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Crime and Justice With Ashleigh Banfield
War Vet Died for a Senseless Reason; Child Killed Twice by Own Parents. Aired 6-8p ET
Aired February 06, 2018 - 18:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
(JOINED IN PROGRESS)
[18:00:00] S.E. CUPP, HOST, HLN: Crime and Justice with Ashleigh Banfield is up now.
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, HOST, HLN: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. This is Crime and Justice.
A nail salon is supposed to be a relaxing place but not this one. This one turn into a total chaos when a random, random attacker who had just
allegedly carjacked someone else barged in and went berserk repeatedly hitting female customers even using chairs.
But here`s where it got interesting. The women got fierce. They fought back. They also used chairs on him. And they worked together as a team to
actually fend him off. All the while a salon worker bolted out to the next door shop to get help.
Two of those women were sisters. They just happened to be at that salon to celebrate a birthday. It was supposed to be just a day for a mani-pedi,
instead they suffered a beating that left them bruised.
The good news is police caught up with the suspect and they made an arrest.
You know, some people spend a lifetime making plans to get back at the boss. But the guys at Northeast Pizza in Barre, Massachusetts, they did not
have to try too hard. It seems for once the boss did all the work for them. And karma came back to bite this boss not once but twice.
He was a pizza manager and he got fired from the job two weeks ago when he showed up at the restaurant drunk. And if that wasn`t cause for the
employees to celebrate the fact that he was gone, what happened next certainly was cause to celebrate.
When an armed robber burst into the restaurant all clad in black and sporting a scary ski mask the employees actually froze. The robber jumped
the counter and it shoved a gun right into those suffering employees` faces. But then they decided to fight back. They jumped the assailant. They
wrestled him to the ground. They pinned him down and kept him there until the cops arrived.
And in a moment you can only describe as straight out of Scooby Doo. The police pulled off that guy`s` mask and lo and behold it was that horrible
boss - that former manager who had been fired and who come back to rob the restaurant.
And it wasn`t just the employees who recognized him when that mask got pulled off. Apparently, the arresting officer did too because it turns out
that they had dealt with him a few times in the past.
So now Mr. Sean Coulson is facing armed robbery even though it turned out that his weapon was a toy. And because he was wearing that fancy ski mask,
in Massachusetts that carries with an extra five years in the slammer. So, basically, it looks like this restaurant manager or former manager can`t
even manage his own crimes.
A shocking and devastating a scene on a Milwaukee street as cameras captured a pickup truck spinning out of control and crashing into another
vehicle. That vehicle was carrying a mom who was headed home from church with her 13-year-old in the car.
Witnesses nearly immediately realized that mom was seriously hurt and they ran to help her but before the emergency crews could get there, the police
say four people inside the truck actually bolted from the scene.
They were caught on camera bolting from the scene as well. The mother, 43- year-old Monica Hernandez later died at the hospital. Her son`s injuries are said to be not life threatening.
The good news here is that police say two of the people who were inside that pickup truck have since turned themselves in. But they are still
looking for the driver. Unfortunately, we don`t have that video there of them bolting from the scene but rest assured they were caught on camera and
you can see their mug probably won`t be long before the rest of them are caught.
You know, a lot of people labeled heroes, but if you join the marines after 9/11 and you serve honorably and then you serve as a fire captain when you
come home from war when then you definitely qualify.
And Captain Kyle Brayer more than qualifies. Take a good long look at that guy. Let it sink in. Thirty four years and he`s done more for this country
and for his fellow veterans than most of the people you know combined.
So you can just imagine the state of shock that his fellow firemen and Marine Corps vets were in when they heard the news that Captain Brayer took
a fatal bullet. On the relatively safe streets of Scottsdale and the trigger man, police say did it, this guy. This guy. Just, you know, this
guy.
Apparently, he got a brand new suit, an orange jump suit. All of this after a night where he probably should have just stayed home. His name is Hezron
Parks. And he had just been bounced from three different bars was on his way home. Captain Brayer also on the streets was riding on the back of a
golf cart, a golf cart that doubled as a taxi.
[18:05:07] The car behind Captain Brayer started bumping that cart. Captain Brayer was in the rear. He was facing backwards and basically watching this
all go down literally feet away from him.
Police say when the vehicles came to a stop, Captain Brayer approached that car that had been ramming his golf cart. And that`s when the driver grabbed
his Smith and Westin 40 caliber handgun and unload it. He shot the captain execution style in the head.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MELISSA LOCKLAR, KYLE BRAYER`S FRIEND: All I tell you Kyle lived and he was meant to longer. He was not the type to go looking for a tight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: But that is what happened. And with me now, Uriel Garcia, public safety reporter for Azcentral.com. Uriel, this just seems so incredibly
random. It also just seems really unprovoked. Can you really run down the sequence of events and the details that I might have missed?
URIEL GARCIA, PUBLIC SAFETY REPORTER, AZCENTRAL.COM: Right. So police say Kyle was riding in the back of this golf cart. It`s not necessarily clear
who he was with. They haven`t said if he was with friends or that he was on his own or, but he was on the back of this golf gar and he was being
driven, this red coupe, Scion coupe had been -- witnesses took later told police that the coupe was hitting the golf cart.
BANFIELD: Like ramming a golf cart. I mean, if you`ve ever been in a golf cart it is very unsecure. It`s not you have doors inside. You can be, you
know, rammed right out, you know, off the end or off the back or off the sides. And this coupe was banging into the back of the golf cart where the
captain was seated?
GARCIA: Right. That`s correct. And police -- the suspect later told police that putting the court documents that the piece, the patrons in this golf
car was telling them something which he couldn`t tell what it was. But yes, correct that this golf cart is -- you know, I haven`t seen it myself.
But presumably it`s open and it`s to take patrons up and down the Scottsdale bar district and to take him to the cars or to different bars.
So, it was this night out...
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: Like a taxi, it was like a shuttle taxi, right? That he was on the back of the shuttle. Real quickly, the way it seems to have been
describe and this is coming from document that the suspect here Hezron Parks even told the police that the captain got off the back of the golf
cart and started walking towards his vehicle with his hands in the air without any kind of weapon.
And this is the word from the suspect himself. The description of the chain of events comes from the suspect himself. And then he says something like I
felt threatened. So I grabbed my gun and I didn`t know there was a bullet in the chamber. Do I have that right?
GARCIA: That`s correct. That`s what the suspect told police that he didn`t know that there was a bullet in the chamber because according to court
documents he usually doesn`t have it loaded.
BANFIELD: But he just so happen to pulled a trigger on an unloaded weapon. Is that what we`re supposed to believe?
GARCIA: Right. Police haven`t said if that`s part of his defense or if he genuinely believe that.
BANFIELD: So, a little bit about Hezron Parks. All we know at this point about this 21-year-old kid is that he was bouncing around from bar to bar
picking fights with bouncers, being refused entry. Being snooty about a taste of a drink somewhere else and you know, bolting from a bar for that.
What else do we know about this kid?
GARCIA: Not a lot. He doesn`t -- base on a court -- a court chart that I did this afternoon I didn`t find that he had been charged with any violent
crimes in the past. As far as I know at this point this is his first time running into law enforcement and being accused of something this serious.
BANFIELD: Wow.
GARCIA: What we know though based on his background is that his -- we already mentioned he`s 21 but part of the reason why the bond is so high is
that just a quick detail is that his family, his parents live in Belize. And it`s not clear if he was born there himself too, or he was born here.
But his family lived or his parents live in Belize.
BANFIELD: Well, is he a citizen? Is he here legally?
GARCIA: You know, that`s something that we haven`t confirmed. Like I said, that they haven`t told us where he was born. Assuming he was born here he`s
automatically a citizen.
BANFIELD: So what I want to do right now is I want to focus a little bit more on Captain Brayer. Because we did a little research on Captain Brayer.
[18:09:59] And this is his formal photograph, you know, as a fire captain. But he has so many pictures not just of his military service overseas,
loads and loads of pictures of his military service.
But this guy also lived life to the fullest. When he got out of military, he not only came home and decided he was going to continue serving his
country as a fire captain in a medical unit, he was also going to travel.
And he was going to travel non-stop and see this entire world, if he could. So, as you look at these pictures, I don`t know if you can recognize some
of these incredible locations. But let me tell you a little bit about what he told people on Facebook as he visited - there`s the coliseum - all of
these beautiful places around the world.
He told people that by 2016, his country count was up to 43. He been able to get away and travel to 43 different countries. And within those
countries, Captain Kyle Brayer was up to 208 cities.
Now I don`t know if those include the cities where he served when he did his honorable duty as a United States marine, but this guy clearly had a
passion for life. He had a passion for people. He had a passion for culture and a passion for helping.
And if you need anymore evidence of the passion for helping that Captain Kyle Brayer had, well, you guessed it. After he got out from the service,
photos you`re seeing now, he decided to help his fellow vets even more than just being a good support group. He decided to actually start a group to
help vets with medical problems. And here is Captain Brayer describing a little bit about his mission.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYLE BRAYER, SHOOTING VICTIM: A lot of times as a paramedic in the field when you respond to a 9/11 call, we are able to temporarily solve that
patient`s problem. And then getting them to emergency room to stabilize them and then go home.
But we`ve been able for the first time in my career here in Tempe to actually make a significant difference on a patient`s health and their long
term issues and see them real-time and build that before interpersonal relationship in their home and watch them progress to become healthier
where they`re not going to call 911.
And to see that happen with our veteran population is exciting for me.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Semper Fi, you know, Captain Kyle Brayer. What an incredible American.
I want to bring in defense attorney Sara Azari, she joins me now from Los Angeles. Sara, they don`t come any better than this guy. And to know that
he -- you know, put himself at such great risk for this country in Iraq after 9/11 as a duty to this country and to think he took a bullet
allegedly from some 21-year-old punk who was getting bounced out of bars.
It is just such a tragic loss. It is just so upsetting. And I can only imagine that that`s the kind of thing that makes it really hard if you go
to trial.
SARA AZARI, CRIMINAL DEFENSE ATTORNEY: It does, Ashleigh. It`s a senseless killing and it`s extremely tragic. And I think the problem that this kid is
going to have at trial is that he`s not going to be able to put on a self- defense defense.
The fact of the matter is by his own description Brayer approached him with his empty hands up in the air. There was no apparent threat of harm which
you would, you know, you would need to prove self-defense. And then he grabs a gun and shoots the guy.
The fact that the gun that he thought was unloaded is irrelevant. The fact that he picked up this gun pointed it and shot him is what matters. And I
think, you know, he`s good for the second-degree murder charge base on his own account of what had happened.
He`s not going to be able to claim a self-defense defense. He`s also the first aggressor in this. He was belligerent. He was drunk. He was angry and
aggressive. And he kept bumping this car. And apparently, from what I can tell...
(CROSSTALK)
BANFIELD: Bumping a golf cart. But the way, not a fair fight when you`re in a vehicle and you`re bumping a golf cart with some people who are sitting
on the back...
(CROSSTALK)
AZARI: Right. Totally exposed. It`s dangerous enough even without...
BANFIELD: Yes.
AZARI: ... you know, without him coming out of the car. And it just it seems to me like he was trying to placate this road rage. He was actually
putting his arms up to show that he is not a danger. And yet this this kid takes the gun and shoots him. It`s such a horrible tragedy. I -- if I was
his defense attorney I would start looking into a plea deal and not going to trial on this case.
BANFIELD: I want to put that picture up if I can of Captain Brayer in his fire uniform, his formal picture. You know, this is a guy. It`s just such
an incredible loss to all of us when this kind of random disgusting violence hits the street. Anybody can get it and when it gets a guy like
that, we all feel it in the gut.
[18:15:05] Our posthumous thanks go out to Kyle Brayer, Captain Kyle Brayer.
There is outrage tonight after an Atlanta mother killed her disabled baby. But if that weren`t enough, she stole his identity and then opened up a few
credit cards in her baby`s name to go on a shopping spree. What do you think the judge is going to say to her and what do you think the judge is
going to do to her?
[18:20:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: There is no weight class for the kind of fighting Tyrael McFall did his whole life. He wasn`t welter weight. He wasn`t lightweight. He
wasn`t even featherweight because they don`t have fancy weigh ins when you start your fighting career about six pounds.
But that`s how much Tyrael weighed when he started fighting. And his first major bout was against his own father who came in about 30 times his
weight. It really wasn`t much of a fight. Tyrael was only eight weeks old. And his dad pretty much body slammed him, broke his ribs, broke his arms,
blinded him.
Tyrael would never walk and would never see again. This is Tyrael`s dad. The man who did that to his own newborn son. His name is Joseph McFall with
all the decorations on his face. Joseph is now serving 20 years in the penitentiary for what he did to Tyrael.
But about two years later it was mom`s turn in the ring with Tyrael. And she didn`t use her fists. She went straight to the poison. And that ended
Tyrael`s fighting career because it ended Tyrael`s life at two years old.
It did not, however, end the crimes against Tyrael because his mom, Erica White and her new boyfriend decided that Tyrael was actually worth more to
them dead than alive. Even though White`s defense team put the blame squarely on the boyfriend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. BRYAN LUMPKIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: There`s enough reasonable doubt here. So we don`t know if she had anything to do with this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: However, and there`s always a however, prosecution says what happened to that little baby was 100 percent his mother`s fault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN TREADAWAY, ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY, COBB COUNTRY: Erica White is a liar. She`s a thief. Erica White is a murderer.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joining me now Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Ben Brasch. Ben.
BEN BRASCH, REPORTER, THE ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION: Yes, ma`am.
BANFIELD: We know that she murdered this little baby. How did she murder the baby? Before I even go on to the crime she committed after murdering
the baby.
BRASCH: Well, prosecution argued that a Tylenol number three which has codeine in it was crushed up and he consumed it via his gastric bypass tube
which he needed from that beating that you mentioned earlier.
BANFIELD: So Tyrael had a feeding tube because Tyrael couldn`t eat on his own at 2 years old and so she just applied the feeding too but a bunch of
crushed up Tylenol 3s?
BRASCH: It`s unclear how many were used but yes, it appears medical examiner that to be the cause of death.
BANFIELD: So she OD`d the child?
BRASCH: That is what the Georgia Bureau of Investigation found to be so.
BANFIELD: And that is why she was convicted of malice murder, felony, murder, aggravated that. I mean, a list -- I`ll go over the list of
everything in a minute. But let`s move to the next chain of events, Ben. Once Tyrael was dead, the crimes did not end. What happened next?
BRASCH: Well, the prosecution argued successfully that Miss White used Tyrael`s information and social security numbers, name to gain lots and
lots of money through continued social security benefits, applying for credit cards in his name, even after he died, there were lots of ways that
money was gotten in his name.
BANFIELD: So, I`m going to go over the list and you and I are hopefully going to get this puzzle put together because it`s not simple. That`s
unbelievable that it isn`t simple.
As you mentioned several credit cards were opened within six months, apparently one of those had balanced out at more than $1500. She apparently
failed to notify the Social Security Administration so that she could keep getting his disability payments.
She forged a letter to the state of Georgia again to get a different set of disability payments. She solicited money on social media saying that Tyrael
needed medical care and had medical expenses even though Tyrael was dead by her own hands.
[22:25:08] She obtained a $50,000 life insurance policy without disclosing that Tyreal had preexisting disabilities and then of course, she tried to
collect on it. Ben, do we know if she did. Was she able to collect or were they onto her?
BRASCH: It appears that she was not able to get that money through a number of, you know, firewalls that were in place.
BANFIELD: So then, the accomplice here, her boyfriend, Michael Schullerman, he was also swept up in this serious of crimes but he pled out and he only
pled to a bunch of financial crimes, as I understand, right. Like frauds and racketeering.
BRASCH: That is correct. He was not -- he is not in prison now for either the malice murder, nor the felony murder charge.
BANFIELD: So he pled out saying I didn`t do the whole Tylenol threes in the feeding tube card. I just helped with all that financial fun we had after
the baby was dead.
And what`s astounding is that this man who was sort of there for the ride and got 20 years in the pen plus ten more, probation upon release ended up
getting the same sentence as, let`s switch pictures and go to Joseph McFall, the daddy who two years prior with all his fancy art work had done
what he did to that little baby.
Basically rendering that child disabled for life. The two of them both got the same sentence. Twenty years, and then 10 years probation when they got
out.
So, question for you, Ben. Erica, let`s just put the rap sheet. Not even a rap sheet. My God. This is just the crimes of this particular case. For
these crimes, malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, making a false statement two counts, identity fraud three counts, financial
transaction card fraught six counts. Forgery and racketeering. Four all of those crimes that resulted in conviction. What do we expect the judge to
hand down and when?
BRASCH: Well, she faces a life in prison and the sentencing hearing from the latest information I have is scheduled for tomorrow at 9 a.m.
BANFIELD: Is there a no parole factor in Georgia? Might it be, you know, life no parole?
BRASCH: I am unclear on the law. You know, as always it`s at the judge`s discretion.
BANFIELD: Wow. I mean, if anybody deserves to have the book thrown at them, it would be someone like that.
Ben, stand by for a moment. I want to bring in certified death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan. Joe, you know, the pattern in this child`s life,
Tyrael never stood a chance from the moment he took his first breath with parents like that and a boyfriend of a parent like that.
It`s remarkable that he survived the two years that he did. The question I have for you, though, is in the manner in which this woman decided to kill
her child, you know, pumping him full of Tylenol 3`s. She said she didn`t have any but then they of course found the prescription that she took out a
few days beforehand.
Is it possible they could have lightened it up on her because the actual cause of death was the codeine but it wasn`t a lethal dose necessarily? It
was a dangerous dose. I mean, we`re splitting hairs here. It killed the child. But there are those semantics. Does that matter here?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, PROFESSOR OF APPLIED FORENSICS, JACKSONVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY: No. I think it`s negligible at best, Ashleigh. The problem with
this is that you got a child that`s already in a greatly compromise position.
Let`s reflect back to it just a second. This child has been beaten to the point where he is blind. Now that, you know, we`re talking about a kid
that`s got seriously compromised neurological system already. Probably difficulty in doing everything that we normally do day in and day out.
It`s a horrible, miserable existence and then she begins to apply him with this Tylenol three with codeine. And just so that you understand the action
of this, this is a systemic wide thing. It`s not just the codeine itself. Depending upon how long she`s been giving it to him.
Tylenol will affect the liver, particularly in a child this young and then you have the codeine that`s getting into the child`s system. And this is a
really particularly horrible death because codeine acts on a respiratory system as a congestive.
[18:29:57] It begins to cause a respiratory congestion problem where the lungs get very, very heavy. It`s very difficult to breathe. So this poor
child really had no chance, Ashleigh. This child has been -- we talk about victims in this world. This child is truly, truly a victim all the way
around. I think --
ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, PRIMETIME JUSTICE SHOW HOST, HLN: You know what? To think about him at six pounds or whatever his birth weight was and the
amount of fighting that he had to do just to make it to two years old.
And I think it`s safe to say that we have, you know, a champ on our hands. That little adorable sweet child. Joe, I have to cut it there, but stay
with me. I got some other questions for you coming up as well.
We have this heartbreaking update that I want to give you on a story that we told you about late last year. Beautiful, beautiful girl named Heaven
Ray Cox. We could not help but notice what a dead ringer she was to Elizabeth Smart. Heaven has died. She was you will remember the subject of
a nationwide manhunt after she disappeared in November.
Her mom initially said that Heaven was lured away by an older man that she had met on Snapchat. But it turned out that she eventually was with a
family friend instead. She was found days later in Louisiana and then she was reunited with her family. But on Saturday, a little more than three
months after having rescued, her mom posted that Heaven had passed away. And sadly her mom did not indicate how Heaven actually died.
In Florida, the clock is ticking as detectives desperately try to find a missing woman and the key suspect isn`t giving anything up even though the
questioning is intense at the police station.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where is Savannah right now?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Where would I find her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don`t know.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That`s my -- my prime objective is to find her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think time is running out on her.
BANFIELD (voice over): You think time is running out? You were thinking right. The police found out eventually time had run out for Savannah Gold,
but did that boss of hers under that intense scrutiny, did he snap and kill this beautiful young girl? And for God`s sake, why?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[18:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Sometimes a mystery stays a mystery. And eventually that mystery is relabeled a cold case. But the story of Savannah Gold is heating up
every day. Savannah went missing one steamy afternoon last August in Jacksonville, Florida. She was dressed for her shift at Bonefish Grill, but
the parking lot was as far as she got.
Instead, she saddled up to her boyfriend`s car, and she got into the backseat with him. And then, well, then that car started rocking. The
police say whatever was going on inside that car, it had nothing to do with love. She tried to get out of that car three times and three times she
failed.
The boyfriend, he got out just fine. He made his way to the front seat. And he got behind the wheel and he drove off. And Savannah was never seen
again. But that boyfriend made a star appearance in an interrogation room with two very crafty Florida detectives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When was the last time you saw her?
LEE RODARTE, ACCUSED OF MURDER: This is what I was -- I didn`t tell you the truth when we talked at Bonefish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: Last time I saw her was Wednesday afternoon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: I heard that she has been basically telling a lot of people at work that we hooked up a bunch, like a couple days before that. And that
she was going to like tell about the whole situation, you know try to get me fired.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why would that get you fired?
RODARTE: Well, I`m a manager and she`s an employee. So, I met her in the parking lot at Bonefish.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You knew she was working that night?
RODARTE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: So I drove up there and I was hoping to get a chance to talk to her.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: I pulled in the parking lot. She pulled in a little bit after me. I parked and I said, hey can I talk to you for a second? So she came and
sat in the car. And I explained to her the situation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Did she get in the front seat or the back seat?
RODARTE: She gets in the back. I asked why she got in the back.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: She`s like, I just don`t want anybody to see me, you know.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And where did you get into?
RODARTE: She said you can come back here and we can talk.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: And so I got out and I got in the back seat.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK, so you guys were both in the back seat now?
RODARTE: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK, we got you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I wasn`t sure. And how did the conversation went basically, you`re telling her to leave you alone?
RODARTE: Yes. She said (bleep) you, you know I`m going to keep doing this and whatever.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: So that whole thing kept going. And Lee Rodarte, the fella they`re questioning, he told the detectives that
[18:40:00] eventually Savannah just got out of his car and that some mystery green truck drove up and picked her up and drove off with her. Does
that sound convenient?
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Could you see who the person in the truck was?
RODARTE: The truck had fairly-tinted windows. I saw a baseball cap.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, OK, you see a guy, girl? White? Black?
RODARTE: I couldn`t really tell if it was a guy or a girl.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: OK.
RODARTE: I just remember seeing the truck drive and her get in.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So, you`re saying that there`s a green -- what kind of truck was it?
RODARTE: It looked like a Ford. Like a mid-90s.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, the good thing aout that is we should be able to verify all of that, all of those kind of things. That won`t be a problem at
all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yes, not a problem at all, because we have something called surveillance tape. So, unfortunately for Lee Rodarte, every single thing
that happened in that parking lot was caught on surveillance tape. And in the words of the detectives, cameras don`t lie.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She never got out of your backseat, Lee. She never got out of your backseat. Video cameras don`t lie. This is someone`s child. You
might not have kids, but dammit, she`s someone`s kid. But I have this man sitting over here.
A 28-year-old man that first says, you haven`t seen her. You didn`t see her that day. So now the roles have reversed a little bit. Because we`ve been
doing our background. OK? And now you`re saying that she was sitting in your car, which all lines up with the video actually.
I`m glad that you said you got in the backseat with her. All that lines up. But you know what doesn`t line up? For the passenger door comes open and
shuts, comes open and shuts. She never gets out of the car. And you drive off. She never gets out of that car. There is no green truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: They`re good. Like really good. So is Roger Henderson. He is the news director of WBOB in Jacksonville, Florida. Roger, this was one of the
more intense interrogations I have seen. It was also textbook.
They walked him in. They sat him down. They played good cops. You want to drink? I got a bottle of water here. And they went for the jugular in the
cleverest of ways. And this fella, he just lied himself into the corner where he`s sitting, didn`t he?
ROGER HENDERSON, NEWS DIRECTOR, WBOB (via telephone): Absolutely, Ashleigh. And had no idea at the time that he was making up this elaborate story that
everything that was seen with respect to Ashley`s last moments were at least recorded, were all caught on traffic cams.
BANFIELD: You mean Savannah, good God. Savannah, not Ashley, right?
(LAUGHTER)
HENDERSON (via telephone): I`m sorry. I was saying good evening to you, yes.
BANFIELD: Happens to me all the time. Happens to me all the time. So let me do something here. I want to put up the time line of events because I think
it`s really critical to know what he was saying and what actually happened.
At 5:15, Savannah leaves her house and she drives to the Bonefish Grill. And at 5:31 she arrives in that parking lot and she gets into that, you
know, sometimes boyfriend but definitely her boss`s car. And then about 15 minutes later, 5:45, there is the struggle. The car is rocking.
The door is opening and closing, opening and closing on the side that she got in at the back. She can never get out. But at 6:04, that suspect`s car,
Lee Rodarte, is driving out of the parking lot and Savannah never got out. So, take me to the next series of events that they were able to get out of
that interrogation room and how they were able to find her eventually.
HENDERSON (via telephone): Well, they continued to of course interrogate him and then showed him the video and said hey, this is not matching up.
And there was actually some injuries noticed around his neck.
So apparently, it confirmed the struggle that was going on in the car. We have more details now because of the injuries. The bruises around his neck
at the time. And --
BANFIELD: Hey, you know what? It wasn`t just a bruise actually, Roger. I got this piece of tape that I want to run where this very, very
interrogators point to the thing on your neck and asking what is that? Have a listen to this. It`s really, really good.
(START VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened to your neck?
RODARTE: That was self-inflicted, actually.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why?
RODARTE: I just have been having kind of a hard time.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What did you use?
RODARTE: A knife.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When did you do that?
RODARTE: Sometime in July.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You did that in July and it`s still bloody?
RODARTE: I kind of peel the scab here and there at work.
[18:45:00] I peeled it last night working.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: The guy works in the kitchen. That`s what his answer is to the detectives. I`m just peeling that scab off my neck at work. Real quick,
there was this text that came in to Savannah`s parents. Really unlike her, they said. And it looked as though it was written in a real hurry. Ripe
with mistakes. Put it up on the screen and see the mistakes everywhere.
Hey, I just wanted to tell you and mom I met a really great guy and we`re running away together. I love him and we`re leaving tonight. I`ll call you
later when we get to where we`re going.
So that was just completely out of character and it looked like as I said before it was typed in about a nano second. And there was the whole notion,
Roger, of a confession. It`s not on the tape that they released to us.
Dang, maybe at trial. But the police did say in the news conference that he finally gave up the goods and spilled the beans. That`s how they found her
body. Where was it?
HENDERSON (via telephone): Well, three days later, he was arrested and the police were able to locate the body at the conclusion of the interrogation.
He apparently knew he was caught. His lie had been of course exposed. Thanks to the video tape.
And he had no choice but to tell them, OK, yes, I did it. He could have clammed up. I think he obviously came forward and be honest with the
investigators at that point and led them directly to where she was.
BANFIELD: And where that was, was the bottom of the lake. Well, somewhere underneath the surface of the water, in a lake. In a very remote area. She
was all wrapped up and there were lots of clues about her death. That`s where we`re going to go next.
So stick with us after the break because the manner in which they found that body in that lake and the things they saw on her body, well they sure
do match up with things they found in his house. That`s next.
[18:50:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: When police found 21-year-old Savannah Gold, it was certainly not the way they were hoping to find her. Instead, Savannah was wrapped tightly
in a blanket. Seventy-five percent of her body had been burned. She was submerged under a Jacksonville lake.
And the official cause of death was listed as homicidal violence of undetermined etiology. Certified death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan
joins me live again. Joe, what is that exactly? Undetermined etiology?
MORGAN: Yes. That means that the cause of death cannot be specifically determined in this particular case, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: OK. So, I do know this. Seventy-five percent of her body was burned.
MORGAN: Right.
BANFIELD: And there was this defect on her thyroid cartilage. What does that tell you?
MORGAN: Right here, there is a specific area that was insulted or traumatized, but the doctors is not going to this as a specific cause of
death. They are leaving this as violent homicide. This I can tell you though, Ashleigh. She was burned.
Her lungs have nothing in them that would be consistent with her inhaling anything from a fire. So this tells me that she was dead prior to being
burned. That`s significant.
BANFIELD: So when you have that -- when you have that defect on the thyroid cartilages, isn`t that also consistent with a lot of strangulation victims?
MORGAN: Yes, mam. It certainly can be strangulation and lots of other types of asphyxia. Everything from ligature to manual strangulation. Yes, mam.
BANFIELD: She`s so cute. I`m looking at her pictures as you`re talking. It`s hard to sort of think of her in that horrible situation.
MORGAN: Horrible case.
BANFIELD: One of the things they found -- well, a lot of the things they found at Lee Rodarte`s house, gasoline, bleach --
MORGAN: Right.
BANFIELD: Knives and a fire pit. I would imagine for a guy of your ilk, you`re a professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University, is that
sort of the smoking gun when you`re looking at injuries like she was found with and then forensic evidence that they discovered at his house?
MORGAN: Yes. The one curious thing about this, Ashleigh, is that after she may have been burned in this location, something happened kind of curious
here. Her body is removed from this location and taken and secreted off to this other location to be hidden.
And that`s kind of curious. But the presence of bleach that gives an indication many times people are trying to eradicate evidence and obviously
the gasoline is there as an accelerant to start the fire. Remember, humans don`t burn very well. You have to have something that is going to initiate
that burning.
BANFIELD: Can`t imagine what this is like for her family to have to deal with all of this. I don`t care what`s it`s like for Lee Rodarte. I`ll be
honest. Joe, thank you for that. My thanks to Roger Henderson as well.
You know, outrageous mugshots are guilty pleasure, I guess you could say, here at "Crime and Justice" and tonight we got another unforgettable
example. So it leads us to this one question. Did the devil make him do this?
[18:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Got one more thing for you tonight. Another in our rogue`s gallery of unforgettable mugshots and it never ceases to amaze us what some
people will tattoo on their faces. Take for instance Jamie Knight. Hello, Jamie. He`s from Marion County, Florida. He was arrested for drug
possession and having brass knuckles on him.
[19:00:00] And it looks pretty clear to us that he has tattoo devil horns on his forehead. As always, we end up wondering what on earth was he
thinking. And does he think he looks good? Next hour of "Crime and Justice" starts right now.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Smiling beauty.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She was like a ray of sunshine.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: With everything to live for.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We loved her so much.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: From the Dean`s list to her dream job.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It is not her personality not to call or show up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: But alarms go off when she is a no show.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When it hits home, it kind of shakes you up a little bit more.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Was that dream job as a funeral director a key to this case? And why did her birthday become her death day?
They don`t get much worse than Erica White.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Erica White is a liar.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She poisoned her own disabled baby.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Erica White is a thief.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: To collect government benefits and fraudulent credit.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Erica White is a murder.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Is life in prison close to being enough.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: A young waitress dressed and ready for work at the Bonefish Grill, never makes it through the door.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: When was the last time you saw her?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: this is what I was -- I didn`t tell you the truth when we talked at Bonefish.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: She disappears in the boyfriend`s car. And Savannah Gold is never seen again. What did that boyfriend tell the police? More
importantly, what did he hold back?
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: Good evening, everyone. I`m Ashleigh Banfield. And welcome to the second hour of CRIME AND JUSTICE.
On your 24th birthday you have your whole life ahead of you. It`s always a little strange when someone that young and that vibrant picks a career
dealing with death. And by all accounts, this young woman, Rachel Anderson, she did not look like your typical funeral director. But that is what she
chose for her future. And she was well into her studies when her plan came to a screeching halt. Because on that 24th birthday, she was murdered.
Found mysteriously dead in her own apartment. And now it seems that Rachel needs the very services that she was studying to provide.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: 911. Where is your emergency?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.. I believe I`m on Columbus here. I actually need the police department, I believe.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. What`s the address that you`re at, sir?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I`m at a friend`s, a co-workers address. This young lady that I work with has not answered her phone all morning. Our
other bosses have tried to call her. And we are very concerned about her because it`s not her personality not to call or show up.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So you`re just needing a well being check on your co- worker?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes. That`s what we are concerned and the bosses are concerned and I`m concerned because I work with her. And yesterday was her
birthday. And it is not like -- she was supposed to be at work this morning and we have all called her many times and she is not responding. And it`s
not like her personality.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Every day Rachel came in with a smile. She burst it through the door.. She was like a ray of sunshine. When it hits home, it
kind of shakes you up a little bit more. We loved her so much.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: With me now, Nadine Grimley, reporter for CNN affiliate WKBN in Columbus, Ohio.
Nadine, what happened to Rachel Anderson?
NADINE GRIMLEY, REPORTER, WKBN: You know, really, there`s still a lot of questions about what actually happened inside her apartment on the day of
her birthday. We just know that she was found the next day and that was January 29th. And as you heard from that 911 call, a co-worker actually
drove to her apartment to check on her because she didn`t show up for work. And that is something that was totally uncharacteristic of Rachel. And so
obviously, (INAUDIBLE).
BANFIELD: So I want to play as I can this -- another 911 call. It`s a little complicated but follow with me here. Once they did the welfare check
and they discovered that Rachel was dead in that apartment, they, of course, reached out to next of kin and they got ahold of her father. And
her father and her mother had to make their way to this location, to Columbus, Ohio to their daughter`s apartment.
So as they are driving, William Anderson, her father has to make a call to 911 because he doesn`t know what to do once he gets to the crime scene. And
it`s - I think the only way that is going to really describe this is just sort of emotionally harrowing to hear this father methodically try to get
information while her mother can be heard crying in the background. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
[19:05:15] UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Columbus police, take 111.
WILLIAM ANDERSON, VICTIM`S FATHER: Hi. This is William Anderson calling. We have called numerous times today. Our daughter was missing on Allegheny
Avenue.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
ANDERSON: Someone went into the apartment and found her. She was dead. What, does she have to go down to the county or -- we live out of town.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK.
ANDERSON: Can you just kind of give me a little direction here, what I need to do when I get there?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Mr. Anderson?
ANDERSON: Yes.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. We have detectives in route to the scene right now. And I`m going to take your number and have them give you a call so
they can talk to you directly and let you know what`s going on if that`s OK with you?
ANDERSON: OK. Can you just one second here.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: OK. It`s understandable. No problem.
ANDERSON: Can you tell me if foul play was involved?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I`m sorry?
ANDERSON: Is there foul play involved?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: They are going to investigate and find out. That`s why they are in route. So I can`t say yes or no. This is still - this is
ongoing right now.
ANDERSON: I understand. I understand. Not much you can do. I would never thought I would have to do this. Thank you so much. I appreciate it.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No problem. I`m so sorry, sir.
ANDERSON: Thank you so much. Bye.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
BANFIELD: That`s Rachel Anderson`s father, William Anderson. And obviously, her mother in the background having received that horrendous news.
Nadine, was there anything to the profession that Rachel had chosen working in mortuary science. I mean, it seems like almost an uncomfortable
connection to death. Is it just random or did they have no idea at this point?
GRIMLEY: Well, you know, Columbus division of police, they told us that they didn`t have any motive or suspects. So really, we are not sure if
there`s a connection there as of right now.
BANFIELD: So I want to go to Stan Latta. Sergeant Stan Latta is the homicide supervisor for the Columbus police department.
Sergeant, can you hear me OK?
SGT. STAN LATTA, HOMICIDE SUPERVISOR, COLUMBUS POLICE DEPARTMENT: Yes, ma`am.
BANFIELD: Sir, want to - you know, I understand that you are probably under some confines and that you can`t tell us everything when we are in this
early into an investigation. So I will appreciate that. Well, at the same time, try to get what I can as this seems pretty mysterious. What can you
tell me about the condition that Rachel Anderson was found in in her apartment?
LATTA: I can`t go into a lot of detail. As you have mentioned before but we are actively investigating it. We are making some progress in regards to
tracking down some leads and some other information and our whole job is to try to get to the truth. I mean, that is our role and that`s whole matter.
You know, we are sorry for the family and, you know, all the friends and other people that she, you know, has a connection with. But our job now is
just to try to tell the story in regards to what happened.
BANFIELD: So sergeant, the one piece of information that we got late tonight is that her body was found concealed. So that we know isn`t
breeching any confidences because it came from your department. But can you elaborate on that? What does that mean?
LATTA: She was found in a closet. So that being the case, it wasn`t as if she was out in plain view.
BANFIELD: So someone had tried to clean up a scene of some kind. And we also know that the cause of death is asphyxiation, correct?
LATTA: We are not sure of that, yes. We are waiting on the forensic pathologist from the Franklin County coroner`s office to establish and
exact cause of death. We are not the medical experts. But you know, we are looking at this thing in every possible angle. So we don`t want to try to
make judgments when we don`t have the ability to be able to do that.
BANFIELD: Let me check with our folks here. I think we had received that word and maybe it wasn`t official word. But I certainly did think it was
official word this was asphyxiation. Was there any other evidence found with her or in that apartment that is telling forensically?
LATTA: We have gathered a number of items as evidence. And we are processing those now. And that would include DNA, some video evidence, some
eyewitness testimony from neighbors as we do a neighborhood canvas after an event like this. So we are establishing points of when she was last
contacted and by who. And just try to trace everything from the farthest point back that we know when she was still, you know, in contact with other
people to the point in which they weren`t able to contact her.
BANFIELD: And Sergeant, what about some physical evidence and murder weapon of any kind or any implements that were found on location.
[19:10:00] LATTA: We are not releasing any of that at this point in time.
BANFIELD: I understand. I can appreciate that. There is an odd detail that I found in this investigation. And I don`t know if it`s helpful to you or
if it`s mystifying to you. But there was a candle that was found burning, still burning when investigators arrived at the scene. Is that accurate?
LATTA: That`s accurate.
BANFIELD: Does it tell anything particular?
LATTA: We don`t put too much into that at this point in time. It`s one of the larger candles that`s inside a house. We don`t see this as something
that`s more of the satanic type of rituals or things of that nature. It is just one scented candle.
BANFIELD: No. But it sure give you some time - time factor, wasn`t it? I mean, you would have to, you know, have lit that candle before presumably
leaving that apartment or presumably before being murdered.
LATTA: Yes. We are thinking this happened sometime between Sunday evening, late Sunday evening and Monday afternoon. So you are only looking at a
eight to ten hour window there. And it is certainly one of the larger candles would burn that length of time. So we didn`t put too much into
that. It really doesn`t have a bearing in this matter at this point that we are aware of.
BANFIELD: Can you tell me anything about the electronic forensic? I know that can be a wealth of information. Was she on dating sites? Did you get
hard drive? Was her phone located there at the crime scene? Did that provide a wealth of anything for your investigators.
LATTA: We gathered all the information and evidentiary items that are there. And also in her vehicle. We did impound her vehicle and we did a
search warrant on it to go through it for evidence. I`m not releasing what items were recovered at this point in time. But we will forensically
examine each of those items to determine, you know, what if any information that helps us get to the truth to this matter in regards to what took
place.
BANFIELD: And do you know of - I mean, at this point, the first thing I think of is a birthday celebration, there would be texting and
communication with people if you wanted to see them on your 24th birthday, 24-year-old. They spend a lot of time communicating electronically. Did
that happen for her?
LATTA: We are waiting on all the analysis from everything at this point in time. But we don`t think that it`s going to be something that`s related to
her birthday or a birthday type of celebration. We think it`s a random act that may have happened after that.
BANFIELD: You think this is random?
LATTA: At this point, I do. But I mean, again, no determinations are made. We like to keep an open mind in regards to what type of evidence we have
and not direct ourselves in any one direction or, you know, you can get blind sided by something else. The evidence at this point would kind of
lead us to believe that it`s more of a random act.
BANFIELD: Was there forced entry at her apartment?
LATTA: No.
BANFIELD: So can I press you on that? What makes you go toward random?
LATTA: Well, there was a situation with here where that a key was left at another location. Her house was left unlocked while she left for awhile. So
this being the case, we don`t know whether someone else came back there or had the ability to be able to get in. But we have no fore entry. At this
point in time, you know, we are looking at every possible avenue. And you know, our whole goal out of this thing as I said before is that, you know,
leave no stone unturned to try to get to the truth, you know, for the family and give them some closure. We can never bring her back but we can
at least try to give them an explanation as to what happened.
BANFIELD: I understand. Was there an element of surprise that was indicated by the crime scene, meaning, she came home to that unlocked apartment and
there`s evidence that someone was there that she wasn`t expecting?
LATTA: No. We don`t have anything I`m going to release at this point in time. But we know there was a period of time that her building was left
unlocked prior to this incident happening.
BANFIELD: Building and her apartment or just her particular apartment?
LATTA: Just her apartment door. It`s a multi-unit apartment building like a garden type of apartment where it`s first and second floor.
BANFIELD: So were there signs of a struggle inside that apartment?
LATTA: No. There weren`t any signs of that. And that`s why when the apartment manager and police first walk into the apartment, they didn`t see
any signs of struggle or anything. And that`s why they didn`t locate her at the time. All they saw a candle burning. They blew the candle out just for
safety reasons and left the apartment. It was until about an hour later when another family friend came back and then officer accompanied them that
they found her inside the apartment inside of the closet.
BANFIELD: Sometimes these questions sound, you know, vapid but often times there is, you know, no detail is too small in your business. What was she
wearing?
LATTA: I`m not going to go into that at this point in time, but she was clothed.
BANFIELD: She was clothed. But for instance, was she in pajamas meaning she was, you know, called it a night and was going to bed?
LATTA: I`m not going to go into that detail at this point in time. But we didn`t see anything that would be a necessary cause or anything of that
nature. And it`s something that we are just not releasing at this point.
[19:15:07] BANFIELD: And what about suspects? Anything at this point?
LATTA: We have several persons of interest that we are looking at. We actually gathered some additional information just evening. So we are
actively working this case. It isn`t setting on somebody`s desk. And we have made progress over the last few days.
BANFIELD: Sergeant Latta, I can`t thank you enough for being helpful. And we wish you the best as well.
The tip line 614-645-4730 for anyone who has the information. We will follow the story as well.
There is also outrage tonight. A short and tragic and horrible death of this little tiny boy, 2-years-old, killed by his own mother and then she
stole his identity and ran up a big old bill on a shopping spree. What do you think will happen with the judge?
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:20:38] BANFIELD: There is no weight class for the kind of fighting (Tyrael did his whole life. He wasn`t (INAUDIBLE), he wasn`t light weight,
wasn`t even feather weight because they don`t have fancy weigh ins when you start your fighting career about six pounds. But that`s how much Tyrael
weighed when he started fighting. And his first major bout was against his own father who, you know, came in about 30 times his weight. It really
wasn`t much of a fight. Tyrael was only eight weeks old. And dad pretty much body slammed him, broke his ribs, broke his arm, blinded him. Tyrael
would never walk and would never see again.
This is Tyrael dad, the man who did that to his own newborn son. His name is Joseph McFall with all the decorations on his face. Joseph is now
serving 20 years in penitentiary for what he did to (INAUDIBLE).
But about two years later, it was mom`s turn in the ring with Tyrael. And he didn`t use her fist. She went straight to poison and that ended Tyrael
fighting career because it ended Tyrael life at two years old.
It did not however end the crimes against Tyrael because his mom, Erica White, and her new boyfriend decided Tyrael was actually worth more to them
dead than alive. Even though White`s defense team put the blame squarely on the boyfriend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
T. BRYAN LUMPKIN, DEFENSE ATTORNEY: There`s enough reasonable doubt here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: However. There`s always a however. Prosecution says what happened to that little baby was 100 percent his mother`s fault.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SUSAN TREADAWAY, COBB COUNTY ASSISTANT DISTRICT ATTORNEY: Erica White is a liar. Erica White is a thief. Erica White is a murder.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Joining me now Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Ben Brasch.
Ben, we know that she murdered this little baby. How did she murder the baby? Before I even go on to the crime she committed after murdering the
baby.
BEN BRASCH, REPORTER, ATLANTA JOURNAL CONSTITUTION (on the phone): Well, prosecution argued that a Tylenol number three which was coding in it was
crushed up and consumed it via his gastric bypass tube which you needed from the beating that you mentioned earlier.
BANFIELD: So Tyrael had a feeding tube because Tyrael couldn`t eat on his own at two-years-old. And so she just plied the feeding tube with a bunch
of crushed up Tylenol threes?
BRASCH: It`s unclear how many were used but, yes, it appears the medical examiner determined that to be the cause of death.
BANFIELD: So she OD`d the child?
BRASCH: That`s what the Georgia bureau of investigation found to be so.
BANFIELD: And that is why she was convicted of malice murder, felony murder, aggravated - I mean, I`ll go over the list of everything in a
minute.
But let`s move to the next chain of events then. Once Tyrael was dead, the crimes did not end. What happened next?
BRASCH: Well, the prosecution argued - suggested that Ms. White used Tyrael information, his Social Security number, his name to gain lots and lots of
money through continued Social Security benefits, applying for credit cards in his name. Even after he died. There were lots of ways money was gotten
in his name.
BANFIELD: So, I`m going to go over the list. And you and I are hopefully going to get this puzzle put together because it is not simple. And that is
unbelievable that it isn`t simple.
As you mentioned, several credit cards were opened. Within six months apparently, one of those credit card has balanced out at more than $1500.
She apparently failed to notify the Social Security administration so that she could keep getting his disability payments. She forged a letter to the
state of Georgia, again, to get a different set of disability payments. She solicited money on social media saying that Tyrael needed medical care and
had medical expenses even though Tyrael was dead by her own hands. She obtained a $50,000 life insurance policy without disclosing that Tyrael had
preexisting disabilities and then of course she tried to collect on it.
Ben, do we know if she did? Will she able to collect or that they were on to her?
[19:25:37] BRASCH: It appears she was not able to get that money, do remember of, you know, prior (INAUDIBLE).
BANFIELD: So then the accomplice here, her boyfriend, Michael Shoulderman (ph), he was also swept up in this series of crimes. That he pled out and
he only pled to a bunch of financial crimes, as I understand, right, like fraud and racketeering.
BRASCH: Yes, that is correct. He was not in prison now for either the malice murder or the felony murder charge.
BANFIELD: So he pled out saying I didn`t do the whole Tylenol threes in the feeding tube part. I just helped with the financial fun we had after the
baby was dead. And what is astounding is that this man who was sort there for the ride and got 20 years in the pen plus ten more probation upon
release ended up getting the same sentence as, let`s switch pictures and go to Joseph McFall, the daddy, who two years prior with all his fancy art
work had done what he did to that little baby. Basically rendering that child disabled for life. The two of them both got the same sentence, 20
years and then ten years probation when they got out.
So question for you, ben. Erica, let`s just put the rap sheet, not even rap sheet. My God, this is just the crimes of this particular case. For these
crimes, malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, making a false statement two counts, identity fraud, three counts, financial transaction,
card fraud six counts, forgery and racketeering. For all those crimes that resulted in convictions, what do we expect the judge to hand down and when?
BRASCH: Well, she faces a life in prison. And the sentencing hearing from the latest information I have is scheduled for tomorrow at 9:00 a.m.
BANFIELD: Is there a no parole factor in Georgia? Might it be, you know, life no parole?
BRASCH: I am unclear on the law. You know, as always, it is the judge`s discretion.
BANFIELD: Wow. And if anybody deserves to have the book thrown at them, it would be someone like that.
Ben, stand by for a moment. I want to bring in certified death investigator Joe Scott Morgan.
Joe, you know, the pattern in this child`s life, Tyrael never stood a chance from the moment he took his first breath with parents like that and
a boyfriend of a parent like that. It`s remarkable he survived the two years that he did. The question I have for you, though, is in the manner in
which this woman decided to kill her child, you know, pumping him full of Tylenol threes. She said they didn`t have any but then they, of course,
found the prescription that she took out a few days before hand. Is it possible they could have lightened it up on her because the actual cause of
death was the codeine and it wasn`t a lethal dose necessarily. It was a dangerous dose. I mean, we are splitting hairs here. It killed the child
but there are those events, does that matter here?
JOSEPH SCOTT MORGAN, CERTIFIED DEATH INVESTIGATOR: No. You know, I think it is negligible at best, Ashleigh. The problem with this is that you have a
child that`s already in greatly compromised position. Let`s reflect back just a second.
This child has been beaten to the point where he is blind. Now that, you know, we are talking about a kid that`s got seriously compromised
neurological system already. Probably difficulty in doing everything that we normally do day in and day out. It`s a horrible, miserable existence.
And then she begins to ply him with this Tylenol three with codeine. And just so you understand the action of this, this is a systemic wide thing.
It`s not just the codeine itself depending upon how long she has been giving it to him. Tylenol will affect the liver particularly in a child
this young. And then you have the codeine that`s getting into the child`s system. And this is a really particularly horrible death because codeine
acts on the respiratory system as a congested. It begins to cause a respiratory congestion problem where the lungs get very, very heavy. It`s
very difficult to breathe. So, this poor child really had no chance, actually. This child has been this -- we talk about victims in this world.
This child is truly, truly a victim all the way around.
BANFIELD: And you know what, you think about him at six pounds or whatever his birth weight was and the amount of fighting that he had to do just to
make it to two years old. And I think it`s safe to say that we have, you know, a champ on our hands, that little adorable sweet child. Joe, I have
to cut it there, but stay with me. I`ve got some other questions for you coming up as well.
And then we have this heartbreaking update that I want to give you on a story that we told you about late last year. A beautiful, beautiful girl
named Heaven Ray Cox. We could not help but notice what a dead ringer she was to Elizabeth Smart. Heaven has died. She was, if you`ll remember, the
subject of a nationwide manhunt after she disappeared in November. Her mom initially said that heaven was lured away by an older man that she had met
on Snapchat. But it turned out that she eventually was with a family friend instead. She was found days later in Louisiana and then she was reunited
with her family. But on Saturday, a little more than three months after Heaven`s rescue, her mom posted that Heaven had passed away. And sadly, her
mom did not indicate how Heaven actually died.
In Florida, the clock is ticking as detectives desperately tried to find a missing woman and the key suspect isn`t giving anything up even though the
questioning is intense at the police station.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COP: Where`s Savannah right now?
LEE RODARTE, DEFENDANT: I don`t know.
COP: Where would I find her?
RODARTE: I don`t know.
COP: That`s my prime objective is to find her.
RODARTE: Definitely.
COP: I think time is running out.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: You think time is running out? Well, you were thinking right. The police found out eventually time had run out for Savannah Gold, but did
that boss of hers under that intense scrutiny, did he snap and kill this beautiful young girl and for God`s sake, why?
[19:35:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: Sometimes a mystery stays a mystery. And eventually, that mystery is relabelled a cold case. But the story of Savannah Gold is heating up
every day. Savannah went missing one steamy afternoon last August in Jacksonville, Florida. She was dressed for her shift at the Bonefish Grill,
but the parking lot was as far as she got. Instead, she saddled up to her boyfriend`s car and she got into the backseat with him, and then, well,
then that car started rocking. But police say whatever was going on inside that car, it had nothing to do with love. She tried to get out of that car
three times and three times she failed. The boyfriend, well, he got out just fine. And he made his way to the front seat. And he got behind the
wheel and he drove off, and Savannah was never seen again. But that boyfriend made a star appearance in an interrogation room with two very
crafty Florida detectives.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COP: When was the last time you saw her?
RODARTE: This is what I was -- I didn`t -- I didn`t tell you the truth when we talked at Bonefish.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: Last time I saw her was Wednesday afternoon.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: I heard that she has been basically telling a lot of people at work that we hooked up a bunch. Like a couple days before that. And that
she was going to like tell about the whole situation, you know, try to get me fired.
COP: And why would that get you fired?
RODARTE: Well, I`m a manager and she`s an employee. So, I met her in the parking lot at Bonefish.
COP: You knew she was working that day?
RODARTE: Yes.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: So, I drove out there and I was hoping to get a chance to talk to her.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: I pulled in the parking lot. She pulled in a little bit after me. I parked and I said, hey, can I talk to you for a second? So, she came and
sat in the car and I explained to her the situation.
COP: Did she get in the front seat or the back seat?
RODARTE: She gets in the back. I asked why she got -- she got in the back.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: She was like, I just don`t want anybody to see me, you know?
COP: And where did you get into?
RODARTE: She said, you can come back here and we can talk.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: And so, I got out and I got in the backseat.
COP: OK. So, you guys are both in the backseat.
RODARTE: Yes.
COP: OK. I got you. All right. I wasn`t sure. And then how did the conversation went basically you`re telling her to leave you alone?
RODARTE: Yes. She said (BLEEP) you. You know, I`m going to keep doing this or whatever.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: So, that whole thing kept going. And Lee Rodarte, the fellow they`re questioning, he told the detectives that eventually Savannah just
got out of his car and that some mystery green truck drove up and picked her up and drove off with her. Does that sound convenient?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[19:40:05] COP: Could you see who the person in the truck was?
RODARTE: The truck had tinted -- fairly-tinted windows. I saw a baseball cap.
COP: OK. Did you see a guy, girl, white, black?
RODARTE: I couldn`t really tell if it was a guy or girl.
COP: OK.
RODARTE: I just remember seeing the truck drive and her get in.
COP: So, you`re saying that there`s a green -- what kind of truck was it?
RODARTE: It was -- it looked like a Ford, like a mid-90s.
COP: Well, the good thing about that is we should be able to verify all of that, all of those kind of things. That won`t be a problem at all.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: Yes, not a problem at all because we have something called surveillance tape. So, unfortunately for Lee Rodarte, every single thing
that happened in that parking lot was caught on surveillance tape. And in the words of detectives, them cameras don`t lie.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COP: She never got out of your backseat, Lee. She never got out of your -- in your backseat. Video cameras don`t lie. This is someone`s child. You
might not have kids but damn it, she`s someone`s kid. But I have this man sitting over here, a 28-year-old man that first says you haven`t seen her.
You didn`t see her that day. So, now, the roles have reversed a little bit because we`ve been doing our background. OK? And now, you`re saying that
she was sitting in your car which all lines up with the video, actually. I`m glad that you said you got in the backseat with her. All that lines up.
Do you know what doesn`t line up? For that passenger door comes open and shuts, comes open and shuts. She never gets out of that car. Then you drive
off. She never gets out of that car. There is no green truck.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BANFIELD: They`re good. Like really good. So, was Roger Henderson. He`s the news director of WBOB in Jacksonville, Florida. Roger, this was one of the
more intense interrogations I`ve seen. It was also textbook. They walked him in. They sat him down. They played good cop. You want a drink? No, I`m
good. I got a bottle of water here. And they went for the jugular in the cleverest of ways. And this fella, he just lied himself into the corner
where he`s sitting, didn`t he?
ROGER HENDERSON, NEWS DIRECTOR, WBOB JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA: Yes, absolutely, Ashleigh. And had no idea at the time that he was making up
this elaborate story that everything that was seen with respect to Ashleigh`s last moments were at least recorded were all caught on traffic
cams.
BANFIELD: You mean Savannah. Good God. Savannah, not Ashleigh, right?
HENDERSON: I`m sorry. Yes. Well, I was just saying good evening to you, yes. I`m sorry.
BANFIELD: Happens to me all the time. It happens to me all the time. So, let me do something here. I want to put up the timeline of events because I
think it`s really critical to know what he was saying and what actually happened. At 5:15, Savannah leaves her house and she drives to the Bonefish
Grill. And at 5:31, she arrives in that parking lot and she gets into that, you know, sometimes boyfriend but definitely her boss`s car. And then,
about 15 minutes later, 5:45, there is that struggle, the car is rocking, the door is opening, closing, opening, closing on the side that she got in
at the back. She can never get out. But at 6:04, that suspect`s car, Lee Rodarte, is driving out of the parking lot and Savannah never got out. So,
take me to the next series of events that they were able to get out of that interrogation room and how they were able to find her eventually.
HENDERSON: Well, they continued to, of course, interrogate him and then showed him the video. And said, hey, this is not matching up. And there was
actually some injuries noticed around his neck. So, apparently, it confirmed the struggle that was going on with the car and we have more
details now because of the injuries, the bruises around his neck at the time. And --
BANFIELD: Hey, you know what, it wasn`t just a bruise, actually, Roger. I`ve got this piece of tape that I want to run where these very, very
skilled interrogators point to the thing on your neck and ask him, what is that? Have a listen to this. It`s really, really good.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COP: What happened to your neck?
RODARTE: That was self-inflicted, actually.
COP: Why?
RODARTE: I just have been having kind of a hard time.
COP: What did you use?
RODARTE: A knife.
COP: When did you do that?
RODARTE: Sometime in July.
COP: You did that in July and it`s still bloody?
RODARTE: Yes. Well, it`s I kind of peeled the scab here and there at work. Anything (INAUDIBLE) like that. I peeled it last night working.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[19:44:59] BANFIELD: The guy works in the kitchen. That`s what his answer is to the detectives. I`m just peeling that scab off my neck at work. Real
quick, there was this text that came in to Savannah`s parents. Really unlike her, they said. And it looked as though it was written in a real
hurry rife with mistakes. Put it up on the screen so everyone can read along and see the mistakes everywhere. Hey, I just wanted to tell you and
mom, I met a really great guy and we`re running away together. I love him and we`re leaving tonight. I`ll call you later when we get to where we`re
going." So that was just completely out of character and it looked like, I said before, it was typed in about a nanosecond. And then there was the
whole notion, Roger, of a confession. It`s not on the tape that they released to us. Dang. Maybe at trial. But the police did say in the news
conference that he finally gave up the goods and spilled the beans and that`s how they found her body. Where was it?
HENDERSON: Well, three days later, he was arrested and the police were able to locate the body at the conclusion of the interrogation. He apparently
knew he was caught. His lie had been, of course, exposed thanks to the videotape. And he had no choice but to tell them, OK, yes, I did it. Well,
he could have clammed up and I think he obviously came forward and was honest with it. The investigators at that point and led them directly to
where she was.
BANFIELD: And where that was, was the bottom of a lake. Well, somewhere underneath the surface of the water in a lake in a very remote area. She
was all wrapped up. And there were lots of clues about her death. And that`s where we`re going to go next. So, stick with us after the break
because the manner in which they found that body in that lake and the things they saw on her body, well, they sure do match up with things they
found in his house. That`s next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[19:51:43] BANFIELD: When police found 21-year-old Savannah Gold, it was certainly not the way they were hoping to find her. Instead, Savannah was
wrapped tightly in a blanket, 75 percent of her body had been burned, she was submerged under a Jacksonville lake, and the official cause of death
was listed as homicidal violence of undetermined ideology. Certified death investigator Joseph Scott Morgan joins me live again. Joe, what is that
exactly? Undetermined ideology?
MORGAN: Well, yes. That means that the cause of death cannot be specifically determined in this particular case, Ashleigh.
BANFIELD: OK. So, I do know this. 75 percent of her body was burned.
MORGAN: Right.
BANFIELD: And there was this defect on her thyroid cartilage. What does that tell you?
MORGAN: Right here, there is a specific area that was insulted or traumatized, but the doctor is not going to this as a specific cause of
death. They`re leaving this as violent homicide. This I can tell you though, Ashleigh, she was burned, her lungs have nothing in them that would
be consistent with her inhaling anything from a fire. So, this tells me that she was dead prior to being burned, and that`s significant.
BANFIELD: Yes. So, when you have that -- when you have that defect on the thyroid cartilage, isn`t that also consistent with a lot of strangulation
victims?
MORGAN: Yes, ma`am, it certainly can be strangulation. And any -- lots of other types of asphyxia, everything from ligature to manual strangulation,
yes.
BANFIELD: She`s so cute. I`m just looking at her pictures as you`re talking. It`s hard to sort of think of her in that situation.
MORGAN: Horrible case.
BANFIELD: Then one of the things they found -- well, a lot of the things they found at Lee Rodarte`s house, gasoline, bleach.
MORGAN: Right. Yes.
BANFIELD: Knife and a fire pit. And I would imagine for a guy of your ilk, you`re a professor of forensics at Jacksonville State University. Is that
sort of the smoking gun when you`re looking at injuries like she was found with and then forensic, you know, evidence that they discovered at his
house?
MORGAN: Yes, and the one curious thing about this, Ashleigh, is that after she may have been burned in this location, something happened kind of
curious here. Her body is removed from this location and taken and secreted off to this other location to be hidden. And that`s kind of curious. But
the presence of bleach that gives an indication many times that people are trying to eradicate evidence and obviously, the gasoline is there as an
accelerant to start a fire. Remember, humans don`t burn very well. You have to have something that`s going to initiate that burning.
BANFIELD: I can`t imagine what this is like for her family to have to deal with all of this. And I don`t care what it`s like for Lee Rodarte. I`ll be
honest, Joe. Thank you for that. My thanks to Roger Henderson as well.
You know, outrageous mug shots are guilty pleasures, I guess you could say, here at CRIME & JUSTICE. And tonight, we`ve got another unforgettable
example. So, it leads us to this one question, did the devil make him do this?
[19:55:00] (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BANFIELD: "ONE MORE THING" for you tonight, our mug shot of the day. This is Jamie Knight`s from Marion County, Florida. And yes, you guessed it,
those do look like devil horns tattooed on his forehead. As is always the case, it just never seems to surprises us what some people will tattoo on
their faces as if they almost know a mug shot is coming sometime. Jamie Knight is facing charges of pot possession and carrying a concealed weapon.
And if you`re wondering what the weapon is, allegedly brass knuckles.
And that`s that. Thanks for being here. We`ll see you tomorrow night, 6:00 Eastern. Stay tuned, "FORENSIC FILES" begins right now.
END
