1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:06,440 Speaker 1: Content warning. This podcast discusses violence, murder, suicide, civil unrest, 2 00:00:06,480 --> 00:00:11,360 Speaker 1: aggressive policing, racism, and lynching. If you or anyone you 3 00:00:11,400 --> 00:00:15,120 Speaker 1: know is considering suicide or self harm, or just need 4 00:00:15,200 --> 00:00:20,000 Speaker 1: to talk about problems, please call the National Suicide Prevention 5 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:26,920 Speaker 1: Lifeline to seven three or text the crisis text line 6 00:00:27,280 --> 00:00:35,120 Speaker 1: at seven one. Previously and after the uprising, Senna for 7 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:38,600 Speaker 1: chance you may pursuit. Thank you, Mr President. This morning, 8 00:00:38,640 --> 00:00:42,279 Speaker 1: I woke up and I found out another young man 9 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:46,960 Speaker 1: from my district um was murdered in the same way 10 00:00:47,440 --> 00:00:51,320 Speaker 1: as two or three other people who were active in Ferguson. 11 00:00:51,440 --> 00:00:53,080 Speaker 1: When I running trying to say, you know, we were 12 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:54,720 Speaker 1: trying to find out you know, what would we have 13 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:56,800 Speaker 1: to do to get the sheet back? And he was like, sheet, 14 00:00:56,840 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: what are you talking about. I spoke with those who 15 00:00:59,640 --> 00:01:03,160 Speaker 1: need to criminal investigation and the proper steps will be 16 00:01:03,200 --> 00:01:09,200 Speaker 1: taken to release that to uh his mother. That's not 17 00:01:09,280 --> 00:01:11,720 Speaker 1: what we needed. We needed the sheet. You've got to 18 00:01:11,800 --> 00:01:14,920 Speaker 1: destroyed the sheet because a letter that I did not receive. 19 00:01:15,440 --> 00:01:19,080 Speaker 1: You see how this sounds so crazy. Everything that I 20 00:01:19,120 --> 00:01:22,679 Speaker 1: do is to make sure this county stays safe, to 21 00:01:22,800 --> 00:01:26,080 Speaker 1: make sure that everyone gets a fair shape and as 22 00:01:26,120 --> 00:01:29,000 Speaker 1: long as I hold this office that I promise you, 23 00:01:29,160 --> 00:01:42,000 Speaker 1: that promise I will keep. What you're looking at is 24 00:01:42,080 --> 00:01:46,440 Speaker 1: the aftermath of the grand jury deciding not to indict 25 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:58,200 Speaker 1: Officer Wilson. A young man found hanging from a tree 26 00:01:58,280 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: in October. His mom beliefs some and murdered her son, 27 00:02:01,360 --> 00:02:06,720 Speaker 1: targeting him. Danye became an activist in the wake of 28 00:02:06,760 --> 00:02:09,519 Speaker 1: the shooting death of Michael Brown by a white police officer. 29 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:14,000 Speaker 1: That's why Melissa mckinne's wants St. Louis County Police to 30 00:02:14,080 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 1: dig deeper to her son's death. He was not suicidal. 31 00:02:21,040 --> 00:02:25,200 Speaker 1: This is after the uprising, the death of Donye Dion Jones. 32 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:35,960 Speaker 1: You know, nobody destroys evidence, except in a movie that's 33 00:02:36,040 --> 00:02:40,239 Speaker 1: like very serious to lose or not be responsible for it. 34 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 1: Because the way we collect evidence down the way that 35 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:48,120 Speaker 1: it's uh goes into a system, it's almost impossible to destroyed, 36 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:51,000 Speaker 1: and nobody destroys it. That's soon, I mean, it's a 37 00:02:51,120 --> 00:02:55,720 Speaker 1: it's it's a process. For our final episode, we have 38 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 1: to go backwards a bit, back to June when the St. 39 00:03:00,040 --> 00:03:03,120 Speaker 1: Lewis County Police Department destroyed the bed sheet that Danya 40 00:03:03,240 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: was hanged with in episode eight, we said that we 41 00:03:06,160 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: would come back to the sheet destruction, and then we 42 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:10,639 Speaker 1: ran off for a few episodes going over what we 43 00:03:10,720 --> 00:03:14,480 Speaker 1: found in Donya's phone. Well, we're back, and you just 44 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,280 Speaker 1: heard Captain Carol Jackson again, the retired police commander who 45 00:03:18,280 --> 00:03:20,960 Speaker 1: told us back in episode seven that the whole Donya 46 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:24,080 Speaker 1: case was botched. This audio is from a phone call 47 00:03:24,320 --> 00:03:27,480 Speaker 1: in which Melissa is explaining to Captain Jackson that the 48 00:03:27,520 --> 00:03:30,800 Speaker 1: bed sheet was destroyed. Well, i'd say you have a 49 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,480 Speaker 1: case understand. For forty three years, I've never I don't 50 00:03:34,520 --> 00:03:37,440 Speaker 1: think I've ever heard of anything like to go and 51 00:03:38,160 --> 00:03:41,160 Speaker 1: I mean maybe something back to some back heels or something, 52 00:03:41,240 --> 00:03:46,920 Speaker 1: but you know, not in a reputable, uh municipality. You know, 53 00:03:48,240 --> 00:03:51,280 Speaker 1: I would never believe this. We'll get to the bottom 54 00:03:51,280 --> 00:03:53,680 Speaker 1: of this. You're doing the right thing. You just sometimes 55 00:03:53,680 --> 00:03:56,040 Speaker 1: it takes a while and you have to be persistent 56 00:03:56,120 --> 00:04:00,400 Speaker 1: because cops don't like to make admit guilt. And I'm 57 00:04:00,440 --> 00:04:02,600 Speaker 1: not saying there's a cover up inside of it. That's it. 58 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:05,440 Speaker 1: It has to be determined that it is or is 59 00:04:05,920 --> 00:04:12,160 Speaker 1: and that's the that's the question. We appreciate it. We 60 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: explained an episode eight that when we heard the sheet 61 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,560 Speaker 1: was destroyed, we immediately fired off Sunshine requests regarding evidence 62 00:04:19,560 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 1: in Danyer's case. Well, we also contacted Sergeant Benjamin Grande 63 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,480 Speaker 1: of the St. Louis County Police asking for the department's 64 00:04:27,520 --> 00:04:30,800 Speaker 1: policy documents on how they manage evidence, and he sent 65 00:04:30,839 --> 00:04:34,720 Speaker 1: them to us. Now, those documents, in our humble opinions, 66 00:04:35,080 --> 00:04:38,160 Speaker 1: need improvement, if for no other reason than because they 67 00:04:38,200 --> 00:04:41,320 Speaker 1: seem to contradict themselves at times as to who is 68 00:04:41,320 --> 00:04:45,080 Speaker 1: allowed to destroy property and under what circumstances. But the 69 00:04:45,080 --> 00:04:47,719 Speaker 1: crux of what we found that was relevant to Melissa 70 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:50,320 Speaker 1: in the bed sheet was found in a document called 71 00:04:50,440 --> 00:04:57,760 Speaker 1: Departmental General Order fifteen DASH Evidence and Property Disposition and Accountability. 72 00:04:58,240 --> 00:05:01,479 Speaker 1: Reading through the document, we find that section two states, 73 00:05:01,960 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: when evidence or property is in a precinct evidence locker 74 00:05:05,400 --> 00:05:07,800 Speaker 1: and can legally be returned to the owner, the case 75 00:05:07,880 --> 00:05:11,320 Speaker 1: officer shall mail a notice to retrieve property Form f 76 00:05:11,320 --> 00:05:14,400 Speaker 1: fifty eight to the owner. A copy of the letter 77 00:05:14,440 --> 00:05:17,400 Speaker 1: will be attached to the property. If the owner fails 78 00:05:17,400 --> 00:05:20,560 Speaker 1: to claim the property within thirty days of notification, or 79 00:05:20,600 --> 00:05:24,320 Speaker 1: the owner is unknown or unable to locate, the case 80 00:05:24,360 --> 00:05:28,040 Speaker 1: officers shall and this is where it gets tricky because 81 00:05:28,080 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 1: the subsections that follow don't actually logically flow from the 82 00:05:32,040 --> 00:05:35,719 Speaker 1: statement that just ended. The first subsection says that the 83 00:05:35,800 --> 00:05:39,479 Speaker 1: case officer needs to attach an evidence status report and 84 00:05:39,640 --> 00:05:42,960 Speaker 1: forward it to the property Control unit. Then the second 85 00:05:43,040 --> 00:05:46,000 Speaker 1: subsection is where the meat and potatoes are. It reads 86 00:05:46,480 --> 00:05:49,840 Speaker 1: the watch commander may authorize the destroying of evidence under 87 00:05:49,839 --> 00:05:53,160 Speaker 1: those circumstances where such evidence could be disposed of at 88 00:05:53,200 --> 00:05:57,920 Speaker 1: the precinct station e g. Property of little or no value. 89 00:05:58,839 --> 00:06:02,160 Speaker 1: So first, inform A, Melissa should have received a letter 90 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,640 Speaker 1: containing what the police call an F fifty eight, basically 91 00:06:05,640 --> 00:06:08,440 Speaker 1: telling her her property is free to come collect and 92 00:06:08,560 --> 00:06:11,920 Speaker 1: that she has thirty days to do so. Melissa says 93 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:15,160 Speaker 1: she never received this in the mail. Further, when we 94 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,240 Speaker 1: spoke with Sergeant Granda asking what Melissa had to do 95 00:06:18,360 --> 00:06:21,240 Speaker 1: to come collect the bedsheet, he said she could come 96 00:06:21,320 --> 00:06:24,040 Speaker 1: any time nine to five and to just bring her 97 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:27,360 Speaker 1: State I D. He never mentioned a timeline, He never 98 00:06:27,400 --> 00:06:31,560 Speaker 1: mentioned a form or a letter. According to their own policy, 99 00:06:32,040 --> 00:06:35,960 Speaker 1: not only should the lead detective Detective Anderer have started 100 00:06:35,960 --> 00:06:39,360 Speaker 1: the process of contacting Melissa to collect her evidence, he 101 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:42,359 Speaker 1: also should have sent an evidence status report to the 102 00:06:42,400 --> 00:06:46,360 Speaker 1: property Department, stating that she hadn't responded. If he had 103 00:06:46,400 --> 00:06:49,480 Speaker 1: done this, we should have seen it in our Sunshine requests, 104 00:06:49,960 --> 00:06:54,160 Speaker 1: and we didn't. Finally, the policy states that the property 105 00:06:54,160 --> 00:06:57,839 Speaker 1: watch commander can destroy property of little or no value. 106 00:06:58,320 --> 00:07:00,359 Speaker 1: This is a piece of evidence that the her and 107 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:04,359 Speaker 1: her attorney told the police on multiple occasions that she wanted. 108 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:07,720 Speaker 1: If anyone should have known that it's the case officer, 109 00:07:07,839 --> 00:07:12,720 Speaker 1: Detective Anderer, this should have been noted on the evidence receipt. Remember, too, 110 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:19,280 Speaker 1: the bedsheet was not released by Anderer until January, six 111 00:07:19,360 --> 00:07:22,640 Speaker 1: months after Danye's case was closed, and only after we 112 00:07:22,880 --> 00:07:26,320 Speaker 1: called the department to harangue them about it. According to 113 00:07:26,360 --> 00:07:30,480 Speaker 1: their own policy document, section three states very clearly, when 114 00:07:30,560 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: evidence that is no longer needed is in the Property 115 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:37,320 Speaker 1: Control Unit, the case officers shall forward an evidence status 116 00:07:37,320 --> 00:07:41,280 Speaker 1: report approved by the case officers supervisor, authorizing the return 117 00:07:41,400 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: or destruction of the evidence. This means the onus to 118 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:48,280 Speaker 1: get the property back to Melissa was on Anderer, and 119 00:07:48,400 --> 00:07:50,800 Speaker 1: for six months he did not do his job on 120 00:07:50,840 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 1: this front, not until some meddling podcasters bothered him about it. 121 00:07:55,760 --> 00:07:58,080 Speaker 1: We did finally see a copy of the letter that 122 00:07:58,120 --> 00:08:01,840 Speaker 1: was supposedly sent to Melissa. It is dated but unsigned, 123 00:08:02,280 --> 00:08:04,640 Speaker 1: and it's just a copy of a form letter. There 124 00:08:04,680 --> 00:08:06,960 Speaker 1: is no certified mail receipt to prove it was ever 125 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: actually put in the mail and sent to her. And 126 00:08:10,840 --> 00:08:13,840 Speaker 1: like we mentioned in episode eight, the evidence receipt for 127 00:08:13,880 --> 00:08:17,200 Speaker 1: the bedsheet was not in Dannie's case file for Officer 128 00:08:17,320 --> 00:08:19,840 Speaker 1: Heather hand In to find. When she replied to our 129 00:08:19,960 --> 00:08:26,000 Speaker 1: Sunshine requests on June, we asked for all the evidence 130 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,960 Speaker 1: receipts from the Danie Jones case and she sent us 131 00:08:29,120 --> 00:08:32,040 Speaker 1: evidence receipts for Donye's blood card and for the CD 132 00:08:32,200 --> 00:08:34,760 Speaker 1: of the nine one one call audio, and that's it. 133 00:08:35,760 --> 00:08:38,320 Speaker 1: If there had been an evidence receipt for a destroyed 134 00:08:38,320 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: bedsheet in his file, she would have found it and 135 00:08:41,440 --> 00:08:44,640 Speaker 1: sent it to us. It makes us wonder if the 136 00:08:44,679 --> 00:08:47,600 Speaker 1: reason it wasn't there is because the bed sheet was 137 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:51,560 Speaker 1: only destroyed after Melissa's first attempt to retrieve it, and 138 00:08:51,600 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 1: so the receipt had not yet been returned to the 139 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,240 Speaker 1: case file. But why else would a piece of evidence 140 00:08:57,280 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: destroyed in early March not have its evid ins receipt 141 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:03,840 Speaker 1: returned to the case file by late June. Why would 142 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,439 Speaker 1: it take four months to move a piece of paper 143 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:10,079 Speaker 1: from one department to another, but getting to the truth 144 00:09:10,080 --> 00:09:13,720 Speaker 1: on the matter is effectively impossible. As the wagons at St. 145 00:09:13,760 --> 00:09:16,320 Speaker 1: Louis County pat were circled tight to protect their own 146 00:09:17,120 --> 00:09:22,439 Speaker 1: all of our questions in this regard went unanswered. I 147 00:09:22,440 --> 00:09:25,680 Speaker 1: would start with the prosecutor because he's the only person 148 00:09:25,720 --> 00:09:29,640 Speaker 1: who really has the authority to tell them to do anything. 149 00:09:30,800 --> 00:09:33,200 Speaker 1: To help us figure out how to react to the situation, 150 00:09:33,559 --> 00:09:36,320 Speaker 1: we reached out to my childhood friend, Ryan Mears, who 151 00:09:36,400 --> 00:09:39,520 Speaker 1: happens to be the prosecutor for Marion County, Indiana, which 152 00:09:39,520 --> 00:09:43,480 Speaker 1: includes Indianapolis. If this was in the state of Indiana, 153 00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:47,560 Speaker 1: the question would be is this instruction of justice or 154 00:09:47,640 --> 00:09:53,640 Speaker 1: is this administrative incompetence? And you know, unfortunately for your mother, 155 00:09:54,120 --> 00:09:56,280 Speaker 1: you know the law is built in basically to give 156 00:09:56,320 --> 00:10:00,200 Speaker 1: overwhelming deference to their not malicious, they're not crimin old, 157 00:10:00,200 --> 00:10:04,080 Speaker 1: they're just incompetent. But I also it is it is 158 00:10:04,080 --> 00:10:07,079 Speaker 1: it the detective folders at the property rooms fault? And 159 00:10:07,440 --> 00:10:09,840 Speaker 1: that would be something that would I'd at least like 160 00:10:09,960 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 1: to know as the prosecutor is do I have an 161 00:10:12,280 --> 00:10:15,920 Speaker 1: executive who is totally subverting here. One thing, I'll tell you, 162 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,560 Speaker 1: everybody is more than happy to throw everybody under the bus. 163 00:10:18,679 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 1: So I'm guessing if there's like an email or if 164 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,280 Speaker 1: someone called and it was the detective who, like I 165 00:10:24,320 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 1: would guess the property room would be like, no, no, no, 166 00:10:26,720 --> 00:10:30,080 Speaker 1: no no. We did that because Detective Dipship told us 167 00:10:30,120 --> 00:10:32,560 Speaker 1: to destroy it. That's why we did it. We didn't 168 00:10:32,559 --> 00:10:34,760 Speaker 1: do that on our own. And so, I mean, I 169 00:10:35,559 --> 00:10:39,040 Speaker 1: have a feeling if that happened, you know, they probably 170 00:10:40,160 --> 00:10:42,240 Speaker 1: they'd probably be all too happy to tell you. So 171 00:10:42,320 --> 00:10:45,079 Speaker 1: they could be like, not our problem. And so I 172 00:10:45,120 --> 00:10:47,480 Speaker 1: don't know what the law and necessarily would be in Missouri, 173 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:50,760 Speaker 1: But the only person you could probably get to the 174 00:10:50,760 --> 00:10:53,600 Speaker 1: bottom of that would be a prosecutor's office if they're 175 00:10:53,600 --> 00:10:56,800 Speaker 1: willing to take on that challenge of figuring out why 176 00:10:56,840 --> 00:11:00,320 Speaker 1: did this happen with with this bedsheet? So they've got 177 00:11:00,320 --> 00:11:02,679 Speaker 1: a policy for when they should dispose of things and 178 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:05,199 Speaker 1: how they should dispose of things. But if it was 179 00:11:05,240 --> 00:11:08,920 Speaker 1: made clear to them that that you want the property, 180 00:11:09,320 --> 00:11:14,720 Speaker 1: that should have happened, and you know, it's tough to 181 00:11:14,840 --> 00:11:19,440 Speaker 1: infer anything other than malicious intent. Ryan was recommending that 182 00:11:19,520 --> 00:11:22,120 Speaker 1: the best way for Melissa to pursue justice would be 183 00:11:22,160 --> 00:11:25,400 Speaker 1: through the prosecuting attorney of St. Louis County, Wesley Bell. 184 00:11:26,160 --> 00:11:29,840 Speaker 1: When longtime county prosecutor Bob McCullough refused to indict Darren 185 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,840 Speaker 1: Wilson for killing Mike Brown Jr. It led to the 186 00:11:32,880 --> 00:11:36,320 Speaker 1: second wave of uprising among the populace and ferguson in 187 00:11:36,320 --> 00:11:40,080 Speaker 1: in St. Louis County. But then in the spring of 188 00:11:41,240 --> 00:11:44,720 Speaker 1: Wesley Bell ran as a total underdog against McCullough, who 189 00:11:44,760 --> 00:11:46,960 Speaker 1: was expecting to win his eighth term and who was 190 00:11:47,080 --> 00:11:52,040 Speaker 1: publicly dismissive about the seriousness of Bell's candidacy. But Bell's 191 00:11:52,120 --> 00:11:55,640 Speaker 1: key issue of reforming cash bail proved popular, while many 192 00:11:55,679 --> 00:11:58,040 Speaker 1: in the community simply voted for him, believing he would 193 00:11:58,080 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 1: finally indict Mike Brown Jr's kill There two months before 194 00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:05,520 Speaker 1: Danye died, Melissa had helped canvas for Bell, and now 195 00:12:05,760 --> 00:12:08,760 Speaker 1: she would need to call on him for help. You know, 196 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:10,840 Speaker 1: if someone were going to try to get your attention, 197 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:12,960 Speaker 1: how would one go about that? In other words, why 198 00:12:13,040 --> 00:12:15,760 Speaker 1: how do I get Wesley Bell to sit down or 199 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,040 Speaker 1: his person to sit down with us? You know? The 200 00:12:19,080 --> 00:12:26,679 Speaker 1: mom the mom, Yeah, I'm pretty responsive to any victims family. Uh, 201 00:12:26,720 --> 00:12:29,719 Speaker 1: and so you know, if the if the mom's like saying, hey, 202 00:12:29,760 --> 00:12:32,640 Speaker 1: I don't understand this or why did this happen? So 203 00:12:32,679 --> 00:12:35,679 Speaker 1: I think the mom. And then if there is a city, 204 00:12:35,720 --> 00:12:40,280 Speaker 1: county counselor or somebody who has oversight over his budget 205 00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:44,280 Speaker 1: who's interested, that would be the other thing. If Melissa 206 00:12:44,360 --> 00:12:47,000 Speaker 1: was going to try to get Wesley Bell's interest or 207 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:50,120 Speaker 1: get a county counselor on board who could get Bell's interest, 208 00:12:50,880 --> 00:12:53,839 Speaker 1: we had to recruit someone with some bona fides in St. 209 00:12:53,880 --> 00:12:57,280 Speaker 1: Louis politics who would ensure that Melissa was taken seriously. 210 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:00,520 Speaker 1: We immediately thought about the woman who his voice you 211 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:04,120 Speaker 1: heard in episode one, the very first politician to raise 212 00:13:04,200 --> 00:13:09,439 Speaker 1: public awareness about mysterious Ferguson activist deaths, Maria Chappelle Nidal. 213 00:13:10,840 --> 00:13:13,480 Speaker 1: I just finished my twenty years of service to the 214 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:16,360 Speaker 1: state and just dealing with all this is a lot 215 00:13:16,400 --> 00:13:20,160 Speaker 1: and overwhelming. However, I do want to be very supportive 216 00:13:20,200 --> 00:13:23,840 Speaker 1: to the process and then being open because we just 217 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:27,559 Speaker 1: simply don't trust them. You know, Melissa's family should feel 218 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:31,160 Speaker 1: as though the county is straight up and they're not 219 00:13:31,240 --> 00:13:35,880 Speaker 1: playing in funny business at their minimum because I can't 220 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:38,920 Speaker 1: stand St. Milis Canty's right now. I'm very vocal on this. 221 00:13:39,760 --> 00:13:42,319 Speaker 1: In anyway I can make an extra public I would 222 00:13:42,320 --> 00:13:46,120 Speaker 1: do so. Maria, which is what she preferred we call her, 223 00:13:46,480 --> 00:13:49,880 Speaker 1: had an incredible political career in Missouri, reaching her term 224 00:13:49,920 --> 00:13:53,720 Speaker 1: limits as a state Senator representing Ferguson, then taking a 225 00:13:53,720 --> 00:13:56,240 Speaker 1: step down the ladder in order to continue serving as 226 00:13:56,280 --> 00:13:59,240 Speaker 1: a state rep. Finally reaching her term limits for that 227 00:13:59,280 --> 00:14:03,040 Speaker 1: position as well. Maria was in a transition, but she 228 00:14:03,120 --> 00:14:06,200 Speaker 1: agreed to guide Melissa in her pursuit of justice. She 229 00:14:06,240 --> 00:14:08,400 Speaker 1: said she didn't want to get into taking a side 230 00:14:08,400 --> 00:14:12,200 Speaker 1: on the homicide versus suicide issue, just whether or not 231 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:15,839 Speaker 1: rules were broken by Detective Andrew or others. With the bedsheet, 232 00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:18,520 Speaker 1: she was very open that she did not trust a 233 00:14:18,520 --> 00:14:20,880 Speaker 1: lot of the officials in St. Louis County, but went 234 00:14:20,920 --> 00:14:24,960 Speaker 1: on to say this Leslie Bell is totally different. But 235 00:14:26,120 --> 00:14:31,040 Speaker 1: I do feel as though because of our racial tensions 236 00:14:31,120 --> 00:14:36,600 Speaker 1: and history of systemic racism and cover up in police departments, 237 00:14:37,120 --> 00:14:40,560 Speaker 1: there should be, um, you know, a little bit more 238 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,040 Speaker 1: lights brought onto the situation. That's how I feel, if 239 00:14:45,080 --> 00:14:49,120 Speaker 1: that makes sense. Maria trusted Belle, which was good to hear. 240 00:14:49,600 --> 00:14:52,920 Speaker 1: We told Maria about the suggestion Prosecutor Ryan Meres had 241 00:14:52,960 --> 00:14:57,080 Speaker 1: given us. He thought if this had happened in his jurisdiction, 242 00:14:57,560 --> 00:15:00,440 Speaker 1: the best thing before like public call out some things, 243 00:15:00,480 --> 00:15:03,440 Speaker 1: would just be an attempt to get a personal, private 244 00:15:03,480 --> 00:15:05,880 Speaker 1: meeting between the mother and himself. He would hear this 245 00:15:05,920 --> 00:15:08,640 Speaker 1: person out if he was approached by Melissa. I do 246 00:15:08,720 --> 00:15:11,360 Speaker 1: feel we'll be taken more seriously and more more likely 247 00:15:11,360 --> 00:15:14,480 Speaker 1: to get a ten minute meeting between Wesley and Melissa 248 00:15:14,560 --> 00:15:19,600 Speaker 1: if say, someone of your stature. But that's no big deal. 249 00:15:20,520 --> 00:15:22,440 Speaker 1: That's not a big deal to me. I just have 250 00:15:22,560 --> 00:15:26,040 Speaker 1: to sit down and get focus the stuff you have 251 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:30,600 Speaker 1: cance plick somebody in hot waters time, just telling you politically, 252 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:34,600 Speaker 1: you are in an a credible position to put these 253 00:15:34,600 --> 00:15:38,680 Speaker 1: white people who haven't done ship in a precarious situation 254 00:15:38,800 --> 00:15:42,240 Speaker 1: on behalf of black people in St. Louis County and otherwise. 255 00:15:43,720 --> 00:15:47,440 Speaker 1: Maria agreed to reach out to Belle's office on Melissa's behalf. 256 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:49,480 Speaker 1: She also offered to read a letter into the St. 257 00:15:49,520 --> 00:15:52,920 Speaker 1: Louis County Council meeting record regarding the issue with andrew 258 00:15:52,960 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 1: Or and the destruction of the bedsheet. After listening to 259 00:15:55,760 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 1: Maria's statement being read into the record, Melissa felt inspired 260 00:15:59,440 --> 00:16:02,560 Speaker 1: to take even bolder action. We were able to get 261 00:16:02,560 --> 00:16:06,240 Speaker 1: ahold of Wesley Bell's assistants personal cell phone number and 262 00:16:06,320 --> 00:16:17,520 Speaker 1: we gave it to Melissa. Hello. Hi is this miss Martinez? Hi? UM, 263 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:22,760 Speaker 1: my name is Melissa McKennis. UM Danye Jones Mom. We 264 00:16:22,840 --> 00:16:26,640 Speaker 1: have been trying to contact Mr Bell about his case 265 00:16:28,240 --> 00:16:31,560 Speaker 1: and I was wondering if we can set up a 266 00:16:31,600 --> 00:16:35,480 Speaker 1: time maybe to sit down and speak with him in 267 00:16:35,520 --> 00:16:41,160 Speaker 1: regards to the handling of my son's evidence in his case? 268 00:16:41,440 --> 00:16:43,960 Speaker 1: What what? What case is that I need a little 269 00:16:43,960 --> 00:16:47,120 Speaker 1: bit more information? And did I give you this phone number? 270 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:50,720 Speaker 1: Who gave you this number? No? Um, we we found 271 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:55,080 Speaker 1: we have been calling period, Okay, yeah, and what type 272 00:16:55,120 --> 00:16:58,040 Speaker 1: of face? He was a twenty four year old that 273 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:04,520 Speaker 1: was found hanging from um a tree with his pants 274 00:17:04,560 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 1: down count in St. Louis County. Yes, and that was 275 00:17:10,840 --> 00:17:18,040 Speaker 1: in two thousand eighteen before. Yes, Yes, we've started our 276 00:17:18,080 --> 00:17:24,760 Speaker 1: own investigation, private investigation, and we let the detective know 277 00:17:25,080 --> 00:17:30,760 Speaker 1: that we would need the sheet that was used for 278 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:38,320 Speaker 1: our private investigation. Okay, and not only I but the 279 00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:43,600 Speaker 1: sheet that was believe. Yes, so I'm just getting a 280 00:17:43,680 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: call a few days ago. Let me know that the 281 00:17:47,600 --> 00:17:53,399 Speaker 1: the evidence that we needed was destroyed. Oh okay, so 282 00:17:53,640 --> 00:17:55,800 Speaker 1: let me just ask you. Did you wanted me requestedly? Well, 283 00:17:56,040 --> 00:18:00,680 Speaker 1: but was any kind of any of the case, any 284 00:18:00,720 --> 00:18:07,520 Speaker 1: thing presented to the Prostitutor's office. Maria Chapelle nadal She 285 00:18:07,800 --> 00:18:11,320 Speaker 1: just sent up. She sent a letter and also called 286 00:18:12,800 --> 00:18:16,680 Speaker 1: twice and did anyone give me This is my personal 287 00:18:16,680 --> 00:18:18,359 Speaker 1: cell phone that I'm just trying to figure out how 288 00:18:18,440 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 1: this number came out. It was just given to us. 289 00:18:22,400 --> 00:18:26,560 Speaker 1: Oh okay, Yeah, what I'm gonna touch you my email 290 00:18:26,560 --> 00:18:29,359 Speaker 1: address and then if he's gonna respond with some available 291 00:18:29,440 --> 00:18:32,320 Speaker 1: das um, and then we'll just go from there. I'll 292 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:34,359 Speaker 1: be able to set something up. UM. He's not going 293 00:18:34,400 --> 00:18:37,720 Speaker 1: to be available this week, but anything that she had, 294 00:18:37,760 --> 00:18:40,320 Speaker 1: any available base and times that you have UM for 295 00:18:40,440 --> 00:18:43,560 Speaker 1: the next couple of weeks. In July, Bell's assistant to 296 00:18:43,600 --> 00:18:46,560 Speaker 1: Mika Martinez, promised to bring the issue to Bell's attention. 297 00:18:47,040 --> 00:18:49,960 Speaker 1: At this point, all we could do was wait. In 298 00:18:50,000 --> 00:18:53,359 Speaker 1: the meantime, Maria Chappelle Nadala received a letter back about 299 00:18:53,359 --> 00:18:56,439 Speaker 1: her statement to the county Council from Tim Fitch. The 300 00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: former St. Louis County police chief, who had given Detective 301 00:18:59,359 --> 00:19:03,400 Speaker 1: andrew his first chief's commendation. Fitch had since been elected 302 00:19:03,440 --> 00:19:07,000 Speaker 1: a county councilor. He wrote to Maria, I professionally no 303 00:19:07,160 --> 00:19:10,440 Speaker 1: Detective Timothy Andrewer. I've never known him to be anything 304 00:19:10,520 --> 00:19:13,760 Speaker 1: but a dedicated, an ethical police officer, and an excellent 305 00:19:13,800 --> 00:19:17,280 Speaker 1: criminal investigator. If one of my family members ever died 306 00:19:17,359 --> 00:19:21,720 Speaker 1: under suspicious circumstances, I would want Detective Andrewer to conduct 307 00:19:21,720 --> 00:19:25,560 Speaker 1: the investigation. He also sec the new chief of Police, 308 00:19:25,680 --> 00:19:28,879 Speaker 1: Colonel Mary Barton, meaning the county police were now aware 309 00:19:28,880 --> 00:19:31,800 Speaker 1: of Melissa's concerns about Andrewer and the destruction of the 310 00:19:31,840 --> 00:19:36,160 Speaker 1: bed sheet. To help Melissa's cause, Maria had also reached 311 00:19:36,160 --> 00:19:39,159 Speaker 1: out to Belle's office, and she became anxious when she 312 00:19:39,160 --> 00:19:41,679 Speaker 1: didn't get a reply from him. I just have to 313 00:19:41,720 --> 00:19:46,640 Speaker 1: tell you I have never had another elected officials office 314 00:19:46,760 --> 00:19:51,280 Speaker 1: never called me back. This is the first time in 315 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:58,040 Speaker 1: twenty years where an elected official never called me back. 316 00:19:59,359 --> 00:20:02,520 Speaker 1: Maria ended up confronting Bell on Twitter, telling him that 317 00:20:02,560 --> 00:20:06,720 Speaker 1: his assistant, Miss Martinez, had guaranteed Melissa a meeting. Maria 318 00:20:06,800 --> 00:20:08,760 Speaker 1: stated that she sent a letter to Bell's office and 319 00:20:08,800 --> 00:20:13,320 Speaker 1: had called him twice. Bell apparently hit that tweet of Maria's, 320 00:20:13,320 --> 00:20:17,520 Speaker 1: which exacerbated her frustration, so she prodded him again, asking 321 00:20:17,520 --> 00:20:20,160 Speaker 1: why he hid that message when a mother's son was dead. 322 00:20:20,840 --> 00:20:23,280 Speaker 1: Bell replied that it was because he does not discuss 323 00:20:23,359 --> 00:20:27,000 Speaker 1: sensitive matters via Twitter. He continued that Maria had his 324 00:20:27,080 --> 00:20:29,600 Speaker 1: cell number and should call him, which is a little 325 00:20:29,680 --> 00:20:33,200 Speaker 1: ridiculous because the whole kerfuffle started because Maria was complaining 326 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:37,160 Speaker 1: about Bell not calling her back and mad thing. I mean, 327 00:20:37,359 --> 00:20:39,560 Speaker 1: he made me mad, like I thought I was doing 328 00:20:39,560 --> 00:20:43,320 Speaker 1: the exercise i'd never experienced and lested official not call 329 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:45,720 Speaker 1: me back, even once you hate me, call me back. 330 00:20:46,240 --> 00:20:48,040 Speaker 1: That's incredible to hear you say that. I was going 331 00:20:48,080 --> 00:20:52,920 Speaker 1: to ask you how typical. This is the first time, 332 00:20:53,320 --> 00:20:56,000 Speaker 1: even like Lacey and I hate each other, but his 333 00:20:56,080 --> 00:20:59,399 Speaker 1: stuff calls me back to help somebody out. This is 334 00:20:59,440 --> 00:21:01,760 Speaker 1: the first come ever. And I want to be able 335 00:21:01,800 --> 00:21:05,080 Speaker 1: to say that on your podcast because what we're talking 336 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:08,960 Speaker 1: about is the process I told you before. I'm not 337 00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:11,800 Speaker 1: going to get into what happened what didn't happen, because 338 00:21:11,800 --> 00:21:14,080 Speaker 1: I don't ursis I don't know, but I said I 339 00:21:14,080 --> 00:21:19,560 Speaker 1: would be supportive an understanding the process. Ironically enough, up 340 00:21:19,600 --> 00:21:21,760 Speaker 1: to this point, Maria did not want to be a 341 00:21:21,840 --> 00:21:24,560 Speaker 1: voice in our podcast. She wanted to help Melissa go 342 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:27,520 Speaker 1: through the bureaucratic process to make sure that she got 343 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:30,080 Speaker 1: heard and to make sure the issues at hand were 344 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:33,000 Speaker 1: out in the light of day. And it's the same 345 00:21:33,040 --> 00:21:35,960 Speaker 1: thing that happened in Ferguson. People did not know how 346 00:21:36,000 --> 00:21:39,800 Speaker 1: to reach out their elected officials. So this is a 347 00:21:39,880 --> 00:21:45,080 Speaker 1: continuation on the like governmental side, what your responsibility is 348 00:21:45,200 --> 00:21:48,960 Speaker 1: as an elected official. And even if you're not emotionally involved, 349 00:21:49,480 --> 00:21:51,880 Speaker 1: you can add bare minimum do a letter, You could 350 00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:54,560 Speaker 1: add bare minimum do a phone call. But you know what, 351 00:21:54,920 --> 00:21:57,080 Speaker 1: like I said, I wasn't going to do this podcast, 352 00:21:57,160 --> 00:21:58,760 Speaker 1: and you know I wasn't going to do this pod. 353 00:21:58,880 --> 00:22:00,760 Speaker 1: I told I didn't want to do I'm sick and 354 00:22:00,840 --> 00:22:04,480 Speaker 1: tired and I just I'm trying to transition. But now 355 00:22:04,560 --> 00:22:09,520 Speaker 1: that Wesley Bell is lying. After this call, Maria took 356 00:22:09,560 --> 00:22:13,240 Speaker 1: to Twitter and wrote, Melissa McKinney's called me in desperation 357 00:22:13,280 --> 00:22:17,080 Speaker 1: to get questions answered regarding her son's death. At the time, 358 00:22:17,240 --> 00:22:19,960 Speaker 1: she requested that I participate in a podcast to help 359 00:22:20,040 --> 00:22:24,119 Speaker 1: explain how electeds follow up on such matters I adamantly 360 00:22:24,200 --> 00:22:29,200 Speaker 1: refused until today. I now look forward to this podcast series. 361 00:22:29,920 --> 00:22:33,320 Speaker 1: We were thrilled to have Maria's support and assistance. While 362 00:22:33,359 --> 00:22:36,880 Speaker 1: waiting to hear from Belle's office regarding Melissa's case, Bell 363 00:22:37,000 --> 00:22:39,560 Speaker 1: took to the media to make a statement on another 364 00:22:39,600 --> 00:22:41,760 Speaker 1: issue that would end up letting down a lot of 365 00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:46,960 Speaker 1: people in St. Louis and around the country. Because of 366 00:22:46,960 --> 00:22:50,159 Speaker 1: the significance of this case to this community, and because 367 00:22:50,200 --> 00:22:53,840 Speaker 1: the family asked, I believed it was necessary to conduct 368 00:22:53,840 --> 00:22:57,480 Speaker 1: a reexamination of the evidence in the case and come 369 00:22:57,520 --> 00:23:00,880 Speaker 1: to our own conclusion as to whether Dare Wilson committed 370 00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:03,879 Speaker 1: a crime under Missouri law when he shot Michael Brown. 371 00:23:04,800 --> 00:23:08,679 Speaker 1: Our newly formed Conviction and Incident Review Unit conducted a 372 00:23:08,720 --> 00:23:13,600 Speaker 1: five month review of the evidence, examining thousands of pages 373 00:23:13,600 --> 00:23:19,359 Speaker 1: of witness statements, forensic reports, and other evidence. Although this 374 00:23:19,480 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 1: case represents one of the most significant moments in St. 375 00:23:23,280 --> 00:23:27,520 Speaker 1: Louis's history, the question for this office was a simple one. 376 00:23:27,760 --> 00:23:31,080 Speaker 1: Could we prove beyond a reasonable doubt that when Darren 377 00:23:31,080 --> 00:23:35,800 Speaker 1: Wilson shot Michael Brown, he committed murder or manslaughter under 378 00:23:35,800 --> 00:23:39,720 Speaker 1: Missouri law. After an independent and in depth review of 379 00:23:39,720 --> 00:23:43,359 Speaker 1: the evidence, we cannot prove that he did. Out of 380 00:23:43,400 --> 00:23:46,520 Speaker 1: respect for Michael Brown and and for his family, I 381 00:23:46,560 --> 00:23:49,160 Speaker 1: do not intend to relitigate the evidence in this case. 382 00:23:49,520 --> 00:23:52,040 Speaker 1: These facts have been aired in public time and again, 383 00:23:52,760 --> 00:23:54,600 Speaker 1: and this is a time for us to reflect on 384 00:23:54,720 --> 00:23:58,760 Speaker 1: Michael's life, to support Michael's family, and to honor a 385 00:23:58,840 --> 00:24:02,360 Speaker 1: transformative move it that will forever be linked to his name. 386 00:24:02,960 --> 00:24:07,399 Speaker 1: My heart breaks for Michael's father, Michael Brown Sr. And 387 00:24:07,480 --> 00:24:11,439 Speaker 1: his mother Leslie mcspadden. I know this is not the 388 00:24:11,480 --> 00:24:14,480 Speaker 1: result they were looking for and that their pain will 389 00:24:14,520 --> 00:24:19,480 Speaker 1: continue forever. It was disappointing to learn that Bell would 390 00:24:19,480 --> 00:24:23,080 Speaker 1: not be reopening the Mike Brown case or indicting Darren Wilson. 391 00:24:23,800 --> 00:24:25,800 Speaker 1: Perhaps he was right and that he couldn't secure a 392 00:24:25,800 --> 00:24:30,280 Speaker 1: conviction of Wilson under existing statutes. But the political rhetoric 393 00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:33,240 Speaker 1: at the end about honoring Michael's memory and honoring a 394 00:24:33,280 --> 00:24:38,200 Speaker 1: transformational movement forever attached to his name, it seems so cynical. 395 00:24:39,160 --> 00:24:42,000 Speaker 1: Bell could have made a fiery speech about how existing 396 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:44,760 Speaker 1: laws need to be changed. He could have taken a 397 00:24:44,800 --> 00:24:48,040 Speaker 1: stance about how any system that allows for such outcomes 398 00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:52,440 Speaker 1: is a system in dire need of restructuring. No, Bell 399 00:24:52,560 --> 00:24:55,960 Speaker 1: can't write or unwrite laws, but he certainly can fire 400 00:24:56,040 --> 00:24:58,600 Speaker 1: up the public about the need to do so. He 401 00:24:58,640 --> 00:25:01,240 Speaker 1: could send a message to the of Ferguson in St. 402 00:25:01,240 --> 00:25:04,080 Speaker 1: Louis County who elected him, who gave so much on 403 00:25:04,119 --> 00:25:06,760 Speaker 1: the streets, that he needed them to rise again, to 404 00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:09,359 Speaker 1: push on the people who can change the laws, and 405 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,719 Speaker 1: to push on the people who can hold the police 406 00:25:11,720 --> 00:25:16,840 Speaker 1: to account, rather than just slouching away after milktoast suggestions 407 00:25:16,840 --> 00:25:21,399 Speaker 1: of honoring this or remembering that after absorbing this news, 408 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:23,879 Speaker 1: we hoped it wasn't a sign as to whether or 409 00:25:23,880 --> 00:25:26,640 Speaker 1: not Bell would be willing to hear out Melissa regarding 410 00:25:26,680 --> 00:25:32,480 Speaker 1: Donne's case. The reason why I am inquiring today is 411 00:25:32,560 --> 00:25:35,880 Speaker 1: because at the end of June the beginning of July 412 00:25:36,080 --> 00:25:39,199 Speaker 1: sent a letter to the Police Commission, and I have 413 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:42,680 Speaker 1: not I have not gotten a response in my office 414 00:25:42,840 --> 00:25:47,480 Speaker 1: at all. And this is the case dealing with Melissa McKinney's. 415 00:25:47,520 --> 00:25:50,159 Speaker 1: For her part, Maria had the idea to approach the 416 00:25:50,200 --> 00:25:53,200 Speaker 1: Police Commission about the destruction of the bedsheet and see 417 00:25:53,240 --> 00:25:56,040 Speaker 1: what they were willing to do on the matter. First 418 00:25:56,160 --> 00:25:58,240 Speaker 1: she sent them a letter, and then when the Commission 419 00:25:58,280 --> 00:26:00,639 Speaker 1: had a meeting. She signed up to make a comment 420 00:26:01,800 --> 00:26:04,359 Speaker 1: and one I'd just like to know at what point, 421 00:26:04,800 --> 00:26:09,280 Speaker 1: if at all, does the Commission respond to legislator's inquiries 422 00:26:09,680 --> 00:26:12,679 Speaker 1: And if you don't, it would be great if the 423 00:26:12,800 --> 00:26:17,800 Speaker 1: Police Commission supported a citizen review board so that individuals 424 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:22,360 Speaker 1: who feel that they are injured get some type of justice. Yes, 425 00:26:22,720 --> 00:26:28,840 Speaker 1: my ene that that manew. This was all done via 426 00:26:28,880 --> 00:26:32,520 Speaker 1: a zoom meeting due to COVID nineteen, so the responses 427 00:26:32,520 --> 00:26:35,480 Speaker 1: by the commissioner are barely audible as the signal is 428 00:26:35,600 --> 00:26:38,880 Speaker 1: very distorted. We won't make you suffer them. The long 429 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,520 Speaker 1: and short is that the Commissioner told Maria that the 430 00:26:41,560 --> 00:26:44,320 Speaker 1: department was currently reviewing the issue of the bed sheet 431 00:26:44,320 --> 00:26:47,080 Speaker 1: being destroyed. It was the first any of us had 432 00:26:47,119 --> 00:26:51,000 Speaker 1: heard that such a review was happening. Then, Melissa finally 433 00:26:51,040 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 1: got a call from Wesley Bell's office to schedule an 434 00:26:53,760 --> 00:26:57,439 Speaker 1: in person meeting between her and Belle. Melissa invited us 435 00:26:57,480 --> 00:26:59,760 Speaker 1: to come with her to help her present the information 436 00:26:59,760 --> 00:27:03,440 Speaker 1: that we had collected up to that point. So on August, 437 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:07,240 Speaker 1: the three of us all walked together through the doors 438 00:27:07,240 --> 00:27:10,520 Speaker 1: of the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton. The seat 439 00:27:10,520 --> 00:27:14,160 Speaker 1: of St. Louis County, past the very spot where Melissa 440 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,600 Speaker 1: had held her press conference two weeks after Danye's death, 441 00:27:18,080 --> 00:27:25,040 Speaker 1: asking to be taken seriously. Now she was here an 442 00:27:25,160 --> 00:27:33,959 Speaker 1: seven seven any no any symptoms. So we're also going 443 00:27:34,040 --> 00:27:40,159 Speaker 1: to Wesley Bell's office. Good, go ahead, thank you. We 444 00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:42,879 Speaker 1: made our way upstairs, where we met a social worker 445 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:46,359 Speaker 1: named Lisa, who walked us into the grand jury room, 446 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:49,480 Speaker 1: where we found a semicircle of wooden tables surrounded by chairs. 447 00:27:50,320 --> 00:27:55,040 Speaker 1: There we sat and waited. This is so crazy right now, 448 00:27:55,040 --> 00:27:59,640 Speaker 1: it feels like everything is left. My mom, my mom. 449 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:11,760 Speaker 1: If she h no, I just ask God to just 450 00:28:12,119 --> 00:28:19,480 Speaker 1: God my tongue, you know, give me strength and touch 451 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:22,600 Speaker 1: his heart in his mind to want to listen and help. 452 00:28:24,600 --> 00:28:27,600 Speaker 1: After a few minutes, Lisa came back into the room 453 00:28:27,640 --> 00:28:30,800 Speaker 1: and began speaking with us. And I mean truly whenever 454 00:28:30,840 --> 00:28:33,760 Speaker 1: we meet with families, I mean Wesley always opens it up. 455 00:28:33,920 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 1: You will answer any questions that he possibly came in. Um, 456 00:28:39,840 --> 00:28:44,400 Speaker 1: I'll take as much time because you guys need and 457 00:28:44,480 --> 00:28:50,800 Speaker 1: I had Paul Jones, Lisa John's right, John Nice to 458 00:28:50,840 --> 00:28:56,720 Speaker 1: meet choosing because attorneys or no basically just independent investigators. 459 00:28:56,760 --> 00:29:04,640 Speaker 1: Investigator reporters writers. They when I when I don't remember things, 460 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:12,680 Speaker 1: they don't. Yes, yes, I just couldn't see myself doing 461 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:18,320 Speaker 1: this part. An't what During our conversation with Lisa, she 462 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:25,440 Speaker 1: offered up an interesting piece of information. Is there to 463 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:28,800 Speaker 1: my knowledge? You know there? I mean there were several 464 00:29:28,960 --> 00:29:32,880 Speaker 1: young men who were activists at the time, UM, two 465 00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:37,000 Speaker 1: of them. There are suspects. There has never been enough 466 00:29:37,080 --> 00:29:41,960 Speaker 1: to charge um. So technically, yes, it remains an open 467 00:29:42,040 --> 00:29:46,200 Speaker 1: enc case until such times that we can charge somebody. UM. 468 00:29:46,240 --> 00:29:49,240 Speaker 1: But right now, UM, I mean the warrants on one 469 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:52,320 Speaker 1: of the individuals. They applied for warrants and it was 470 00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:55,120 Speaker 1: refused at the time just because we didn't have enough evidence. 471 00:29:55,200 --> 00:29:57,400 Speaker 1: But it knew evidence comes, so I don't turn my 472 00:29:57,480 --> 00:30:02,880 Speaker 1: own cases. I think I know who Darren Dan I 473 00:30:02,920 --> 00:30:04,959 Speaker 1: can't remember which one thing it was. They were involved 474 00:30:04,960 --> 00:30:08,320 Speaker 1: with some stuff outside of this, and we feel like 475 00:30:08,400 --> 00:30:11,240 Speaker 1: we know who did it. I don't have enough to charge. 476 00:30:12,920 --> 00:30:15,800 Speaker 1: Lisa is saying that there are suspects and the death 477 00:30:15,840 --> 00:30:19,760 Speaker 1: of Ferguson activist Darren Seals. We asked if the suspects 478 00:30:19,840 --> 00:30:27,720 Speaker 1: pointed to a hate crime. There's not suspect on the 479 00:30:27,760 --> 00:30:30,680 Speaker 1: case that I know about No, it was about their activity. 480 00:30:31,280 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 1: They had nothing to do with their activism. After a 481 00:30:34,840 --> 00:30:39,320 Speaker 1: few more minutes, Bell and his entourage entered the room. Okay, 482 00:30:39,480 --> 00:30:49,240 Speaker 1: this is yes, I'm sorry, John R. Yes, nice to me, 483 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:50,840 Speaker 1: she sir, thank you for taking the time. This is 484 00:30:51,160 --> 00:31:00,680 Speaker 1: hot head investigator who playwrights. There's some things that you 485 00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:03,680 Speaker 1: wanted to lead with and this is an informal conversation, 486 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:06,480 Speaker 1: so we can just kind of tli have questions that 487 00:31:06,560 --> 00:31:08,479 Speaker 1: they how don't you feel like you got to come 488 00:31:08,560 --> 00:31:11,880 Speaker 1: with them? Here? Remarks are everything like that you want 489 00:31:11,880 --> 00:31:15,400 Speaker 1: this discussion with you? Okay, Um, first off, I would 490 00:31:15,400 --> 00:31:18,120 Speaker 1: like to thank you. I would like to thank you 491 00:31:19,080 --> 00:31:23,160 Speaker 1: for sitting here to speak with me. And I understand 492 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:29,800 Speaker 1: your your standpoint. You know, I understand that you have 493 00:31:29,960 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: to do certain things and you can in your hands 494 00:31:31,880 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 1: are tied with certain things. But I just asked that 495 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:40,600 Speaker 1: you just, you know, take this little open heart. Um. 496 00:31:40,640 --> 00:31:50,160 Speaker 1: And that's just because UM, my my son, Donnie Jones, Um, 497 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:58,120 Speaker 1: he was mine, Jared Giver, he was my protector and 498 00:31:58,480 --> 00:32:08,200 Speaker 1: um what happened on October is devastating. Melissa spoke for 499 00:32:08,240 --> 00:32:12,920 Speaker 1: another moment, trying to keep herself together. Bell then stopped 500 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:16,400 Speaker 1: the meeting abruptly when he noticed our audio recorder and 501 00:32:16,440 --> 00:32:19,640 Speaker 1: told us that the meeting wasn't for public consumption, so 502 00:32:19,720 --> 00:32:23,120 Speaker 1: we will have to just describe what transpired. The meeting 503 00:32:23,200 --> 00:32:24,840 Speaker 1: ran for an hour and a half and we had 504 00:32:24,840 --> 00:32:27,960 Speaker 1: prepared three ring binders that included everything on the case, 505 00:32:28,440 --> 00:32:31,880 Speaker 1: the various oddities about the cars, the strange ligature, the 506 00:32:31,960 --> 00:32:35,560 Speaker 1: extra DNA on the bedsheet, the violent characters in Daniae's life, 507 00:32:35,600 --> 00:32:39,160 Speaker 1: the missing time the night he died, and even pronounce 508 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,680 Speaker 1: of Detective Anderer's Pinterest posts, just so we would know 509 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:47,440 Speaker 1: that the prosecutor knows that they exist. Bell's lead investigator, 510 00:32:47,600 --> 00:32:51,360 Speaker 1: a man named Ron Goldstein, asked thoughtful questions, and we 511 00:32:51,480 --> 00:32:54,880 Speaker 1: made a specific ask that they eliminate Derrick and Daniel 512 00:32:55,160 --> 00:32:57,760 Speaker 1: as the possible sources of mystery d n A that 513 00:32:57,840 --> 00:33:00,719 Speaker 1: was on the bed sheet. They agreed to work on this. 514 00:33:01,280 --> 00:33:04,120 Speaker 1: The only thing we held back was the YouTube search, 515 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,080 Speaker 1: and the only reason we did so was because when 516 00:33:07,080 --> 00:33:10,480 Speaker 1: this meeting happened, we had only just discovered it ourselves, 517 00:33:10,880 --> 00:33:13,320 Speaker 1: and we hadn't finished going through Danyae's phone data yet. 518 00:33:14,040 --> 00:33:16,840 Speaker 1: Going through someone's data takes time, and we weren't certain 519 00:33:16,920 --> 00:33:20,560 Speaker 1: yet of what we had found. For instance, at that point, 520 00:33:21,000 --> 00:33:23,280 Speaker 1: we still didn't know what time of day the search 521 00:33:23,320 --> 00:33:25,360 Speaker 1: had been made, and we didn't know that it came 522 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,880 Speaker 1: from an Apple device, and we hadn't yet seen the 523 00:33:27,960 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: data change over the coming two months, appearing very much 524 00:33:31,320 --> 00:33:34,560 Speaker 1: as though somebody else was still accessing Donna's Google account. 525 00:33:35,240 --> 00:33:38,080 Speaker 1: We also hadn't yet heard from Deja about the Facebook post, 526 00:33:38,280 --> 00:33:40,840 Speaker 1: and we didn't even know about the potential iPad floating 527 00:33:40,840 --> 00:33:45,040 Speaker 1: around out there that Dania briefly owned. But we absolutely 528 00:33:45,080 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 1: asked the prosecutor and his team to subpoena both Google 529 00:33:48,520 --> 00:33:52,680 Speaker 1: and Apple for Dania's records. We wanted them to look 530 00:33:52,720 --> 00:33:56,320 Speaker 1: over all of the phone and web data themselves, desperately. 531 00:33:56,440 --> 00:33:59,320 Speaker 1: We wanted that because we knew that their team would 532 00:33:59,360 --> 00:34:03,000 Speaker 1: have far more experience and expertise in such matters than 533 00:34:03,040 --> 00:34:07,040 Speaker 1: we do. Before leaving the meeting, we asked the investigator, 534 00:34:07,160 --> 00:34:09,520 Speaker 1: Ron Goldstein, if there was a way to get the 535 00:34:09,560 --> 00:34:13,560 Speaker 1: medical examiner to change Danyae's cause of death from suicide 536 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:17,720 Speaker 1: to undetermined. Ron replied that while he had seen it happen, 537 00:34:18,040 --> 00:34:21,800 Speaker 1: it was rare. We left the Justice Center and walked 538 00:34:21,800 --> 00:34:25,680 Speaker 1: with Melissa up the road a bit. It's in Guy's 539 00:34:25,719 --> 00:34:29,520 Speaker 1: hands at this moment, and I think it's gonna the 540 00:34:29,560 --> 00:34:32,480 Speaker 1: truth is going to come out. And I really as 541 00:34:32,520 --> 00:34:36,880 Speaker 1: far especially as far as the investigation, and I also 542 00:34:36,920 --> 00:34:40,000 Speaker 1: wanted them to know how I felt about the police, 543 00:34:40,040 --> 00:34:42,920 Speaker 1: that I'm not one of the activists that just hate 544 00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,840 Speaker 1: the police, that are against all police, that are just 545 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:52,640 Speaker 1: all against all white people. I'm open to anything as 546 00:34:52,640 --> 00:34:55,800 Speaker 1: long as I can get at least a proper investigation 547 00:34:55,920 --> 00:35:00,160 Speaker 1: for Danyae. How do you feel about today versus that 548 00:35:00,520 --> 00:35:03,399 Speaker 1: the day it happened, and like the police on seen 549 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:06,200 Speaker 1: at your home, do you feel like the level of 550 00:35:06,239 --> 00:35:10,359 Speaker 1: respect you haven't gotten is now up? Do you feel 551 00:35:10,400 --> 00:35:13,280 Speaker 1: like you're being respected as like an individual and citizen 552 00:35:13,280 --> 00:35:19,360 Speaker 1: and a mother. I think they know the power and 553 00:35:19,360 --> 00:35:23,879 Speaker 1: and and and of my voice and and how far 554 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:26,640 Speaker 1: I would go that I will. I will be open, 555 00:35:26,719 --> 00:35:29,759 Speaker 1: I will speak out. I will call you out when 556 00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:35,160 Speaker 1: you ship um excuse me. I think the respect is there, 557 00:35:35,239 --> 00:35:38,960 Speaker 1: if if not, if not anything else, the respect is 558 00:35:39,400 --> 00:35:44,319 Speaker 1: there at least as Danielle's mother, you know, and that 559 00:35:44,440 --> 00:35:46,239 Speaker 1: I'm and they know that I'm not going to just 560 00:35:46,360 --> 00:35:50,680 Speaker 1: give up or be quiet about it that he don't 561 00:35:50,680 --> 00:35:55,480 Speaker 1: have a dumb mom, you know, you know, but um, 562 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:58,479 Speaker 1: do you think Danie would be proud of you to Yes, 563 00:36:00,920 --> 00:36:05,319 Speaker 1: I know he'd probably get frustrated sometimes when I I 564 00:36:05,440 --> 00:36:10,680 Speaker 1: cried and I yelled, Danielle, I need you right now. 565 00:36:10,840 --> 00:36:13,719 Speaker 1: You know. I know he wants to be here and 566 00:36:13,760 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: he tries, but I think he's proud that I'm even 567 00:36:20,480 --> 00:36:23,880 Speaker 1: going on on so many days when I don't, I 568 00:36:23,920 --> 00:36:28,399 Speaker 1: don't feel like like today, you know, I didn't want 569 00:36:28,440 --> 00:36:31,160 Speaker 1: to get out for bed, you know, but I know 570 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:36,120 Speaker 1: that I have to do this, and and I'm praying 571 00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:38,520 Speaker 1: that something that comes from this so that I can 572 00:36:39,840 --> 00:36:42,440 Speaker 1: it can motivate me to do it for me more people, 573 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:45,799 Speaker 1: you know, because if I can do it for dout, yeah, 574 00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:49,400 Speaker 1: I know I can do it for us, you know, Yeah, 575 00:36:50,040 --> 00:36:53,719 Speaker 1: And I think we'll make a good thing. One of 576 00:36:53,760 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 1: the things that I think is one of your strengths 577 00:36:56,120 --> 00:36:59,640 Speaker 1: is that you don't pretend that Daniae was perfect like 578 00:36:59,640 --> 00:37:01,600 Speaker 1: he was. You know, he was ambitious and there was 579 00:37:01,680 --> 00:37:04,520 Speaker 1: great things about him, but you mentioned you told them like, look, 580 00:37:04,560 --> 00:37:07,880 Speaker 1: he sold he sold drugs. He did it um a 581 00:37:07,880 --> 00:37:11,240 Speaker 1: little bit. He wanted the money and but it seemed 582 00:37:11,280 --> 00:37:13,120 Speaker 1: to have involved in with some bad people, you know, 583 00:37:13,320 --> 00:37:16,160 Speaker 1: like he didn't hide that to protect his reputation, and 584 00:37:16,200 --> 00:37:20,160 Speaker 1: I think that helps. I had to, um. I wanted 585 00:37:20,239 --> 00:37:23,520 Speaker 1: him to. I wanted them to look at him as 586 00:37:23,560 --> 00:37:28,680 Speaker 1: a a human being, you know, because that's the problem 587 00:37:28,719 --> 00:37:33,080 Speaker 1: that we we tend to make sometimes, even with uh 588 00:37:33,200 --> 00:37:36,160 Speaker 1: Mike Brown's situation, you know, when they say, oh, no, 589 00:37:36,360 --> 00:37:40,400 Speaker 1: he was this gentle giant in all this, and the 590 00:37:40,480 --> 00:37:42,480 Speaker 1: more we looked into it, the more we found out. 591 00:37:42,560 --> 00:37:45,120 Speaker 1: You know, he wasn't perfect, but he did not deserve 592 00:37:45,200 --> 00:37:48,840 Speaker 1: to do murders. I hate to say it like this, 593 00:37:48,920 --> 00:38:00,279 Speaker 1: but my life, UM is no longer because you know, 594 00:38:00,400 --> 00:38:06,799 Speaker 1: they they've made yeah, angry mom out of me. And 595 00:38:06,880 --> 00:38:13,360 Speaker 1: I'm very devoted to my children and this is something 596 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:20,319 Speaker 1: that I will always be out on. You know, do 597 00:38:20,360 --> 00:38:26,680 Speaker 1: you think that you can be happy? Javon is here, 598 00:38:26,760 --> 00:38:30,680 Speaker 1: Javannah's children, alicious here, Alicia has children, You got a 599 00:38:30,719 --> 00:38:34,560 Speaker 1: wonderful family. I mean, is there a place a peace 600 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:37,319 Speaker 1: at least with with God or religion or anything that 601 00:38:37,400 --> 00:38:40,720 Speaker 1: you could find to like even if you're always mad? 602 00:38:41,440 --> 00:38:45,200 Speaker 1: Or do you think you can I happy? All right? 603 00:38:48,000 --> 00:38:50,160 Speaker 1: It's hard right now, it's hard to say, because I 604 00:38:50,200 --> 00:38:58,680 Speaker 1: still have the memory is vivid of what I had seen. 605 00:38:59,040 --> 00:39:05,480 Speaker 1: I see and I see it all the time, you know. Uh. 606 00:39:05,800 --> 00:39:08,200 Speaker 1: And so right now I don't see myself being happy 607 00:39:08,200 --> 00:39:10,480 Speaker 1: because I don't feel I deserve to be happy until 608 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:19,440 Speaker 1: Danyee is somewhat satisfied. And I don't feel him being 609 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:27,040 Speaker 1: satisfied right now because I'm not satisfied. Um. So that's 610 00:39:27,040 --> 00:39:31,000 Speaker 1: where the no smiling comes from. If even if I 611 00:39:31,040 --> 00:39:33,400 Speaker 1: feel like, if I'm looking at something and it's funny, 612 00:39:34,960 --> 00:39:38,240 Speaker 1: I won't laugh, but inside I'm like, I'll say something 613 00:39:38,280 --> 00:39:40,399 Speaker 1: like you see that down here because I know he'll laugh, 614 00:39:40,960 --> 00:39:47,839 Speaker 1: But I I don't feel like smiling, you know. Um, 615 00:39:50,040 --> 00:39:53,000 Speaker 1: I just don't feel comfortable. Do you think that he 616 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:56,719 Speaker 1: would want you to be a whole life? Yeah, he 617 00:39:56,760 --> 00:39:58,719 Speaker 1: would want me to laugh. He hated for me to 618 00:39:58,760 --> 00:40:07,400 Speaker 1: be man ad or sad or worried. But do I 619 00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:10,120 Speaker 1: think he would understand what what's going on right now 620 00:40:10,160 --> 00:40:17,719 Speaker 1: with me? Yeah? Because he knows how I was with 621 00:40:18,239 --> 00:40:22,440 Speaker 1: the other cases. I was serious, you know. It's just 622 00:40:22,520 --> 00:40:26,400 Speaker 1: at this time, I I just don't see the time 623 00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:34,239 Speaker 1: nor the space to be happy or right now. In September, 624 00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:37,719 Speaker 1: Melissa returned to activism for the first time. This is 625 00:40:37,760 --> 00:40:41,520 Speaker 1: a Facebook live boot she made. Hello, I'm out here 626 00:40:41,560 --> 00:40:46,040 Speaker 1: in Saint Charles, Missouri like doing. We're out by the 627 00:40:46,120 --> 00:40:50,800 Speaker 1: AMC Theory at a theater off of Fifth Street. Look, 628 00:40:51,560 --> 00:40:53,640 Speaker 1: I'm not out here to stay, but I'm out here 629 00:40:53,680 --> 00:40:57,440 Speaker 1: to watch my people's back. And honestly, if you have 630 00:40:57,680 --> 00:41:01,319 Speaker 1: a loved one or any love wants are or care 631 00:41:01,360 --> 00:41:05,120 Speaker 1: about what's going on out here, we I asked that 632 00:41:05,239 --> 00:41:08,319 Speaker 1: you you, you come out because these white folks out here, 633 00:41:09,040 --> 00:41:12,520 Speaker 1: they are here ready to clown and I think that 634 00:41:13,280 --> 00:41:17,279 Speaker 1: we really would need your help today. One of the 635 00:41:17,320 --> 00:41:20,440 Speaker 1: commenters on the post mentioned the street Melissa now lived 636 00:41:20,480 --> 00:41:23,080 Speaker 1: on at the new home she had recently moved to, 637 00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:28,280 Speaker 1: the address for which she avoided sharing, so it appears 638 00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:33,760 Speaker 1: the thinly veiled threats persist. In October, Melissa, her family, 639 00:41:33,880 --> 00:41:36,560 Speaker 1: and their closest supporters planned a memorial for the two 640 00:41:36,640 --> 00:41:40,799 Speaker 1: year anniversary of Danye's death. They announced on Facebook that 641 00:41:40,800 --> 00:41:43,280 Speaker 1: they would hold a vigil on the chain of Rocks Bridge, 642 00:41:43,480 --> 00:41:47,200 Speaker 1: which is suspended over the Mississippi River between Missouri and Illinois. 643 00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:50,279 Speaker 1: It was one of Danya's favorite places to spend time 644 00:41:50,320 --> 00:41:54,440 Speaker 1: with his siblings. They arrived to find nine police cars 645 00:41:54,480 --> 00:41:58,719 Speaker 1: from the Missouri Highway Patrol waiting for them. So Javann 646 00:41:58,800 --> 00:42:01,800 Speaker 1: he called me while we were on our way. He said, 647 00:42:02,440 --> 00:42:05,920 Speaker 1: all police up here to the part I'm gonna say, 648 00:42:06,000 --> 00:42:11,960 Speaker 1: this is so stupid. There's no threat and having a 649 00:42:12,000 --> 00:42:18,240 Speaker 1: memorial for my son. You know how many cars probably 650 00:42:18,320 --> 00:42:25,680 Speaker 1: about nine or ten? Yeah, right, And the thing he's 651 00:42:25,719 --> 00:42:30,440 Speaker 1: just like to have that many for a visual is ridiculous. 652 00:42:30,560 --> 00:42:33,520 Speaker 1: It's not like we were trying to shut the river down, 653 00:42:34,640 --> 00:42:37,600 Speaker 1: you know, but that just lets you know that they're 654 00:42:37,680 --> 00:42:43,680 Speaker 1: still they feel threatened, are they They're watching the page 655 00:42:43,880 --> 00:42:48,440 Speaker 1: or whatever, which is that's fine, but it's really disrespectful. 656 00:42:52,080 --> 00:42:56,000 Speaker 1: In February, a source gave us copies of two letters. 657 00:42:56,760 --> 00:43:00,080 Speaker 1: One is a resignation letter of a police recruit complaining 658 00:43:00,080 --> 00:43:03,040 Speaker 1: of discrimination. The other was a letter sent by the 659 00:43:03,040 --> 00:43:06,000 Speaker 1: Ethical Society of Police to the St. Louis County Police 660 00:43:06,080 --> 00:43:10,600 Speaker 1: Chief Mary Barton. That letter describes the resignation of that recruit, 661 00:43:10,680 --> 00:43:15,120 Speaker 1: and it says he specifically mentions instructor Andrewer. Now this 662 00:43:15,200 --> 00:43:18,320 Speaker 1: is not a reference to Detective Andrewer, but to his wife, Amy, 663 00:43:18,600 --> 00:43:22,960 Speaker 1: who remembered trains incoming officers at the police Academy. Back 664 00:43:23,040 --> 00:43:26,400 Speaker 1: in episode four, we mentioned her racist and otherwise questionable 665 00:43:26,440 --> 00:43:29,920 Speaker 1: pinterest posts. Well, the letter about her goes on to 666 00:43:29,960 --> 00:43:33,720 Speaker 1: say that the resigning recruit claims quote that Andrewer's actions 667 00:43:33,760 --> 00:43:37,080 Speaker 1: are race based because she reserves the vilest language and 668 00:43:37,120 --> 00:43:42,040 Speaker 1: criticisms for the African American recruits. As of the writing 669 00:43:42,040 --> 00:43:45,320 Speaker 1: of this episode, this issue is still hush hush in St. 670 00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:49,000 Speaker 1: Louis County, though the Ethical Society of Police and several 671 00:43:49,000 --> 00:43:52,000 Speaker 1: individual officers are suing the St. Louis County Police for 672 00:43:52,080 --> 00:43:56,759 Speaker 1: racial discrimination, and that is where we plan to end 673 00:43:56,800 --> 00:44:01,120 Speaker 1: it full circle, with Melissa active again, still being monitored 674 00:44:01,120 --> 00:44:05,000 Speaker 1: by the police, still harassed by anonymous strangers, but with 675 00:44:05,040 --> 00:44:08,800 Speaker 1: a glimmer of hope, having finally felt heard and taken 676 00:44:08,800 --> 00:44:13,080 Speaker 1: seriously by the establishment in St. Louis County regarding Danya's death. 677 00:44:13,960 --> 00:44:16,719 Speaker 1: But you probably noticed there's a few more minutes left 678 00:44:16,719 --> 00:44:20,800 Speaker 1: in this episode. That's because this is St. Louis, after all, 679 00:44:21,000 --> 00:44:24,480 Speaker 1: and it just couldn't end that way. Like Donya leaving 680 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,360 Speaker 1: for Colorado and Idaho but then coming home to Missouri 681 00:44:27,400 --> 00:44:29,879 Speaker 1: the year he died, there is a weight to St. 682 00:44:29,920 --> 00:44:33,880 Speaker 1: Louis a gravity that pulls people back in that can't 683 00:44:33,880 --> 00:44:37,279 Speaker 1: help but try to hold them down. When was the 684 00:44:37,360 --> 00:44:40,920 Speaker 1: last time that Ron called you or updated you? Was 685 00:44:40,960 --> 00:44:47,680 Speaker 1: that a couple of weeks ago? Right? Yeah? Yeah, um 686 00:44:47,760 --> 00:44:49,560 Speaker 1: well yeah. If you have the ability to set up 687 00:44:49,560 --> 00:44:51,960 Speaker 1: something for later in the week, just a general check in, 688 00:44:52,000 --> 00:44:53,920 Speaker 1: then we can push harder and ram I want to 689 00:44:53,960 --> 00:44:55,920 Speaker 1: present to him what we've seen in the data. I 690 00:44:55,920 --> 00:44:58,000 Speaker 1: want to be able to show him that his Google 691 00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:01,359 Speaker 1: data had changed since we looked at it, as though 692 00:45:01,480 --> 00:45:04,640 Speaker 1: somebody else had, as though somebody else has access to 693 00:45:04,760 --> 00:45:07,840 Speaker 1: his account or a device. I do want to present 694 00:45:07,960 --> 00:45:10,719 Speaker 1: that YouTube search and present all of it in context 695 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:14,600 Speaker 1: and be like, there's a you know, the possibility that 696 00:45:14,600 --> 00:45:17,359 Speaker 1: that was Danye's YouTube search, but it also is very 697 00:45:17,400 --> 00:45:21,600 Speaker 1: strange that his data is being changed right now. Um 698 00:45:21,760 --> 00:45:26,040 Speaker 1: like so like that is very squirrely and weird, and 699 00:45:26,120 --> 00:45:28,680 Speaker 1: that could be our push for getting to them the 700 00:45:28,760 --> 00:45:31,279 Speaker 1: subpoena Google. Like that's a real action that could have 701 00:45:31,320 --> 00:45:37,399 Speaker 1: real results. Sure, months had gone by since our meeting 702 00:45:37,440 --> 00:45:40,600 Speaker 1: with Wesley Bell and Derrick and Daniel never heard from 703 00:45:40,640 --> 00:45:43,360 Speaker 1: anyone in Bell's office about doing a d n A swap. 704 00:45:44,480 --> 00:45:47,960 Speaker 1: We called his lead investigator, Ron Goldstein, several times as 705 00:45:48,000 --> 00:45:50,759 Speaker 1: we desperately wanted to share with his office everything we 706 00:45:50,840 --> 00:45:54,439 Speaker 1: found in Danya's phone, and to be clear, Ron had 707 00:45:54,480 --> 00:45:57,400 Speaker 1: given us his business card and told us to contact 708 00:45:57,480 --> 00:46:00,319 Speaker 1: him if we had leads to share. Once we saw 709 00:46:00,360 --> 00:46:03,200 Speaker 1: that data from the seventeenth of October had been deleted 710 00:46:03,200 --> 00:46:06,319 Speaker 1: from Danyae's YouTube history after we had first seen and 711 00:46:06,360 --> 00:46:09,399 Speaker 1: documented it, we thought it was imperative that we give 712 00:46:09,440 --> 00:46:13,279 Speaker 1: Bell and his investigators everything and ask again that they 713 00:46:13,280 --> 00:46:16,920 Speaker 1: please subpoena Google and Apple and find out the specific 714 00:46:16,920 --> 00:46:20,680 Speaker 1: devices that made the posts in question and determine if 715 00:46:20,680 --> 00:46:23,719 Speaker 1: they could, the locations from where they were made. But 716 00:46:23,800 --> 00:46:27,640 Speaker 1: despite our calls and messages, Ron never responded to us, 717 00:46:28,440 --> 00:46:32,680 Speaker 1: and then one day Ron called Melissa. He told her 718 00:46:32,719 --> 00:46:36,000 Speaker 1: that the FBI was investigating and that she should expect 719 00:46:36,000 --> 00:46:39,040 Speaker 1: to hear from FBI agents in the next couple of days. 720 00:46:39,840 --> 00:46:41,360 Speaker 1: So we were kind of thinking we were going to 721 00:46:41,480 --> 00:46:44,680 Speaker 1: end it with you presenting the Wesley bell Um, feeling 722 00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:46,960 Speaker 1: that you've maybe been heard and it might be nice 723 00:46:47,000 --> 00:46:48,759 Speaker 1: to provide an update at the end to let people 724 00:46:48,760 --> 00:46:51,120 Speaker 1: know that the feathers are looking at this. Oh my 725 00:46:51,200 --> 00:46:55,680 Speaker 1: harness is pounded, but um like he said, by by 726 00:46:55,760 --> 00:46:58,200 Speaker 1: the end of the week, for sure I should have 727 00:46:58,280 --> 00:47:01,840 Speaker 1: a visit. We were happy to hear this, thinking that 728 00:47:01,920 --> 00:47:05,040 Speaker 1: an outside law enforcement agency could come in with more 729 00:47:05,080 --> 00:47:10,560 Speaker 1: expertise and hopefully perform an unbiased, rigorous look into Danie's death. 730 00:47:11,239 --> 00:47:14,960 Speaker 1: So it was odd when investigators never approached Melissa, but 731 00:47:15,080 --> 00:47:18,719 Speaker 1: instead letters arrived at the homes of both Melissa and 732 00:47:18,760 --> 00:47:22,120 Speaker 1: Maria Chappelle Nadal. They were from the new St. Louis 733 00:47:22,120 --> 00:47:26,319 Speaker 1: County Police Chief, Colonel Mary Barton. In brief, they read, 734 00:47:26,880 --> 00:47:30,440 Speaker 1: Dear Representative Chappelle Nadal, the attention you have dedicated to 735 00:47:30,440 --> 00:47:33,800 Speaker 1: the death of mister Danie Jones is admirable. I sincerely 736 00:47:33,840 --> 00:47:36,720 Speaker 1: apologize for the delay in my response to you. However, 737 00:47:36,920 --> 00:47:39,560 Speaker 1: I wanted to be thorough in a response and requested 738 00:47:39,600 --> 00:47:44,080 Speaker 1: a legal opinion regarding our agency's evidence retention procedures. The 739 00:47:44,120 --> 00:47:47,040 Speaker 1: policies of the St. Louis County Police Department in place 740 00:47:47,120 --> 00:47:50,719 Speaker 1: at the time were followed. We have examined the procedures 741 00:47:50,719 --> 00:47:54,840 Speaker 1: of evidence. Opportunities for improvement have been identified, both in 742 00:47:54,880 --> 00:47:58,719 Speaker 1: the length of retention and in the notification process. Our 743 00:47:58,800 --> 00:48:01,440 Speaker 1: procedures are in the process. US of being updated and 744 00:48:01,560 --> 00:48:05,040 Speaker 1: those changes will be implemented department wide. I requested an 745 00:48:05,080 --> 00:48:10,160 Speaker 1: independent review of the incident and subsequent investigation. The FBI 746 00:48:10,239 --> 00:48:14,280 Speaker 1: Civil Rights Unit assisted in this matter. Their review found 747 00:48:14,280 --> 00:48:17,280 Speaker 1: no heirs in the investigation and concluded that no federal 748 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:20,719 Speaker 1: crime had been committed. Then there was some other path 749 00:48:20,800 --> 00:48:24,040 Speaker 1: in the letter about condolences to Melissa, but the takeaway 750 00:48:24,120 --> 00:48:26,879 Speaker 1: is that the St. Louis County Police wanted to cover 751 00:48:26,920 --> 00:48:30,600 Speaker 1: their asses in case Melissa sued them. The letter went 752 00:48:30,600 --> 00:48:33,200 Speaker 1: on to explain that there were no legal concerns with 753 00:48:33,239 --> 00:48:37,480 Speaker 1: regards to the personnel who investigated Danya's death. So what 754 00:48:37,600 --> 00:48:40,440 Speaker 1: it looks like they're saying there is Detective Anderer didn't 755 00:48:40,480 --> 00:48:43,480 Speaker 1: break any laws with his poor conduct, with his bogus 756 00:48:43,480 --> 00:48:46,880 Speaker 1: business card, with his not canvassing the neighborhood, with his 757 00:48:46,960 --> 00:48:49,600 Speaker 1: waiting two weeks to request a DNA sample from pants 758 00:48:49,760 --> 00:48:53,480 Speaker 1: that had already been returned, and never requesting secondary swabbing 759 00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:57,560 Speaker 1: after learning DNA from mystery parties was on the ligature. No, 760 00:48:57,560 --> 00:49:00,239 Speaker 1: none of that was a crime. Melissa never claimed aimed 761 00:49:00,280 --> 00:49:02,320 Speaker 1: and or broke the law, just that he was in 762 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:06,759 Speaker 1: effect biased against her and her son because of her 763 00:49:06,800 --> 00:49:10,560 Speaker 1: history of activism. We immediately sent an email to Sergeant 764 00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:13,719 Speaker 1: Granda requesting the police chief interview with us about the 765 00:49:13,760 --> 00:49:17,799 Speaker 1: details of the investigation. Within a minute, he sent back 766 00:49:17,800 --> 00:49:21,319 Speaker 1: a reply denying the request. We again asked that all 767 00:49:21,440 --> 00:49:24,680 Speaker 1: officers involved in the investigation be offered the opportunity to 768 00:49:24,680 --> 00:49:27,840 Speaker 1: talk with us for our podcast. We were again told 769 00:49:27,960 --> 00:49:31,800 Speaker 1: none would be talking in the absence of any official interviews. 770 00:49:32,080 --> 00:49:34,440 Speaker 1: We also sent a list of twenty seven facts to 771 00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:37,920 Speaker 1: Sergeant Granda and requested a simple response of true or 772 00:49:37,960 --> 00:49:42,040 Speaker 1: false to each. The only response he sent said I 773 00:49:42,080 --> 00:49:45,920 Speaker 1: have received your email, thank you, and have a nice day. 774 00:49:46,520 --> 00:49:49,320 Speaker 1: We sent Sunshine requests to the St. Louis County p 775 00:49:49,440 --> 00:49:53,200 Speaker 1: D asking for all records regarding an FBI investigation into 776 00:49:53,320 --> 00:49:56,840 Speaker 1: Danie's case and or the destruction of evidence in that case. 777 00:49:57,520 --> 00:50:00,600 Speaker 1: After all the letters they sent to Maria and Melissa 778 00:50:00,760 --> 00:50:05,160 Speaker 1: stated evidence retention policies were being updated after this FBI review, 779 00:50:05,719 --> 00:50:08,360 Speaker 1: so we figured something had to be on paper about 780 00:50:08,360 --> 00:50:12,480 Speaker 1: this somewhere within their office. When our request was closed 781 00:50:12,840 --> 00:50:15,880 Speaker 1: with the reason that there were no relevant documents, we 782 00:50:15,960 --> 00:50:19,480 Speaker 1: were flabbergasted, so we wrote the records department and email 783 00:50:19,520 --> 00:50:23,480 Speaker 1: basically saying really, The FBI Civil Rights Division came in 784 00:50:23,760 --> 00:50:26,560 Speaker 1: at the request of the chief of police. They reviewed 785 00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:29,359 Speaker 1: either the whole case or at least a portion of it, 786 00:50:30,120 --> 00:50:33,799 Speaker 1: and no one wrote anything down about this anywhere, And 787 00:50:33,880 --> 00:50:37,160 Speaker 1: their response was basically, yeah, no, we have nothing on this. 788 00:50:38,080 --> 00:50:41,719 Speaker 1: The FBI too declined to interview with us, only saying 789 00:50:41,760 --> 00:50:44,520 Speaker 1: that yes, they did a review and no, they did 790 00:50:44,520 --> 00:50:48,879 Speaker 1: not believe the case warranted further investigation. So we don't 791 00:50:48,880 --> 00:50:51,879 Speaker 1: exactly know who from the FBI looked over Donne's case 792 00:50:52,200 --> 00:50:55,239 Speaker 1: or what exactly they looked over. They for damn sure 793 00:50:55,239 --> 00:50:58,799 Speaker 1: didn't speak with Melissa or anyone in her family. As 794 00:50:58,800 --> 00:51:01,200 Speaker 1: far as we can tell, they spoke to the same 795 00:51:01,239 --> 00:51:03,640 Speaker 1: police who did a bare minimum job in the first 796 00:51:03,640 --> 00:51:07,400 Speaker 1: place and gave their work an FBI stamp of approval. 797 00:51:08,040 --> 00:51:10,920 Speaker 1: It's nice to know that the FBI Civil Rights Division 798 00:51:11,160 --> 00:51:13,600 Speaker 1: doesn't think it's necessary to go and speak with a 799 00:51:13,640 --> 00:51:17,680 Speaker 1: black family when they claimed their son's death wasn't properly investigated. 800 00:51:18,280 --> 00:51:21,440 Speaker 1: The letters sent to Melissa says policies around the handling 801 00:51:21,480 --> 00:51:25,560 Speaker 1: of evidence are being revised, which, to be frank sounds 802 00:51:25,600 --> 00:51:28,960 Speaker 1: like somebody fucked up somewhere. Regarding the bedsheet but they 803 00:51:28,960 --> 00:51:32,080 Speaker 1: don't want to say who or what specifically they found 804 00:51:32,120 --> 00:51:35,719 Speaker 1: to be problematic, because if everything was done perfectly and 805 00:51:35,760 --> 00:51:39,359 Speaker 1: there were no problems, why change policy department wide. Right 806 00:51:40,560 --> 00:51:42,799 Speaker 1: at the end of the day, it just looks to 807 00:51:42,920 --> 00:51:46,280 Speaker 1: us like the Saint Louis County Police Department was afraid 808 00:51:46,280 --> 00:51:49,799 Speaker 1: of being sued by Melissa in civil court and they 809 00:51:49,840 --> 00:51:53,479 Speaker 1: wanted to get a head start uncovering their butts. Never 810 00:51:53,600 --> 00:51:57,160 Speaker 1: was anything mentioned again about the propriety of having Detective 811 00:51:57,160 --> 00:52:01,120 Speaker 1: Anderer on the force, despite the prosecutor office knowing that 812 00:52:01,160 --> 00:52:04,480 Speaker 1: he has racist and other questionable social media posts in 813 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:08,560 Speaker 1: addition to his previous incident of assaulting black protesters and 814 00:52:08,640 --> 00:52:13,440 Speaker 1: bragging about it. So the FBI investigation was sort of 815 00:52:13,440 --> 00:52:16,600 Speaker 1: a bust. We were sitting with Melissa talking about it 816 00:52:17,080 --> 00:52:25,319 Speaker 1: what she called Ron one last time. Felisa, this is Ron, Hi, Ron, 817 00:52:25,719 --> 00:52:30,600 Speaker 1: how are you all right? I'm okay, Um, I have 818 00:52:31,040 --> 00:52:36,200 Speaker 1: Um John and Ray here. Um. They've been they've been 819 00:52:36,239 --> 00:52:42,799 Speaker 1: trying to contact you about Danye's case. Well, see, here's 820 00:52:42,920 --> 00:52:46,759 Speaker 1: here's my situation. Okay, okay, I will I'll certainly talk 821 00:52:46,800 --> 00:52:49,000 Speaker 1: to you, and obviously you could put me on speaker 822 00:52:49,280 --> 00:52:53,040 Speaker 1: or with court me on whatever. I respect you, Melissa, 823 00:52:53,080 --> 00:52:55,959 Speaker 1: and I feel terribly for what what you're going through, 824 00:52:56,840 --> 00:53:03,200 Speaker 1: But UM, you know, don't they are doing what they're doing, 825 00:53:03,360 --> 00:53:06,719 Speaker 1: and I will deal with you. I will answer your questions, 826 00:53:07,400 --> 00:53:10,480 Speaker 1: UM in regards and I think you know they left 827 00:53:10,480 --> 00:53:14,600 Speaker 1: the message in regards to what's going on with with 828 00:53:14,800 --> 00:53:18,400 Speaker 1: this office and all that. And when I think the 829 00:53:18,440 --> 00:53:20,080 Speaker 1: last time I talked to you, I told you about 830 00:53:20,080 --> 00:53:22,400 Speaker 1: a letter that the police had sent you and and 831 00:53:22,480 --> 00:53:24,040 Speaker 1: I don't know if you received that, and I don't 832 00:53:24,080 --> 00:53:25,880 Speaker 1: even know what the content of that letter is. I 833 00:53:25,960 --> 00:53:29,480 Speaker 1: just know there was it was sent by the police department. 834 00:53:29,719 --> 00:53:35,520 Speaker 1: I would say to you, and that they're asking the 835 00:53:35,560 --> 00:53:38,680 Speaker 1: fellows that are there with you, is any information that 836 00:53:38,840 --> 00:53:41,680 Speaker 1: you have that you that you think or they think 837 00:53:41,800 --> 00:53:46,160 Speaker 1: or you think would be helpful in identifying anyone connected 838 00:53:46,200 --> 00:53:49,160 Speaker 1: to this, I would refer that to the Police Department 839 00:53:49,360 --> 00:53:53,880 Speaker 1: or the FBI. UM. As far as the other question 840 00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:55,840 Speaker 1: I believe they had was in regards to the d 841 00:53:55,960 --> 00:53:59,719 Speaker 1: N A M. You know I never heard obviously I 842 00:53:59,760 --> 00:54:05,920 Speaker 1: never work from your ex or Uh's uncle. But the 843 00:54:08,040 --> 00:54:10,799 Speaker 1: that really wouldn't matter at this point because what I 844 00:54:10,920 --> 00:54:15,640 Speaker 1: was told was that, UM, there is not sufficient enough 845 00:54:16,040 --> 00:54:22,319 Speaker 1: amount of uh lower profile DNA that was found on 846 00:54:22,880 --> 00:54:27,120 Speaker 1: the bed sheet that could be compared um to anyone. 847 00:54:27,400 --> 00:54:31,399 Speaker 1: So there's that's not even at a moody issue right now. 848 00:54:31,480 --> 00:54:35,520 Speaker 1: So that answers that answers the other question. I didn't. 849 00:54:35,520 --> 00:54:40,919 Speaker 1: I thought I told you everything. There's no one. Yeah, 850 00:54:41,000 --> 00:54:43,319 Speaker 1: I know that I told you. I had asked you 851 00:54:43,360 --> 00:54:45,960 Speaker 1: to have those uh those men called me. They never 852 00:54:46,040 --> 00:54:50,399 Speaker 1: did between the in between the time that I had 853 00:54:50,520 --> 00:54:55,720 Speaker 1: asked that and probably a month or so ago. Um, 854 00:54:55,760 --> 00:55:00,719 Speaker 1: I learned that there was not sufficient material people compares no, 855 00:55:00,920 --> 00:55:05,239 Speaker 1: but you asked me to give me give you their 856 00:55:05,280 --> 00:55:11,280 Speaker 1: information and I would, yeah, well we both did, probably 857 00:55:11,320 --> 00:55:14,200 Speaker 1: remember our memories are different or we both see it differently. 858 00:55:14,400 --> 00:55:16,359 Speaker 1: So is there anyone that do you know we can 859 00:55:16,360 --> 00:55:20,480 Speaker 1: talk to at at the FBI at all? Because someone 860 00:55:21,719 --> 00:55:26,440 Speaker 1: someone is using Dan Ye's Google account even as we 861 00:55:26,520 --> 00:55:31,080 Speaker 1: see right, So again I would I would afford that 862 00:55:31,120 --> 00:55:35,640 Speaker 1: information to them. So you're not you can't help me 863 00:55:35,680 --> 00:55:38,840 Speaker 1: at all. We're not, you know, I'm not. We're not 864 00:55:38,880 --> 00:55:41,719 Speaker 1: going to go into that part of it. That would 865 00:55:41,719 --> 00:55:45,800 Speaker 1: be the the agencies actually investigated that. The police Department 866 00:55:45,800 --> 00:55:50,520 Speaker 1: investigated this, the FBI investigated this, So they're the ones 867 00:55:50,600 --> 00:55:53,960 Speaker 1: that that have looked at this. We we met with 868 00:55:54,080 --> 00:55:57,080 Speaker 1: you to kind of answer your questions, but any follow 869 00:55:57,160 --> 00:56:02,600 Speaker 1: up investigation regarding any uh leads that that you or 870 00:56:02,680 --> 00:56:05,960 Speaker 1: anyone else fields for people good. So Wesley Bell isn't 871 00:56:06,000 --> 00:56:10,399 Speaker 1: helping either. Well, I'm thank you for the office right now. 872 00:56:10,520 --> 00:56:18,000 Speaker 1: So okay, that's all I needed to know. Thank you? 873 00:56:18,000 --> 00:56:51,560 Speaker 1: Now what does that tell you? H m? He was 874 00:56:51,600 --> 00:56:55,640 Speaker 1: saying that they called you, but he's for the ship, 875 00:56:56,120 --> 00:56:58,960 Speaker 1: never reached out to I'm willing to go to them 876 00:56:59,120 --> 00:57:02,439 Speaker 1: if they were reached out, you know, because you need 877 00:57:02,480 --> 00:57:05,480 Speaker 1: to be That's not what he asked for. He asked 878 00:57:05,480 --> 00:57:11,040 Speaker 1: the yacht n But that's why I gave it to him. 879 00:57:11,080 --> 00:57:13,759 Speaker 1: So what do we even say now, how do we 880 00:57:13,800 --> 00:57:19,800 Speaker 1: wrap this up with a bow? Well, we don't. Certainly 881 00:57:20,160 --> 00:57:22,560 Speaker 1: there are people who, having heard all of our episodes, 882 00:57:22,600 --> 00:57:27,800 Speaker 1: will conclude that Danya Jones died by suicide, and maybe 883 00:57:28,160 --> 00:57:32,080 Speaker 1: they are right, but it's so hard to hear the 884 00:57:32,120 --> 00:57:35,800 Speaker 1: people who knew Donya so well, to look into their 885 00:57:35,840 --> 00:57:38,440 Speaker 1: eyes as they speak, and to hear the pleading and 886 00:57:38,520 --> 00:57:41,680 Speaker 1: their voices when they insist that he just wouldn't have 887 00:57:41,760 --> 00:57:45,880 Speaker 1: harmed himself and to not really want to support them, 888 00:57:45,920 --> 00:57:49,440 Speaker 1: to at least say I get it. But with the 889 00:57:49,480 --> 00:57:53,160 Speaker 1: bed sheet destroyed, with Wesley Bell bowing out, and the 890 00:57:53,240 --> 00:57:56,400 Speaker 1: FBI refusing to step up to subpoena Google and Apple, 891 00:57:57,800 --> 00:58:03,800 Speaker 1: we will never know for sure. I ended up having 892 00:58:03,840 --> 00:58:11,520 Speaker 1: a crazy dream about a panther, and the panther was 893 00:58:13,520 --> 00:58:19,480 Speaker 1: pulling on my hand, holding on my hand and arms, 894 00:58:20,680 --> 00:58:25,600 Speaker 1: and we were trying to hold each other, and I 895 00:58:25,680 --> 00:58:42,080 Speaker 1: woke up after The Uprising is directed, produced, investigated, written 896 00:58:42,120 --> 00:58:45,320 Speaker 1: and reported by myself, Raino Chellski, and John Duffy. John 897 00:58:45,400 --> 00:58:48,600 Speaker 1: Duffy was also the editor. Dave Cassidy was producer, sound 898 00:58:48,640 --> 00:58:52,040 Speaker 1: engineering design and mixed by Josh Condon. Executive producers were 899 00:58:52,040 --> 00:58:54,920 Speaker 1: Matt McDonough and Tina x Ros for Now This, Brett 900 00:58:54,960 --> 00:58:57,920 Speaker 1: Kushner for Group nine Media, and Jess Bora was executive 901 00:58:57,920 --> 00:59:00,560 Speaker 1: in charge of production. Jonathan Hartwig and Bradley Rayford were 902 00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:04,520 Speaker 1: consulting producers. Eliza Craig was assistant producer and did additional reporting. 903 00:59:04,640 --> 00:59:08,040 Speaker 1: Mallory Keenoy was a writer's assistant. Kristin mcvickor and Taya 904 00:59:08,120 --> 00:59:10,960 Speaker 1: Wilson were production assistants, and Haley Klesmer was a post 905 00:59:11,000 --> 00:59:14,480 Speaker 1: production assistant. Fact checking by Alison Humes. Theme song and 906 00:59:14,480 --> 00:59:17,440 Speaker 1: other music by Zachary Walter, legal by Keith Sklar and 907 00:59:17,440 --> 00:59:21,560 Speaker 1: Peter Yazi. Special thanks to Ann Frado, Danny Gonzalez, Barbara Copple, 908 00:59:21,640 --> 00:59:25,880 Speaker 1: Alex Lester, Bethan Macaluzo, Emily Maronoff, Ruth Vaka, and the 909 00:59:25,920 --> 00:59:28,680 Speaker 1: Reporter's Committee for Freedom of the Press. After the Uprising 910 00:59:28,760 --> 00:59:30,960 Speaker 1: is a production of Double asterisk I, Heart Media and 911 00:59:31,040 --> 00:59:33,720 Speaker 1: Now This in association with True Stories. You can find 912 00:59:33,800 --> 00:59:36,520 Speaker 1: us on Twitter and Facebook. If you have useful information 913 00:59:36,520 --> 00:59:39,040 Speaker 1: about the death of Danye Jones or anything we've covered, 914 00:59:39,120 --> 00:59:41,120 Speaker 1: please leave a message on our tip line at three 915 00:59:41,160 --> 00:59:52,960 Speaker 1: four seven six seven four seven four zero one.