield he broke it he broke it yes
he broke it on Sunday morning Maria texted her husband about hiring a divorce lawyer and he replied we can do
this with minimal lawyer intervention it's too much money Howell then seems to have had a change of heart and sends
Maria this email I'm so sad I'm hurting inside I want to sit down with you to talk without arguing a heart to heart
they agreed to meet Monday night before H arrived Maria messaged her friend Yasmin Martinez to pray for her I just
asked if you can pray for me tonight we're going to talk and then I answered her and I told her that I would pray for
her Maria's request for prayers that night would be her final message to Yasmin she died early Tuesday
morning nearly four months after Maria's death sergeant maada and officer D Cruz
finally get the Toxicology test results they have been waiting for zero CL aapam zero Clen aapam the drug how claim
Maria had taken instead the toxicology report revealed seven other drugs in Maria's system so positive for morphine
demeral veret propal ketamine lidocaine Naran most of these medications are typically used during surgery and one of
them can only be administered with an IV what was your reaction he killed her this guy killed his
wife authorities got a warrant officer De La Cruz who had tried to save Maria's life returned to hoel's home he knew why
we were there to make the arrest by the time we knock on the door and we announce our presence you the right to
remain silent just like the way you do the movies comes out I'm here I'm here puts his hands behind his back lets us
cuff him doesn't put up a fight H beo was taken to the police station and booked you can call my uh my
attorney oh you could call him prosecutors believe he was the one who gave his wife's a deadly mixture but can
they prove he wanted her to die [Music] what do you think was the most suspicious aspect of Maria's death see
more evidence from the case at 48 hours.com when helel pe's former boss anesthesiologist Dr John Hunsinger saw
the list of drugs found in Maria seven different medications he was surprised by One Drug in
particular I was very shocked to see propol where would he get that propol you can't just go to the drugstore to
get propol you have to get it from the hospital While most of the drugs found in Maria's system could be consumed by
mouth propal is usually injected by someone else with an IV one of the things about propol it relaxes you
greatly but it doesn't last very long it makes you stop breathing if you have too
much I think most of us when we hear about propol we think of Michael Jackson correct singer Michael Jackson's death
in June 2009 was blamed in part on an accidental overdose of propol and after Maria munoz's death a highly elevated
level of the drug was found in her system hers was the highest level I've seen SC and what does that say to you I
believe this is death by proall with howel peot now under arrest authorities were convinced that pe's
girlfriend Janet arando knew more than what she shared in that first interview so they got a search warrant
for her home then they offered her a deal in exchange for more information Janet would get immunity from
prosecution [Music] Janet agreed to a second police interview and accompanied by attorneys
she now seemed ready to talk did goel ever bring home any medical drugs yes Janet told police that peot had often
brought drugs to her home some for his own recreational use including ketamine morphine lidocaine Fentanyl and more
for propal Janet's information about propal kicked the case into high gear district
attorney Acro Alan selected a team of attorneys led by Marisella Jackman I am Karina riio my name is Anna Karen Garza
my name is chist Calderon we are Maria's Team all four prosecutors were convinced
that Maria's husband had methodically planned her murder and that the devoted mother and wife had suffered in the
months before or her death I've heard of emotional abuse I've seen it I've worked
around it but I never realized how prevalent it is even in our lives where you can relate to some of
the things that Maria was experiencing on the face of it this is a couple having problems he's having an affair
but to you this is domestic violence how well I think it goes so much further than just being a spouse you could see
the power struggle that existed or the the lack thereof assistant district attorney Karina Rios Maria had no power
in this relationship and the evidence of that prosecutor say is found in Maria's
own journals prosecutor Jackman read one of those entries life is so unfair my husband the man I love so much is
causing me so much pain I want to know what is it that you want me to do Maria also left evidence on her cell phone
that she secretly recorded approximately 4 months before her death what are the expectations you have on this this
marriage and she gave us this very powerful video you walk out that door we're getting a dose all right
fine got it she was having a discussion with him and that was so painful to watch but prosecutors
would need much more than that video and Maria's journal entries how do they believe that H peot dozed his wife with
all those drugs that was a million-dollar question we kept saying how did he get her to submit to
this during Janet Arondo second police interview she said peot had told her about the night Maria died he had G on
there he said to have that heart-to-heart talk and then injected her not to kill her peot said but to
calm her down why did he tell you that he injected her cuz she was tic right he wanted to um just Cal it out so he did
it with medication but investigators believe the sedatives were part of pe's plan to kill
Maria that before PE put an IV needle in Maria's arm he could have slipped several sedative drugs into her favorite
drink coffee ketamine foret morphine and Demerol those four could have been put in her
coffee she then passes out after that they say peota injected Maria with a deadly dose of propal then chief
assistant district attorney Anna Karen Garza Gutierrez says the payot deliberately waited to call for help I
believe he waited until she was dead to call 911 to make sure that no one can bring her back did you play any role in
Mar's dead at all you Janet said peot did admit to her that he got rid of some of the medical
equipment he used to inject Maria before First Responders arrived he just told me
she got rid of them peyote was out on bail so prosecutors had him rearrested and along with murder he was charged
with tampering with evidence again he may bail and would wear an ankle monitor in March
2023 2 and 1 half years after Maria munoz's death her husband went on trial for her
murder 48 Hours made several interview requests to H pe's defense team but never received a response who peot
declined our request for an interview the evidence will show that h p the motive he had the
intent and he had the means to kill media prosecutors presented 15 witnesses to prove to a jury the peot had
carefully and intentionally selected the drugs to kill Maria their star Witness Janet Arondo who told the jury what she
had shared with police did Mr he indicate to you that he dumped or discarded the I CER on the bio yes when
the defense case begins how peay's lawyers admit their client injected his wife but they say he wasn't trying to
kill her he was trying to save her [Music] H peot wearing a blue suit and a dark
gray tie listen carefully as his defense team presented his case no Maria died and there's no question
the Joel was there defense attorney Roberto Bali claims Maria was terribly depressed and had been drinking and
abusing drugs for months when Joe arrived Maria was already on something according to the defense helel
PE didn't intend to kill his wife and the proof his attorneys say is in that toxicology report they admit poo gave
his wife medication to calm her down and then when he found her unconscious they
say he gave her Naran a drug used to reverse an opioid overdose someone tried to bring her back to life and it wasn't
the paramedics it wasn't the police it was O so he did not want her dead this was a terrible
accident a terrible accident the defense argues that was caused by a combination
of whatever Maria had taken and the medication peot used to inject her how do you know that naram wasn't there
because he tried to save her that he went too far realized he had gone too far Naran is not a reversal agent for
propol and propol was What stopped her heart at the end the defense never explained to the jury how the propal got
into Maria's system but prosecutors say that the level of drugs discovered in Maria's body could not have been
accidental it was enough medication to survive two major surgeries it was so much and why do you think he gave her so
much to be sure while peyote himself didn't testify his emotional mother did Miriam kisio
told prosecutors during cross-examination that Maria had talked about how sad she was about her marriage
you were aware of that Co po was weren't you yes she told who told you and did you encourage her to stay in
the marriage I I told her that everybody have a limited and she have a limited when she decid that she don't
want to be no more with him I have my house open for her but prosecutors insist as sad as Maria
may have been about her marriage there's no evidence that she abused either drugs
or alcohol they believe peyote's motive was money and that he murdered Maria because
he didn't want to pay for a divorce and split his assets after 8 days of testimony the
jury got the case it took them less than an hour to decide who pe's fate guilty of murdering his wife Maria and
tampering with the evidence many members of the medical community attended the trial pe's former
colleague Tina dores he's not dumb I mean he's a smart guy so I don't know if he just got caught up with his God
complex that he thought he was smarter than everyone and that he was going to outsmart them
just hours after the guilty verdict peot was sentenced to life in prison cuffed and escorted out of the
courtroom she loved him and she adored him Maria's friend Angela Montoya she just loved them too
much prosecutors got Justice for Maria but it's a tragic ending for the family she loved and fought so hard to keep
together I I think sometimes the worst injuries don't even leave a mark the injuries on your heart on your mind we
could never see those on Maria but she told us about them she carried a lot of scars with her from this
relationship Maria's team say the most important witness of trial ended up being Maria herself and that her
journals show those scars were healing I want a life that's mine different and unique A Life That's balanced with every
emotion but a happy fulfilling life she was a wonderful soul and she was a great
mother she was just an amazing person and that energy we felt it [Music] [Music]
she disappeared off the face of the earth I started believing she was murdered the dogs went into the backyard
we found a little girl shoot no trace of her for 22 years and then I got a phone
call hey uh C he says you sitting down 48 hours Saturday at 109 Central on CBS [Music]
I'll never forget that day something sinister happened something unimaginable my cell phone rings and
it's Clark County Sheriff Joe Lombardo Sheriff says to me Glenn I'm calling about Jeff
Gman and he says Jeff's dead just like that just like that Jeff Gman was found dead with stab
wounds outside his home around 10:30 yesterday morning Metro Police are asking for the Public's help they're
saying this is the suspect I couldn't even believe it I had so many questions who would do
this I mean how did this happen just how big a list of people might have wanted Jeff dead that's a
line of people that runs from here to Los Angeles this guy's written about terrible people who've done awful things
for over 40 years the worst kinds of people they called him Tony the ant but Tony
spilatro was a big figure in the mafia he had a special interest in covering organized
crime you know he was gutsy and fearless Jeff Gman was Guided by an innate sense of right and
wrong if he knew someone was engaging in criminal activity unethical activity inappropriate
behavior he wanted to do that story he wanted to bring it to light we couldn't believe he would even take a call from
us but he did give me a sense of what state you were in when you called Jeff gar we were desperate in fear every day
it was just survival one step in front of the other one day at a time the only person that listened to us
and the only person that tried to do something that concretely put their name on the line to try to do that listened
to us was Jeff gar was Jeff he did something and he fought for us and he is 100% our hero and if I was
to talk to him today I think the first thing I would say is I'm [Music] sorry as Jeff's editor his colleague did
you ever sense any danger in covering this story there was absolutely no suggestion
no hint that this would end the way it did none [Music] [Music] on September 2nd 2022
it was a boiling hot late summer day in Las Vegas and people were getting ready for the Labor Day
weekend it was late morning when in broad daylight something terrible happened as investigative journalist for
the Las Vegas Review Journal Brianna Erikson and Ronda prast had seen a lot of bad people do a lot of
bad things but nothing came close to the Maia valan plot to murder their friend and colleague Jeff Gman Jeff Gman was at
his house on vacation he'd gone out to get something to eat he came back shut his garage
door you could see in the surveillance video from across the street that someone an as salant came into his yard
went to the left side of his house went inside the gate shut the gate and then we see Jeff moments later
opening his garage door and he was instantly ambushed when he turned the corner to where that person was lying in
wait in the video you can kind of see a struggle but Jeff ultimately falls to the ground and he never gets up
what happened to him in that attack Jeff was stabbed he was stabbed seven times four
times in the neck three in the Torso seven stab wounds did that suggest what kind of a killing this was to me
this was a very personal attack to stab someone in such a short time viciously seven
times with no warning a concerned neighbor found Jeff garman's body hidden behind some bushes
24 hours later 911 emergency for b965 do need police fire medical I have a neighbor
across the street from the he's in the side yard um I believe he's dead he's got blood over it was just a terrible
thing to know that he was lying there and we wondered whether he could have been saved but medical experts told us
later that he likely died within a minute or two it was a small Mercy for a man who
had spent his life fighting for the underdog at the base he just wanted to help people and protect people you know
and expose wrongdoing from the start Jeff Gman was shooting for big game and when he came
from Wisconsin in the 70s Vegas was the sarin GTI Mark Fiero a TV reporter at the time
became a lifelong friend and trusted Source Jeff Gman at the outset was a a reporter who caught the most important
beat in Las Vegas of his day that was organized crime then a reporter for the Las Vegas son Jeff took on one of the
biggest meanest Mobsters on the Strip a prime target of the feds is Tony spalatro The Outfits representative in
Vegas spalatro has Tony spalatro a power player for the Chicago mob played by Joe
pesi in scorsese's film Casino you said I'm bringing heat on you here's Jeff Gman talking about spilatro in the
podcast mobbed up he had a reputation for being a brutal killer yet he was never convicted of a single murder a
podcast Jeff made about a year before he died he had the the coldest eyes I've ever seen in my stories I got used to
calling spalatro by his street name Tony the ant he hated that and it sometimes left me at the receiving end of spo's
nasty stairs and his menacing fits of anger the irony of all of this is is that Jeff was not a tall man was not a
strong man but he toughed it out and he went toe-to-toe with these guys year in year out and some of these guys were
dangerous guys try as they did they couldn't scare him says Briana after his tires had been slashed
and some spooky things were happening to him he told a mob affiliate in a bar to
call off his dogs then he got punched in the face he later described that as a badge of honor a couple of hours later
with four stitches under my lip I had a war story to tell as the mob slowly lost its grip on
Vegas Jeff built a career exposing dirty business government corruption and crime
Ronda the former assistant managing editor for investigations at the RJ worked with him for 3 years he kept
digging and digging and digging and he was like the dog the little dog that would take a bite of your pants and
wouldn't let go you know he was just so laser focused on continuing to go deeper
and deeper and deeper into a story that tenacity helped him expose the truth in stories that could have remained in the
shadows he was one of the few journalists along with his colleague David Ferrara to report on the Susan
Winters case a woman whose parents doubted the suicide ruling in their daughter's death and Jeff started
putting pieces together working with the attorney for the family that the way that she killed herself was so
unseemly that it just didn't add up and once he started and he started pulling on that thread and then he started
pulling on a rope and then it turned into a chain that chain turned into a series of stories that targeted the
husband turns out Susan died from ingesting a lethal combination of painkillers and antifreeze the husband
who was charged with murder ultimately pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and was sent to prison
as hard charging and public as Jeff was in his work life the lifelong bachelor was notoriously private about his
personal life he was always back to business back to business this man was born to be a reporter a man who lived
for his job and as it turns out a man who may have died for it the entire Newsroom rallied together
his colleagues had no idea who did this or why but they were determined to do what
Jeff Gman would have done find [Music] [Music] out the RJ staff was in mourning their sorrow in full display on
Jeff garman's desk it's a reminder that this team is not going to be the same without him but
we can carry on the way he would want us to and that meant doing what he would have
done the staff started tugging on threads and searching for Clues working non-stop on one of the most important
stories of their careers who killed Jeff G chman immediately I started thinking in
my head all right who had threatened Jeff in any way in the last 5 months who could have possibly done
this executive editor Glenn cook asked Ronda to come up with a short list of people to consider one of the names I
gave him was Robert Tellus and who is Robert Tellus he was a clerk County elected official in charge
of the public administrator's office which handles Estates of people who were deceased one of the estate coordinators
in ts's office Alicia Goodwin had reached out to Jeff Gman in March of 2022 she had filed a formal complaint
with the Clark County Office of diversity on behalf of herself and some colleagues claiming Robert Tellus
harassed bullied and discriminated against them he was a horrible the horrible human being monster is the
right word but Alicia says the county did nothing it was always he's an elected official there's nothing we can
do Jeff agreed to hear what Alicia and her colleague Pang Rita Reed and Jessica Coleman had to say and when he finally
talked to us and he let us tell what had happened to us and he said no I'm going
to look into this I I think that's the only thing that gave us enough energy to keep
going according to the women the trouble began almost immediately after Robert Tellus took office in January
2019 Rita a supervisor was his second in command and a 12-year veteran of the office he came in very abruptly into the
office and he slammed his palms down on my desk with a with a real loud bang I oh yes absolutely and he leaned forward
and he said we're ripping off the bandage you no longer supervise anyone no one reports to you they all report to
me and he turned around and he walked out and I just sat there stunned the women say they were ordered
not to speak to each other in the office it it felt dangerous to even have a hello good morning conversation with
co-workers in passing if caught the consequences could be severe says Alicia she remembers getting called into ts's
office after he saw her and two other women talking we walked into his office and he said sit down and shut up
you're not going to talk I'm going to talk and he just got this look on his face he sat back and he pointed at nine
and said you what was it like to be in that room and receiving that it was car because I did not want to upset him
because I knew how he could be despite years of service all the women say they feared for their jobs and Jessica who
safeguarded the property of the deceased in a caged room says she feared for her
physical safety she says Tellus would sometimes come in and threaten her there was an instance where he got
in my face and you know he's yelling and I'm sort of backed up against um the cage door he was trying to physically
intimidate you yes yes he would bring his chairs up really close and and demand that you really pay attention and
look him in the eye while he told you horrible things one of those horrible things says Jessica almost did her in
alone in the cage together she says Tellus started by saying that he noticed she never talked to anyone in the office
a bizarre comment considering his no talking Rule and he goes if you keep going down on this road you're going to
be like our cases and you're just going to die alone and nobody's going to find you and I sat there and cried um and
then after that it's hard to admit then I started um thinking the best thing I could do would be to sacrifice myself
for the girls and I had actually picked out a place um that I was going to hang myself in the vault in view of the door
because he would always come by and and make sure I was working and I thought this will be good if they
have to find me this way then the county will have to do something mercifully Jessica realized
that was not the solution to the problem but they came up with another plan the women believed tus was having an
inappropriate relationship with a subordinate in the office named Roberta Roberta they claimed used that
relationship to assume power and privilege Beyond her job title is there any doubt in your mind that the two of
them were having a romantic Affair no absolutely not none whatsoever no but they needed
proof so they decided to follow them we had seen a pattern short dress day if they went the same direction we knew
that we needed to go it was always to the same place says Alicia a parking garage in a nearby
Mall the alleged lovers would park next to each other we started to take pictures and we started to video that's
Roberta's car on the left Robert ts's on the right so how did you position yourselves where you could get some
video very carefully very in a car sometimes in a car sometimes we would get out of our car there were there were
kind of some cutouts and pillars where you could get angles here and there and we just tried to move around and to get
the best that we could according to the women the alleged lovers would ultimately end up in the back seat of
Roberta's car Roberta has said that they would sit in the back seat because she wanted to be able to make eye contact
with him as they were having important office discussions yeah that is what she said and and okay and your reaction to
that well that last video we got we had a little better recorder you can see the
the shadows and you can see those heads going together we felt it was so inappropriate but this was the shot they
believed was the most telling Roberta leaving the car and smoothing down her dress it was so unbelievable and it just
took a moment to to digest that it would I mean at that moment it was like so real after seeing the videos Jeff asked
Roberta about them she responded I have not had an inappropriate relationship with
him the RJ published the story let me read the lead in this first article the Clark County public administrator's
office has been mired in turmoil and internal dissension over the past 2 years with allegations of emotional
stress bullying and favoritism leading to secret videotaping of the boss and a coworker outside the office that story
went all over the state of Nevada and before long all over the country as this settled in are you thinking mission
accomplished or you thinking what's going to happen to us next both yeah the terror didn't stop the
terror almost just got worse it just changed face what do you make of Robert tales's
alleged behavior in the workplace chat now with the 48 Hours team on Facebook and
[Music] X Jeff German's story with its allegations of turmoil bullying and hostility had a Swift and searing effect
at the public administrator's office the county finally sent in an outside consultant and Robert Tellus lost his
bid for reelection in the primary ironically to his arch enemy Rita Reed but Jeff wasn't through with Robert
Tellus yet he wrote three more scathing pieces chronicling the fall of the once upand cominging young Democrat and
another story was in the works but Jeff Gman did not survive to write it Jeff Gman was found stabbed to
death outside his home in the Northwest when news of Jeff's murder broke the women Jeff had fought for were overcome
with grief but also dread afraid of what they may have Unleashed Alicia's dad a former Las Vegas police detective who
introduced her to Jeff said what they were all thinking my dad called me first thing in the morning
and said that Jeff had been killed and I didn't even get to react before my dad's
next word were I know who my first suspect is as soon as those words came out of his mouth I knew immediately too
that it was Robert that it was Robert the staff at the Las Vegas Review Journal was wondering the same thing
could Robert Tellus have been involved the journalistic hounds are are released right yes we weren't going to do
anything until Every Little Rock was overturned and every little fact was found out about what what this guy was
and who he was AR Kaine now the investigations editor was a reporter at the time and we
started finding out a lot of interesting things about him for example he was arrested while he was public
administrator for choking his wife can you please send somebody here my husband is going crazy those body cam video that
we have obtained of that who would I hit cameras our cameras are on you guys just want to
take me down cuz I'm a public official Tellis slurring his words was arrested for domestic battery and resisting
arrest there is sufficient evidence to book me right now there is sufficient evidence to book you right now yes and
I'm I'm not trying to be like I'm public official so you know do what I want you
to do I'm saying I'm not a idiot mhm he received a suspended 90day sentence on the resist ing charge and was ordered to
attend a corrective thinking class the battery charge was dismissed no one ever heard about it
because no one covers DUIs and domestics and that flew under the radar looking back there were other
warning signs says Brianna such as these a series of tweets tell us posted in response to Jeff's reporting read that
one for me looking forward to lying smear piece number four byj Gman RJ # one trick pony I think he's mad that I
haven't crawled into a hole and died laughing emoji what did you think of that one somebody who's pretty pissed
off but the journalist knew angry tweets didn't prove anything they needed facts
and facts were hard to come by all they had were these two still surveillance photographs the police had released of
the suspect in Jeff's neighborhood the outfit bizarre as it seems may have been a strategic Choice says art the outfit
is very typical of what um construction workers and people who do landscaping wear because they want to cover up all
their skin from the sun when the police released a surveillance video review journal
photographer Cannon immediately noticed something the big hat and orange reflective shirt couldn't hide the man's
walk his gate how would you describe that gate it's it's a bit of a a limp and a favor
on one side it seems Kevin Went digging in his files and found this a walking shot he had taken of Robert Tellus when
Jeff interviewed him at his office the staff compared both videos side by side I'm not sure how to describe it but it
was definitely The Identical gate in my mind Kevin then went through hundreds of
still photos he had taken that day and found this it's a very chilling photo and it's the one and only photo where
Jeff and tell us are in the same photo executive editor Glenn cook says his staff moved forward on the operating
theory that Robert Tellus could have been the killer but they still didn't have hard evidence
then the police released this a photo of the suspect's car a maroon Yukon Den show me what you did but you just type
in the address you pull up the Google Street View assistant City editor David Ferrara immediately typed ts's home
address into Google Earth and if you zoom in on the house that maroon vehicle is there parked in
the driveway the maroon SUV was registered to tell Us's wife and at that moment we send
reporters and photographers straight to the house and the message I give our Metro editor is do not engage do not
approach do not be seen this man is very likely a suspect in the murder of your colleague and we can't predict how he's
going to react to anyone being near him but the photographer crouching behind his dashboard managed to get what he
came for and is this the picture that is taken that's the photo this is the money
photo it's the Money Shop the Robert Tellus on a scorching hot 110 degree day is in jeans in his driveway washing the
maroon GMC Yukon Denali this must have been a moment where I don't know if there's any ch hear in going on in your
Newsroom but what a development what does this mean well it means that possibly Jeff was killed by the last
story he wrote about I mean this was his last investigation and and the suspect appears to be the guy he wrote about and
basically took him out of office without corroboration from police documents the
review journal couldn't go with the story but Glenn cook was betting it wouldn't be long his reporters had seen
unmarked parked police cars outside Robert ts's home we have every reason to believe at
this point that it's only a matter of time before a search warrant is going to be executed at that house a search that
will uncover crucial [Music] evidence as the investigator geared up to serve Robert Tellus with a search
warrant the review journal needed to be sure it would be the first to break the news it was important because Jeff was
always first and we wouldn't want to let him down and not be the first we polish
that story and then we sit on it until police move in in the early morning of September 7th
2022 just 5 days after Jeff garan's murder tus was brought in for questioning as
police searched his home and cars while he was in custody detectives collected a
DNA sample from tus they also took the jeans he was wearing into evidence and gave him a white paper suit to change
into before he was taken back to his house and swarmed by reporters eagerly awaiting his arrival did you do this did
you commit this murder did you do this anything inside ts's home investigators say they found gym shoes and a duffel
bag similar to what was seen in the surveillance video and when they looked in the garage detectives say they
discovered even more a straw sun hat or what was left of it the sun hat the sun hat cut up into pieces
yes but police say the most crucial piece of evidence would come from the DNA sample that was taken from Tellus
earlier that day we received positive DNA results that showed Robert ts's DNA at the crime
scene ts's DNA was under Jeff's fingernails there's no doubt in my mind that Jeff knew exactly what was
happening in that Split Second and he made sure he got the [Music] evidence with a DNA match apparently
secured the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department Department descended on Robert ts's home once again and began
clearing the area for an arrest and this is where he was arrested yes reviewed Journal photographer Kevin Cannon was
one of dozens of media who had been waiting outside tell's home that day what happens when the cops arrive
suddenly the police said okay everybody out they kicked the entire news everyone who was here out where did
you go so I made a beine to the front door of a neighbor who I befriended earlier when I arrived and they without
saying a word open the door and welcome me in and walked me to their backyard where I could have a view of ts's house
and you could still see the house from your your advantage from the back yeah back in the RJ Newsroom some of the
staff anxiously kept up with what was happening at the scene through the office's police radio and heard that
Tellus refused to come out of his home our Target is still calm on the uh phone however he has me a couple 4 405
comments 405 comments a code Las Vegas Police use to indicate comments associated with self
harm it was kind of scary at that point we were thinking is is this all going to
end on his terms now based on the four or five comments we're going to go ahead and make the official request for
SL well my colleagues heard through the scanner that they were going to move in because he had cut himself and they
wanted to save him before he harmed himself more and they wanted to get to him right the SWAT team made its move and
that's when Kevin got ready and so you were positioned you were ready to go then right I was ready to go the whole
time I mean I had my finger on the button the whole time where do you look what do you see behind you well I see
them rolling them out on a stretcher down around that corner down that path out the driveway and put in an ambulance
right here Kevin was the only photographer that day to capture ts's dramatic arrest his
image of Tellis on the stretcher made the front page of the review journal the following morning the next day I uh
opened the paper and there was a photo on the front page with the banner headline stunning arrest and and I it
was stunning and satisfying for you after all that very satisfying it becomes huge news obviously all over the
country country a reporter allegedly killed by a politician for a story he wrote that's
pretty unheard of after Tellus was treated at the hospital for his self-inflicted injuries
he was booked into the Clark County Detention Center 6 weeks later Telus was indicted by a grand jury for murder with
use of a deadly weapon having you plead guilty or not guilty not guilty soon after evidence from the grand chury
was released by The Clark County District Court including that grainy surveillance Attack
video I think probably what we found some of the most disturbing is the last three videos minutes later it shows the
as salent returning to the scene of the crime and parking that maroon Yukon Denali in front of Jeff's driveway and
now you'll see him walk over and make sure that Jeff is dead and you're theorizing he is checking to see if he's
dead because obviously Jeff saw this this person he wants to make sure that there's not a witness that's still alive
seemingly satisfied the suspect walked back to his car and left since his arrest tus has been in
jail awaiting trial did you murder Jeff [Music] Gman what do you make of the evidence
found inside of Robert tell's home see more evidence photos from the case at 48 [Music]
hours.com hey Robert good morning we met Robert Tellus for a video interview at the Clark County Detention Center and
began with the question on everyone's mind did you murder Jeff Gman no sir I did
not if you did not commit this murder who did I will Reserve that for trial you have said that you were framed do you
stand by that in this conversation I do I absolutely do Tellis says he can explain the
evidence against him the torn-up sun hat the Yukon Denali and his DNA under Je fingernails I say that that evidence or
so-called evidence was planted along with the other items that were allegedly found in my home as well and we will go
ahead and prove that at trial how could someone who was trying to frame you plant your DNA under his fingernails how
would that have have happened they first they would have had to have gotten your
DNA and then when would they have planted it under his fingernails it seems far-fetched
well you know crazier things have happened and I'll tell you that I didn't kill Mr German come on man that's
overwhelming DNA ends up under his fingernails your DNA this is an overwhelming case against you Robert
that you committed this murder and again sir you know you have the facts wrong and I will
demonstrated a trial he also says he will show he didn't do those things Gman wrote about in his articles Robert
you're saying that what these women have said to me what they told Jeff Gman and
he printed those are all lies if you look at what Mr German printed none of it was none of it had
any facts within it right it was all alleged opinion about you know what how they felt that that I I
acted but it's hard to argue with with this the footage the women shot of their boss and his alleged lover in the
parking garage let me ask you straight were you and Roberta having an affair no she
was a confidant um but I'll leave it at that but Jeff was not willing to leave it at that he was planning on writing
another piece according to police documents Tellis and Berta got word the day before the murder that there was a
planned release of emails and messages between her and Tellis to the review journal there was a Freedom of
Information requests that Jeff had put out and you were told that new messages and emails were going to come out
describing the relationship between you and Roberta Communications between the two of you and it suggested that you
made a decision to murder him to try to silence that to prevent that from being published what do you say about that I
say that's a mischaracterization of of things I'll tell you that what was going to be released and I saw was going to be
released um had no inklings of of any type of you know confidential relationship any type of supposed
Affair it was all business related so that would not have been a motivation because there was nothing that was going
to be produced that that would bad prosecutors have mentioned this as a contributing motive to the murder in
Robert ts's mind Jeff Gman ruined his marriage ruined his political career embarrassed him and was continuing to
report on him rather than leave him alone if the intention of the alleged killing was to stop Jeff's reporting it
didn't work after his murder the RJ journalists hunted through Jeff's notes picking up where Jeff left off and
completed the stories Jeff had been working on at the time of his death including another on Robert tell's toxic
past a story that investigates claims of sexual harassment all of which he has denied the main thing here is you cannot
kill a reporter and kill the story you just can't do that in life Jeff Gman was known to protect
his sources at all costs in death Jeff was still protecting them after the murder the police took
all his devices which harbored the names of countless sources the review journal went to court
and in a hard-fought case that went all the way to the Nevada Supreme Court the paper won protection for his sources
that'll be the Gman rule that you will not be able to go into a reporter's files you will not be able to go through
their phone you will not be able to look at their sources even after death these four Jeff Gman sources are
not about to let the world forget the reporter who fought to protect them they have attended almost every hearing
trying to come to terms with their feelings of guilt because no matter what logic is in your head it's not your
fault that Jeff made his choices and that he was a professional your heart tells
you if we wouldn't have made that call he wouldn't have died in that violent way that
day if I was to talk to him today I think the first thing I would say is I'm sorry but not for him for me
because he wouldn't accept my apology but I need to give it Jeff Gman was a reporter's reporter
one of the good guys a man who spent a lifetime speaking truth to power truths that are now baked into the history of
this place a neon strip of gritty stories laid bare beneath the desert sky he told anyone who asked that he was
never going to retire that he was going to report until his last breath and that's exactly what he did and he gave
his life to this job he literally gave his life to this job I think that's his [Music]
[Music] legacy need more time with 48 Hours go deep behind every True Crime episode
with firsthand accounts from 48 Hours investigations were you at all prepared for what happened in this case shock is
the word that comes to mind get inside the twists and turns and get in on the case listen to postmortem from 48 hours
now available wherever you get your podcasts [Music]

"48 Hours" reports on cases involving powerful messages or clues left behind by crime victims in this YouTube mini-marathon. Binge-watch the full episodes, featuring "The Ambush of Kevin Harris," "The Journals of Maria Muñoz" and "The Assassination of Jeff German."

00:00 The Ambush of Kevin Harris 41:37 The Journals of Maria Muñoz 1:22:56 The Assassination of Jeff German

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

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Brief Summary

Kevin Harris, a young music producer, was murdered in 2009; his parents seek justice amidst ongoing investigations and community challenges.

Key points

Tragic Murder. Kevin Harris was gunned down at just 21 years old, leaving his family devastated.
The Impact of Loss. The Harris family struggled with the aftermath of Kevin's murder, leading to personal turmoil.
Kevin's Rise in Hip-Hop. Kevin hustled hard in the hip-hop scene, aiming for success and recognition.
Unsolved Murder Case. The murder of Kevin Harris remains unsolved, with ongoing pleas for public help.
A Father's Determination. Kevin's father vows to keep searching for justice for his son.
Toxicology Results. The toxicology report reveals a deadly mix of drugs in Maria's system.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

He was just a loving young man with a heart as big as his church.

A father's defense of his son.

14:38WatchOct 5, 2024

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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