"Please Don't Tell" | Full Episode | Forensic Files

[Music] I have lived 44 years with his face etched in my brain it was everything that you pray to
God never happens to anyone for me it's really tough I'm I'm I'm struggling I'm struggling to do the
interview at all we were at our grandparents house and Keith our first cousin came over
asked us if we would come to his house to help him clean so we went to his house and when we were done he needed
gas so we stopped at 7-Eleven and as we pulled up there was a um a man standing there he said well can you
give me a ride instantly we knew something wasn't right but Keith tell him he would give him a
ride I think we just cut off circulation in each other's hands we were squeezing
our hands so tight right because you just have a gut feeling that this is not good he was telling us the directions on
where to go which took us to little California road he told us to get out of the car he
opens the trunk and he puts Keith in the trunk at that point he tell us to take off our clothes
[Music] did you plan to tell anybody what happened no why because we were afraid
he would come back and kill us when did the Twins actually go to the police I think it was about 2 weeks
later a little bit more than 2 weeks you said the man was black yes did they ever give you a ride no did
you ever meet them at a gas station no never I didn't rape Karen and Sharon sadness I don't know these
people when I saw him in that lineup I didn't have to think twice when I looked at him I knew
him he got convicted and received two 50-year consecutive sentences that's insane it's horrible it
disgusted me there's no hairs no fibers no blood no sweat no Sean there's nothing Vincent Simmons is an innocent
man who is railroaded by a racist system is it possible that you picked the wrong
man no no when I close my [Music] eyes there's no other face that I see stop it stop it when are we going to
talk about the facts why did we pick him why if it was Mr Simmons because it was
Mr Simmons [Music] [Music] every time I talk about it makes me feel like I'm 14 again for identical twins
Karen and Sharon Sanders life is broken into two part Hearts before May 1977 and after they say what Happened
One Night that may changed everything the limitations it put on our life like with anxiety depression panic attacks
scripp bling really is taken a lot from us back in 1977 the 14-year-old Twins were living
with their grandparents in the quiet small town of Marksville Louisiana and for the most part they say they were
happy there staying busy and enjoying the little things in life I was all about makeup and perfume and being
prissy and Karen was more uh outside playing in the dirt this is true life was simple until it wasn't what makes it so
difficult for you Karen 44 years later to even talk about well it's a lot happened that
night the twins say it All Began May 9th 1977 when their cousin Keith Labour picked them up so that they could help
him clean his house by the time they finished cleaning it was just beginning to get dark Keith was driving them home
and that's when they say he stopped at that gas station and encountered a black man he walked up to the
car and to Keith that he almost hit him and Keith you know did not and Keith was tell him he didn't want to fight and
he said I don't fight I shoot the man said this the man said it instantly Karen went inside to pay for the
gas and me and Keith were talking to this man and we exchanged names and he said said his
name was Simmons the twins say any tension between Keith and the man soon lifted
and that's why they say Keith agreed to give the man a ride we were like Keith you know don't and he's like it'll be
okay it'll be okay but they say they knew it wasn't okay when the man directed them to that desolate area of
little California road and threaten them he told us that before we could get a gun
gun he would shoot us mhm which we did not have a gun so we knew he had a gun they say the man ordered them out of
the vehicle and forced Keith into the trunk Keith's how old 18 so he got in the trunk yes he did he tell us to take
off our clothes Karen started to run at that point and I yelled and she stopped he said this one's going
to give me trouble and so he opened the trunk and he put me in the trunk with Keith and he had Sharon I took off my
clothes told me to get in the back seat and I did and he told me how to lay and I did I can hear
Sharon crying and of course I can't take it so I'm banging on the trunk and I'm banging and
I'm screaming take me take me leave her alone take me take me Karen was back there making all kinds of
commotion and things didn't work out for him with me sorry and he was very frustrated you
could see it and feel it and he got very aggravated and told me to put my clothes back on
and when you say things didn't work out for him what do you mean he tried to penetrate and was unsuccessful
but at the time I was 14 I did not know he was unsuccessful I really thought you had lost your Virginia I had
lost my virginity I had no clue afterwards Sharon say she was put in the trunk with Karen and Keith and
then the man started driving we just found each other's hands and began to pray and then the car
stopped and he said you out and pointed at you Karen yes he told me to lay in the back
seat he uh he raped me then with Sharon and Keith still in the trunk Karen says the man just wanted
to talk you like nothing had happened that we were like best friends that we were just hanging out and you went along
with it just talking absolutely to keep him calm and how long did this go on for
to me a lifetime he told me he came from a large family about where he had lived
and all this and he had just gotten back from Texas she says when they stopped talking the man raped her again multiple
times I remember like laying in that back seat and his chest I mean the he his heaviness on my chest and the sweat and
it was just disgusting she says he then drove them to a local Cemetery where he got out of
the car he opens the trunk and he lets them out he's going to let us go and he tell us if you tell anyone I know where
y'all live I've Got Friends he said and I will come back and we all swore to each other that we would not tell a soul
and I know they say just the fear of what might happen if they told kept them silent for 2 weeks until Karen says she
couldn't keep it in anymore she says she confided in Keith's sister and I said but please please don't tell anyone
please don't tell anyone she said I'm not going to tell anyone and it just unraveled from
there the next day Keith's parents found out and soon Karen Sharon and Keith all
ended up at the Sheriff's Office Karen and Sharon each gave statements reporting that they had been
raped and less than 24 hours later on the morning of May 23rd 1977 25-year-old Vincent Simmons was taken
into custody as he was walking down the street did you know Karen and Sharon Sanders never seen him before in my life
[Music] [Music] it was May 23rd 1977 when Vincent Simmons was brought to the Sheriff's Office which used to be
here on the second floor of the avo's Parish courthouse in Marksville and they took me and put me in a
lineup Karen Sharon and Keith were all there to see if they could identify a suspect we're all three in the room but
we're not all walking up to the window at the same time Keith goes first Keith writes the
number down on a pad I walk up I look at him and I go to the pad I write his number down and then
Sharon goes up to the window looks out and WR number down what number did you all write four four and then they
said remember that oh my gosh yeah then they said to us y'all have all picked the same man that man they
identified was 25-year-old Vincent Simmons he was from a big family in the next town over from
Marksville and this wasn't the first time he found himself in the sheriff's office I didn't have a daddy you know so
basically I grew up on my own looking out for my little sister I was doing wrong I was going in the
stores just to get food to feed them Vincent was convicted of a home burglary at the age of 18 while incarcerated he
escaped from the jail in Marksville he lived on the run in Texas for nearly 6 years until he came back to town shortly
before that lineup and when I walked up to the window and I looked I had no second doubt I know
exactly who rap me that night after Sharon Karen and Keith ided Vincent he says he was brought upstairs
to the jail where he waited while an officer was writing something down I'm sitting on the chair and a handcuff when
he gets to he say I want you to sign I said what is that he said this is a confession saying that you uh committed
this crime I said what crime you know he said rap for those two white girls said I don't even know these
white girls Vincent says when he refused to sign the confession the officer knocked him down and as they struggled
another officer shot him boom I burn it through my chest you know and I fell on the floor when I woke up
I'm in the hospital now the two officers involved tell a very different story they say
Vincent grabbed one officer's gun and was pointing it at both of them when the second officer shot Vincent in the
shoulder in self-defense whatever the truth Vincent was never prosecuted for that incident
instead less than two months after he was shot he was brought to court to face Karen and Sharon less than 60 days after
he was arrested Vincent went on trial is that a pretty rapid time in 1977 I would say for major cases they
went to court quickly Charles Riddle was not the district attorney back then but he is
now and he's very familiar with the details of the case what was the evidence against him the testimony of
the witnesses the victims Karen Sharon and Keith all took the stand walk into a court room your
parents everybody that loves you is sitting there and seeing him for the very first
time we have not seen him since the line up and then seeing him face to face was
really hard of course I had to put my hand on the Bible and swear to tell the truth nothing but the truth which is all
I had anyway they all testified that on the night of the rape Vincent had told them
his last name believe it or not all night long we called him Simmons he told us to call him Simmons at trial they all
say semmons Simmons the man told us his name was Simmons what' you think then I thought they were
crazy I actually thought they were crazy you mean to tell me I'm going to do something to y'all and let y'all know
my name I'm going tell you who I am no that don't make sense man the jury got to see Keith's car and
a photo that police had taken of Karen Sharon and Keith reenacting how they fit in the trunk when it was the defenses
turn the Vincent took the stand I told the jury that I was innocent I didn't rape
nobody Vincent's lawyers also called three Alibi Witnesses who claimed that Vincent was at a bar on the night of the
alleged crime the bar owner said Vincent was there all night he got into a fight
and police were called but the prosecution called a police officer who said the bar fight was on another
night after a two-day trial I don't think they had much of a defense the jury sided with Karen Sharon and
Keith Vincent Simmons was found guilty of two counts of attempted aggravated rape I was
shot guilty I ain't did nothing when the verdict came back guilty unanimously how did that feel s
relief we knew we were free Vincent was sentenced to two consecutive 50-year terms 100 years
behind bars we thought we'd never have to face them again but Vincent refused to give up
hope I wanted to prove that I'm innocent man I never know these people more than
four decades later Justin bonis a newly mened lawyer from Brooklyn New York would become involved in Vincent's
defense and was immediately skeptical of the prosecution's case I looked at the discovery I was like well everything
they said at trial is a lie it's all a lie there's nothing that supports what they
[Music] [Music] say generations of men have labored in the fields at Louisiana State
Penitentiary it is the country's largest Maximum Security Prison built on the site of a former slave plantation called
Angola you know we had to work 7 days a week till it get dark that's how Ang Goa
was since the day that cell door closed behind him Vincent Simmons has been working to over turn his
conviction in 1993 16 years after that guilty verdict he finally succeeded in getting a copy of the prosecution's case
File mailman came and he gave me this big old envelope when I opened it up I man I was
in shock inside that envelope were items that Vincent had never seen before including copies of the initial
statements that Karen Keith and Sharon gave to police remember how all three testified at
trial that they knew their attacker's name he told us to call him Simmons but as it turns out when they first spoke to
the investigators they didn't say that defense attorney Justin bonus has since reviewed those statements when the girls
initially went to police they didn't say the name Simmons No what name did they say they didn't give a name and bonus
noticed something else in those statements Sharon used the n-word to refer to her attacker and said quote All
Blacks look alike to me which she does not deny saying so what did you say when they asked you to identify the man I
said all blacks look alike but still Karen Keith and Sharon all picked venson out of that lineup and bonus says he may
know why this photo that was in the file appears to show the lineup look at Vincent he's the only one in handcuffs
when you saw that lineup photo what' you think what I said this is crazy nuts highly suggested when you put the cuffs
on them you're telling them that's who we want you to pick but Charles Riddle the current district attorney says that
photo was taken after the twins ided Vincent they call it the lineup it was a photo of the lineup after he was
identified and placed in cuffs but how do you know it was after because the girls told me that so when you picked
him out of the lineup was he wearing handcuffs no he was not not at all and Karen says they initially
didn't tell police the name Simmons out of fear I mean we were scared of him and
see I don't know why I didn't I mean I think fear we we're afraid of him and there's another item in that file that
bonus says is critical and was never seen at the trial it's this report from a doctor who also happened to be the
local coroner he examined the Girls 2 weeks after the reported rape and he did not document any signs of sexual assault
how big a deal do you think the coroner's report plays in this story massive and bonus says that report
suggests Sharon was still a virgin the doctor wrote that her himman was intact but Charles Riddle says the report does
not prove that the twins were not raped because the definition of rape is slightest penetration and the part about
no sign of sexual assault after 2 weeks it's very probable that there would be no sign of
sexual assault bonus thinks the jury should have had the chance to consider all of
that at trial his attorneys they had nothing they went in there Flying Blind with their arms tied behind their back
in a boxing match that's that's literally what it was so you're telling me the original statements that the
girls and Keith gave to police where they could not identify this individual right that was never heard by the jury
absolutely not and the medical report from the cour ER was never heard by the jury right and the lineup photo not seen
by the jury no if the statements from the girls had been presented at trial right if the
coroner's report had been known and presented at trial do you think Vincent still would have been found guilty no
absolutely not back in 1993 when Vincent first got his hands on that evidence he made it
his mission to get his case in front of a judge he filed numerous pleadings over
over multiple years but no court ever ruled in his favor and not a single judge felt like there was enough
evidence not the appell courts federal courts state courts Supreme Court Vincent was hoping that the parole board
at the prison might have more sympathy so in 1997 20 years into his 100-year sentence he had his first
hearing with him and it was all filmed as part of a documentary called the farm which profiled inmates at Angola
Vincent showed them the evidence that his defense did not have at trial we didn't have none of this evidence none
of this evidence was presented before the jury you the only one handcuffed in the lineup I'm the only
one okay uh if yall step out we discuss the case Vincent hoped the board would rule
in his favor years I come oh yeah he did but they would Mr Simmons after uh listening to
testimony going over the reports the board has voted at this time to deny your quest
Pro I was hopeless but I know the truth and no matter how many times they knock you down keep getting
up almost 20 years later Justin bonis watched the farm documentary with his wife and we were shoed and she told me
you know you should take this case she basically said you need to write him and it wasn't really uh a
suggestion it was right him and that's what I did [Music] you're a Brooklyn guy you go down to
Marksville I felt like my cousin Vinnie I mean it was like country okay by early 2020 Justin bonus had
become Vincent Simmons lawyer he had just a year of experience under his belt and was warned that the odds were
against him it's over like he doesn't have any more peels I was like nah that's not true it's never true
absolutely not Vincent had been fighting unsuccessfully for decades to overturn his conviction all the while Karen and
Sharon remain firm about his guilt we have no reason to lie why would we lie why would we let someone spend their
life in prison if we even had the slightest doubt that it wasn't him not long after Vincent's ill fated parole
hearing documentary cameras were rolling again in the late '90s when he and the twin agreed to a Reconciliation meeting
it's where victims and offenders come together to try and heal we came today not to free you from your prison but to
free us from our prison today I am closing the door to my pain I'm Letting Go when the time came
for Vincent to speak he had questions my questions going to be directly based on your statement at you
no we're not going there and that's when the meeting unraveled what are you doing here then since
you're innocent what are you doing here y all putting here we did no a choice that you chose to make put you here okay
I think we I think we've had enough I think think it's kind of going sour so maybe one day you can get out of
your pain if you're misery they didn't let him speak cuz they don't view him as a human being
bonus wanted to put a spotlight on the case and really dig deeper but he needed some help so he turned to Jason flum a
recording industry executive known for launching the careers of Katy Perry Matchbox 20 and Lord among others flam
is also a criminal justice Advocate and he hosts a podcast called wrongful conviction which has featured bigname
guests like Kim Kardashian when I heard about Vincent's case I was just like this is another level had to do
something about it flam featured Vincent's case on his podcast how could anyone get convicted on the basis of
this this is a man whose life was stolen away from him and he gave Justin bonus money to go
out and hire a private investigator in Louisiana named Brian Andrews Justin actually asked me to be the boots on the
ground take statements gather information Andrews Tracked Down Diane prer the lone surviving juror from
Vincent's trial and the only African-American on the jury turns out she says she never wanted to convict
Vincent Prader was in her 20s at the time of trial and says she still remembers her reaction to the twins
testimony when they told a story I'm like Ain't No Way in the world that happened like that put a black men in
your court that time you didn't believe it because at that period in history you
just couldn't see white people giving a ride to black people correct was there a
lot of racism in Marksville yes it was it was in marsville was everywhere and she says the jury Foreman told her her
vote wouldn't matter in 1977 Louisiana juries could convict a defendant with only 10 out of 12 voting guilty so say
myself well it ain't going to do me no good to say none but I never never never beli vinon was
kiled the private investigator also tried to talk to relatives of Karen Sharon and Keith with me right now that
I'm speaking with he ended up conducting a videotaped interview with Keith's cousin Dana brouette and she told him a
shocking story Dana said that Keith told her in a bar long after the trial that Vincent Simmons was never with them on
little California road that night he came out and told me there was never a black
man instead in a sworn affidavit Dana says that Keith told her he had consensual sex with one of the girls and
and locked the other in the trunk he had gone down little California road and he locked Sharon in
Trump and he said the sex between him and Karen was consensual he said but the other one was
a little hell cat that's the one that put the scratches on his neck in the affidavit Dana said that Keith had
scratches on his neck she told the private investigator that she believes Keith and the twins made up the story
about a black man to explain away those scratches blew my mind the things that she
said had Dana ever told anyone that to my knowledge I I don't think she had should have come forward a long time ago
I really did think the man got released and Dana's allegations didn't stop there
she also gave the private investigator a copy of a Facebook message exchange that
she says she had with Karen in October 2020 Karen and Dana were talking about how Keith had allegedly made sexual
advances toward female relatives we asked Karen about that you said I didn't realize how sick he was I thought it was
only me I don't remember saying that yeah cuz that's the message from you so what did you mean by
that okay we need to cut right now cut this can we cut for a second yeah yeah right then Karen said she was not
ready to talk about that exchange with Dana but 2 weeks later in a follow-up interview with both her and Sharon she
admitted that years before she says they were attacked when she was a child and Keith was a teenager something happened
did you have consensual sex with Keith laort okay let's put it like this we were kids yes ma'am we
experimented so yes how old were you when it happened I have I could not honestly I don't know 9 10 maybe and is
this the first time you're saying this publicly yes it is but that has nothing to do with what Vincent did that's two
separate incidents David think about it if me and Keith have had had consensual sex way way before now why is he locking
Us in the trunk of a car why is he taking us down a dirt road but bonus believes they wanted to cover up what
happened that night it gives motive for why they would lie it shows that Karen always was hiding something from day one
Keith was 18 Karen was 14 so what do they do they blame a black man to be clear was Keith the
perpetrator that night no he was a victim also Keith was a victim he was not he was a victim mhm he stayed in
that trunk the whole time I went to Keith lebo's house to speak with him about all of
this no one answered the door so later I called him hello Keith [Music] hello Keith this is David begno with CBS
News when reached by phone Keith now 63 years old denied ever having sex with his cousin Karen he said they had just
quote played around like children end quote and he also insisted that whatever had happened between him and Karen had
nothing to do with what Vincent Simmons did that night that goddamn was guilty I
don't give yeah he's a goddamn and you could put that on TV I ain't scared of them despite the allegations concerning
Karen and Keith District Attorney Charles Riddle says he believes the right man was convicted I'm firmly
convinced that he's guilty I don't believe that the cousin was the one but bonus was more determined than ever to
see Vincent walk free and in April 2021 the district attorney made an offer that
would allow for just that riddle said he felt like Vincent had done enough time Vincent could have walked right out the
door but there was a catch Vincent would have had to been a sex offender though Vincent turned that down and said I'm
not a sex offender I didn't do this I am innocent I'm not a sex offender what' you think when you hung up the phone I
mean that's it we're going to war bonus kept fighting and in February 2022 he finally got a hearing where a
judge would decide Vincent's fate once and for all the day of the hearing as Karen and
Sharon made their way into the courthouse they paused to pray when Vincent Simmons arrived in a
prison van he was carrying a Bible a group of supporters greeted him they were [Music]
cheering V how are you feeling today really POS it you something you good going have
cameras were not allowed in the courtroom as judge William Bennett delivered his
decision what did the judge decide he decided to give Vincent a new trial because of the Constitutional violation
that he didn't receive a fair trial Vincent's conviction was thrown out due to the evidence that he himself had
obtained almost 30 years earlier and the fact that his defense team didn't even have it back in
1977 judge Bennett made it clear though that he did not Place fault on any anyone for that instead he found that
the speediness with which the case went to trial made it likely that the original district attorney on the case
Eddie null didn't even have all the evidence himself at the time so just to be clear you believe that in
1977 the police didn't turn over key evidence to the district attorney that's the only explanation feasible and
logical after studying everything that I did that's it are you blaming the police
no I don't believe anybody intentionally hid anything it's just the way it happened because it was fast in a court
affidavit the original da Eddie null said he did not hide or deny Simmons any evidence nor did he prosecute him
because of bias and he continues to believe that Vincent is guilty and he's not the only one that feels that way
current District Attorney Charles rdle do you believe a man who was convicted at a trial that was not fair should have
ever served a day in prison illegally legally okay legally no but he did yes the judge decided that
okay let me tell you he deserved to serve the 44 years why because he's guilty judge Bennett was careful to say
he has no opinion on the guilt or innocence of vinon Simmons with his decision it was now up to district
attorney riddle to decide whether he wanted to retry the case you stood up and said what I said that he
served enough time and that we're not going to prosecute him again in the eyes of the people and the constitu he is
presumed innocent and when Charles Riddle dismissed that case that presumption of innocence
carries you free brother you free you done so happy to see you I am so happy to see you God is good to you let me get
a picture all right Vincent is a free man but for Karen and Sharon nothing has changed he
went in guilty he's guilty now and guess what he he will die guilty so I'm I'm happy I got 44 years
all right let's go the twins say they accept the judge's decision but they are still hurt by it the legal system didn't
just failed him it failed us in many ways also while Vincent has his freedom they say they still don't have theirs
it's frustrating because no one sees our bars they don't see our prison we still
have our anxiety we still have our depressions we still have our fears our bars are real and if you look deep
enough you can see them judge Bennett is is sympathetic toward the women but he is confident in
his decision the case holds extra meaning for him because his father now deceased was one of the many judges who
denied motions filed by Vincent over the past years but that was before Vincent had gained access to the prosecution's
file he and I had talked about the Vincent Simmons case years ago and uh I know if he would be
here he today would have done what I did what's on your heart cuz I can see the emotion I did the right
thing to Freedom just hours after the judge delivered his decision and right before
the sunet Vincent Simmons walked out of Angola he went in when he was just 25 years old and was released 3 days before
his 70th birthday love you man you too man later that night he shared a celebratory meal with his family and
friends let's go to Freedom what's it like being out of prison oh man this it's a Jo that is unexplainable
really but with that Joy comes challenge it's going to take me a while oh got a phone adjusting to life outside Prison
Walls has proven to be difficult so much has changed since 1977 man new technology I'm just like a
little bab you got to learn what are the simple things that you enjoy now Brea the free air walking
outside basically it's freedom to just enjoy the [Music] moment 48 hours to miss it would be a
crime were you at all prepared for what happened in this case [Music]

Twin sisters say they were attacked by a Black man. Are they telling the truth or hiding a family secret? "48 Hours" contributor David Begnaud reports. Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

True crime. Real justice. "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

Vincent Simmons was exonerated after 44 years for a crime he didn't commit, revealing flaws in the original trial and witness testimonies.

Key points

The Night That Changed Everything. Twins Karen and Sharon recount the traumatic events of May 9, 1977.
The Lineup. The twins identify their attacker in a police lineup, leading to Vincent Simmons' arrest.
New Evidence Emerges. Years later, new evidence suggests the twins may have misidentified their attacker.
Reconciliation Meeting. Vincent and the twins meet to confront the past, but tensions rise.
Vincent's New Trial Granted. Judge Bennett grants Vincent a new trial due to a constitutional violation.
Vincent Walks Free. After 44 years, Vincent Simmons is released from prison, but the pain remains.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

There's no hairs, no fibers, no blood, no sweat, no Sean, there's nothing.

2:55WatchSep 2, 2025

Tension

85/ 100High tension

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