After the First 48

In November 2006, Dallas detectives investigated the murder of a twenty-nine-year-old mother of four, found burned beyond recognition in her car behind a remote warehouse. Detectives soon discovered that the victim’s former boyfriend and father of her infant son, had been stalking her for months, leading up to her death. After tracking down two homeless witnesses and finding a piece of crucial evidence, police were able to charge James Bartley with capital murder. The Dallas DA’s office was responsible for bringing the case to a close. In order to do that successfully, the prosecutor and her investigator had to keep close tabs on their key homeless witnesses for years, while the cased awaited trial. When Bartley finally stood trial in 2009, the prosecution worried the jury wouldn’t believe the testimony of two homeless crack addicts and find the evidence insufficient to prove Bartley guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

In Dallas, Texas in 2007 Darell Billingsela was charged with brutally attacking and killing twenty-two-year old Jessica Lewalling in a jealous rage. Billingslea was a two-time convicted murderer out on parole. Prosecutor Jennifer Bennett was determined to make sure Billingslea would not slip through the system again. And, in February 2007, thirty-six-year old Antoine, “Tony” Hamilton was found shot dead, and left behind a vacant house. His friend, Carlos Mitchell, confessed to the crime. Prosecutor Jenni Morse thought she had a slam dunk case–until the verdict in a similar case shook her confidence in getting a conviction.

In Dallas, detectives investigated the shooting death of 26-year-old Daniel Barron, who was killed in the doorway of his home. Detectives soon discovered that the victim’s residence doubled as a drug den and that he was robbed. A tipster called-in and eventually six suspects were arrested and charged with capital murder. All six individuals admit involvement in the crime and point to 19-year-old Callie Marshall, mother of two, as the group’s ringleader. A year and a half later, Callie finally faces a jury of her peers. Will they see a confused girl who organized the robbery in order to bail her boyfriend out of jail in time for Christmas, or a coldblooded killer?

On March 26th, 2006, homicide detectives were called to the site of a burning car. Inside were the charred remains of 22-year-old Xenia Wilson, the mother of a four-year-old daughter. Detectives Rick Duggan and Randy Laboda closed the case by arresting three suspects: Jose “”J.J.”” Verduzco, Chito Rojas and Ismael “”Boogeyman”” Moreno. Verduzco and Rojas pled guilty and agreed to testify against Moreno. The trial would take turns that surprised both defendant and prosecutor. And the case itself would have a tragic postcript.

Investigators search for the evil killer of an innocent grandfather, who was looking after his grandchildren when strangers knocked on the door and shot him.

In 2007, Donald and Barbara Udics were shot in their home by a man trying to rob them. Barbara died instantly. Don was rushed to the hospital. The suspect was apprehended and identified. He was later convicted of First-Degree Murder.

On a Sunday night in June 2007, Christian Marton and his girlfriend Monica Stafford drove two hours from Axtell, Texas to Dallas where Christian had arranged to buy a car. By the end of the evening, Christian was dead–shot in a robbery attempt. Lead Detective John Palmer and his partner, Armando Perez used both surveillance footage from a fast food restaurant and cell phone records to build a case against the man who planned the robbery. For the man who actually pulled the trigger, Palmer relied on both his fingerprint found at the scene of the crime and an id by Monica. Both men were charged with capital murder. The case went to trial in February of 2009.

Dallas homicide detective Robert Arredondo was called to his first case as lead detective on in November of 2007. He arrived at the scene to find one victim, 22-year-old Brandon Brown dead from gunshot wounds. Two other young men survived, one with minor injuries, one paralyzed from the waist down. It would take Arredondo three months, but he finally tracked down his two suspects: Eric Harris in Dallas and Lorenzo Johnson in Minneapolis. Both were arrested for capital murder. Harris, considered the mastermind of the robbery/murder, was tried first–and quickly found guilty. Johnson claimed he participated in the crime under duress: he feared Harris would kill him if he didn’t help or went to the police afterward. Did the jury didn’t believe this defense?