1 00:00:01,040 --> 00:00:04,200 Speaker 1: During the early two thousands, women in bad and Rouge 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:08,760 Speaker 1: lived in constant fear of the South Louisiana serial killer. 3 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,240 Speaker 2: Police found Gina Wilson Green strangled to death on September 4 00:00:12,280 --> 00:00:14,480 Speaker 2: twenty fourth of two thousand and one, and her home 5 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,520 Speaker 2: in May police found Charlotte Murray Pace stabbed to death. 6 00:00:17,560 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 3: He had just completed her MBA at LSU and with 7 00:00:21,079 --> 00:00:24,720 Speaker 3: the proximity of the Pace in Green murder scenes, female 8 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:26,360 Speaker 3: students were terrified. 9 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:31,640 Speaker 1: That terror grew when Pam Kinnemore became the third victim. 10 00:00:31,960 --> 00:00:35,720 Speaker 3: Kinnemore disappeared from her Badenburge home in two thousand and two. 11 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:39,320 Speaker 3: Days later, her body turned up in Whiskey Bay under 12 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:43,200 Speaker 3: the Iten after investigators determined that the suspect was most 13 00:00:43,280 --> 00:00:46,760 Speaker 3: likely as serials formed a task force their goal to 14 00:00:46,840 --> 00:00:49,720 Speaker 3: find the man who had spread so much fear across 15 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:51,640 Speaker 3: South Louisiana. 16 00:00:51,560 --> 00:00:55,000 Speaker 1: With at least five victims. The task force had a 17 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:58,160 Speaker 1: big job to do, but it would be a small 18 00:00:58,160 --> 00:01:03,640 Speaker 1: police department outside Baton Rouge that ultimately would solve this case. 19 00:01:04,760 --> 00:01:08,280 Speaker 1: I'm slung glass and this is the conclusion of the 20 00:01:08,319 --> 00:01:13,280 Speaker 1: South Louisiana serial killer. On American homicide. A note that 21 00:01:13,360 --> 00:01:17,240 Speaker 1: this episode contained some graphic content. Please take care while listening. 22 00:01:19,440 --> 00:01:22,080 Speaker 1: In two thousand and three, the Baton Rouge PD was 23 00:01:22,200 --> 00:01:26,240 Speaker 1: actively hunting a serial killer, someone who was able to 24 00:01:26,280 --> 00:01:30,120 Speaker 1: get in and out of victims' homes without forcing entry. 25 00:01:30,920 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: DNA connected him to five women, but authorities did not 26 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:38,399 Speaker 1: know who the killer was, so they asked for help. 27 00:01:38,800 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 1: The Baton Rouge PD invited detectives from numerous suburban police 28 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:48,440 Speaker 1: departments to a meeting share information about other unsolved cases. 29 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:53,280 Speaker 1: They hoped hearing about those cases could unlock a connection. 30 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,320 Speaker 4: You know, people wanted to saw because, I mean it 31 00:01:56,480 --> 00:01:59,560 Speaker 4: was very bad at the time, very scary. 32 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: Detective David McDavid attended that meeting. 33 00:02:03,320 --> 00:02:05,760 Speaker 4: Women here they were afraid. They afraid to go out walt, 34 00:02:06,120 --> 00:02:08,000 Speaker 4: they were afraid to go shopping, They were afraid to 35 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:11,799 Speaker 4: go anywhere by themselves. You saw parents questioning if everyone 36 00:02:11,880 --> 00:02:14,680 Speaker 4: to send their daughters to LSU because several of the 37 00:02:14,680 --> 00:02:16,640 Speaker 4: crimes happened close to LSU campus. 38 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:21,200 Speaker 1: Detective McDavid worked for the Zachary Police Department, a small 39 00:02:21,240 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 1: city about fifteen minutes north of Baton Rouge. 40 00:02:24,639 --> 00:02:27,480 Speaker 4: Zachary's on the Outskirts I mean, we've probably in my 41 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:29,760 Speaker 4: career had ten or lesser. 42 00:02:29,639 --> 00:02:32,760 Speaker 1: Murders, and he felt like one of those murders might 43 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: be the work of the serial killer. The case involved 44 00:02:36,520 --> 00:02:40,920 Speaker 1: a divorced mom named Randy me Brewer. In nineteen ninety eight. 45 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: The police found a trail of blood at her home, 46 00:02:43,520 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: but no sign of Randy. Based on the evidence, the 47 00:02:46,880 --> 00:02:50,400 Speaker 1: police believed Randy was killed and then removed from her home. 48 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 4: The body was dragged from the bedroom throughout the house 49 00:02:54,280 --> 00:02:56,959 Speaker 4: and through the dining living room area, and you could 50 00:02:56,960 --> 00:02:59,919 Speaker 4: see where the body was set outside the front door, 51 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:02,760 Speaker 4: and her child was left there at the house. 52 00:03:03,320 --> 00:03:07,400 Speaker 1: Police believe Randy's three year old son was asleep at 53 00:03:07,440 --> 00:03:08,880 Speaker 1: the time his mother was murdered. 54 00:03:09,320 --> 00:03:12,320 Speaker 4: The child had walked over to the neighbor's house and 55 00:03:12,360 --> 00:03:14,919 Speaker 4: wanted to come over and play, and the neighbor, you know, 56 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:16,800 Speaker 4: let's go ask your mama, and he said, well, my 57 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 4: mom was not there. The neighbors walked in and were 58 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:23,440 Speaker 4: blood in the house everywhere. You know. One thing that 59 00:03:23,520 --> 00:03:26,680 Speaker 4: really bothered us is the killer looked in on the child. 60 00:03:26,800 --> 00:03:28,320 Speaker 4: You could see where he went into the bedroom with 61 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:30,480 Speaker 4: the blood droplets on the child's door. 62 00:03:31,160 --> 00:03:34,960 Speaker 1: The police never found Randy's body, but they found the 63 00:03:35,040 --> 00:03:36,640 Speaker 1: killer's DNA at the scene. 64 00:03:36,800 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 4: I told my partner said, you know who it is. 65 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:40,720 Speaker 4: There was no doubt in our mind it was Derrick Toddley. 66 00:03:41,000 --> 00:03:45,600 Speaker 1: Derek Toddley. He was the suspect in Randy's murder, and 67 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:48,760 Speaker 1: he was also someone the Zachary PD had dealt with 68 00:03:49,080 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: for years. 69 00:03:50,160 --> 00:03:53,720 Speaker 4: He was committing burgeries as a juvenile, breaking in the homes, 70 00:03:53,840 --> 00:03:56,800 Speaker 4: peeping tom but he also had a violence side to him. 71 00:03:57,160 --> 00:03:59,480 Speaker 4: He beat up on some people, so he spent a 72 00:03:59,480 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 4: little time in jail, but you could see the pattern 73 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 4: progressedly getting worse as time went on, and he just 74 00:04:05,320 --> 00:04:06,080 Speaker 4: get more violent. 75 00:04:06,240 --> 00:04:09,360 Speaker 1: Derek Toddley went from being charged with peeping into women's 76 00:04:09,360 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 1: homes to stalking and beating up multiple women. The Zachary 77 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:18,280 Speaker 1: Police got a tip that Derek Toddley had something to 78 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:22,560 Speaker 1: do with Randy mean Brewer's murder, and since they had 79 00:04:22,600 --> 00:04:26,040 Speaker 1: previously arrested him for peeping into homes in this same 80 00:04:26,080 --> 00:04:30,719 Speaker 1: neighborhood where Randy lived, detectives questioned him and searched his home. 81 00:04:31,240 --> 00:04:33,719 Speaker 4: The whole time. You know, he acted like he was 82 00:04:33,720 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 4: in you know, he didn't do nothing wrong. The look 83 00:04:36,480 --> 00:04:39,240 Speaker 4: he had. You could tell he was you know, he 84 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:43,159 Speaker 4: was just evil. Just talking to him, my hair stood 85 00:04:43,240 --> 00:04:44,520 Speaker 4: up on the back of my neck. 86 00:04:44,920 --> 00:04:48,200 Speaker 1: Halfway through their search of his home, Derek Toddley told 87 00:04:48,240 --> 00:04:51,680 Speaker 1: the cops to leave. He lawyered up and stopped cooperating 88 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:56,280 Speaker 1: with their investigation, and that's where things ended. Detective McDavid 89 00:04:56,320 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: told the Battermange PD how they never had enough evidence 90 00:05:00,160 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: to charge Lee, but they kept an eye on him, 91 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:06,840 Speaker 1: and based on how the serial killer was operating, he 92 00:05:06,920 --> 00:05:11,560 Speaker 1: believed it was Derek Todd Lee and Lee drove a 93 00:05:11,600 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: white truck. 94 00:05:13,279 --> 00:05:15,800 Speaker 4: Trucker had saw a white truck on the Whiskey Bay 95 00:05:15,800 --> 00:05:18,680 Speaker 4: Bridge with what appeared to be a white male with 96 00:05:18,760 --> 00:05:22,240 Speaker 4: a nicket female in the passioner's side, and you know 97 00:05:22,279 --> 00:05:24,560 Speaker 4: that's what was given to the FBI profilers who come 98 00:05:24,640 --> 00:05:25,440 Speaker 4: up with a profile. 99 00:05:26,080 --> 00:05:29,760 Speaker 1: Detective McDavid shared why he thought Derek Todd Lee was 100 00:05:29,800 --> 00:05:33,520 Speaker 1: the serial killer. If you remember, the serial killer was 101 00:05:33,560 --> 00:05:35,680 Speaker 1: thought to be a white male with a white truck, 102 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:38,440 Speaker 1: but the bat and Rouge team did not pursue the 103 00:05:38,520 --> 00:05:42,360 Speaker 1: lead because Derek Todd Lee was black and didn't fit 104 00:05:42,400 --> 00:05:43,039 Speaker 1: the profile. 105 00:05:43,520 --> 00:05:45,360 Speaker 4: People look at the serial killer as a white male 106 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:47,400 Speaker 4: and that's where people got thrown off. In this case, 107 00:05:47,440 --> 00:05:49,960 Speaker 4: here they were looking for a white male. It bothered 108 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:51,920 Speaker 4: me somewhat, but there was no doubt in our mind 109 00:05:51,960 --> 00:05:54,920 Speaker 4: it was Derek Toddley. We knew that he was doing stuff. 110 00:05:55,160 --> 00:05:57,240 Speaker 4: If we could get his DNA owness and connect him 111 00:05:57,240 --> 00:05:59,200 Speaker 4: to the crime, I knew we can get him arrested, 112 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:02,240 Speaker 4: get him off the street. So he began to be 113 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:03,159 Speaker 4: our main focus. 114 00:06:03,480 --> 00:06:07,640 Speaker 1: The Zachary PD continued to do surveillance on Derek todd Lee. 115 00:06:08,120 --> 00:06:11,640 Speaker 1: In the following spring, he was back to his old trecks. 116 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:14,680 Speaker 4: I got a call from lady here in town and 117 00:06:14,720 --> 00:06:18,239 Speaker 4: she stated she'd been jogging every morning. A white truck 118 00:06:18,320 --> 00:06:21,080 Speaker 4: was following her, So, you know, we did some surveillance there. 119 00:06:21,080 --> 00:06:23,520 Speaker 4: We never did see him, but you know, we showed 120 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 4: her a picture and she swore him down. That was 121 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:27,680 Speaker 4: him that was following her in a white truck. 122 00:06:28,200 --> 00:06:32,159 Speaker 1: Investigator searched around her home and found some bootprints right 123 00:06:32,200 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: outside her window, leading them to believe someone had been peeping. 124 00:06:37,040 --> 00:06:41,080 Speaker 4: Evidently he saw her and kind of got attached onto 125 00:06:41,160 --> 00:06:44,320 Speaker 4: her and was watching her, probably finna make his movie. 126 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 4: He was very careful and how he got in the 127 00:06:47,080 --> 00:06:48,800 Speaker 4: area and got back out without being seen. 128 00:06:50,120 --> 00:06:54,880 Speaker 1: Law enforcements suspected Derek Toddley, but once again they didn't 129 00:06:54,920 --> 00:06:58,720 Speaker 1: have enough to arrest him, so they tried a different approach. 130 00:06:59,720 --> 00:07:03,040 Speaker 1: They still had that DNA evidence from Randy meet Brewer's 131 00:07:03,080 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 1: house and wanted to test it against Dereck todd Lee's 132 00:07:07,120 --> 00:07:09,440 Speaker 1: but they needed a judge to sign off on a 133 00:07:09,440 --> 00:07:13,280 Speaker 1: subpoena to get that swab. So they put together a 134 00:07:13,280 --> 00:07:16,440 Speaker 1: timeline of the unsolved murders and compared it to what 135 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,520 Speaker 1: was going on in Derek todd Lee's life. 136 00:07:18,960 --> 00:07:22,720 Speaker 4: What vehicle he was driving, what job he was working at? 137 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,760 Speaker 4: Was a body found during that time? Was he fired 138 00:07:25,800 --> 00:07:28,720 Speaker 4: from his job? Was he laid off? So with that 139 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:31,360 Speaker 4: I began seeing a pattern with Dereck todd Lee. 140 00:07:32,320 --> 00:07:35,720 Speaker 1: The pattern showed the traumatic events in Dereck Toddley's life, 141 00:07:36,400 --> 00:07:40,920 Speaker 1: like getting fired or filing bankruptcy. Well, they all happened 142 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,600 Speaker 1: right before the serial killer struck. Was it simply a coincidence? 143 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:47,960 Speaker 1: Detective McDavid didn't think, So. 144 00:07:48,440 --> 00:07:50,200 Speaker 4: I knew Rodney in there was Derek todd Lee. 145 00:07:51,640 --> 00:07:54,840 Speaker 1: His team presented the information to a judge and the 146 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:59,559 Speaker 1: judge ordered Derek Toddley to be swapped. Almost three weeks later, 147 00:08:00,040 --> 00:08:02,640 Speaker 1: Active McDavid got a phone call from the Task Force. 148 00:08:03,280 --> 00:08:05,720 Speaker 4: Look, we just want to let y'all know the DNA. 149 00:08:05,800 --> 00:08:07,320 Speaker 4: Y'all got his a confirmed match. 150 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:12,360 Speaker 1: Derek todd Lee's DNA match the DNA found on all 151 00:08:12,720 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 1: five victims. I mean, the small group from Zachary Louisiana 152 00:08:18,560 --> 00:08:22,720 Speaker 1: had unmassed the South Louisiana serial killer. 153 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:28,320 Speaker 4: This has been the most serious case, tough case that 154 00:08:28,360 --> 00:08:31,520 Speaker 4: I've ever worked on. I mean the stuff he did 155 00:08:32,000 --> 00:08:35,480 Speaker 4: where he dumped the bodies at and the bayou's and waterways. 156 00:08:35,559 --> 00:08:38,920 Speaker 4: I mean, he was smart and just the stress and 157 00:08:39,080 --> 00:08:41,280 Speaker 4: what this area went through, in the Baton Rouge area 158 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,600 Speaker 4: and the citizens of the state went through because I mean, 159 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:46,880 Speaker 4: he was everwhere, com many crimes. He just didn't know 160 00:08:46,920 --> 00:08:48,199 Speaker 4: where he was going to show up next. 161 00:08:48,640 --> 00:08:52,040 Speaker 1: And that was their next problem. Nearly three weeks had 162 00:08:52,080 --> 00:08:54,959 Speaker 1: passed from the time they swamped his DNA to when 163 00:08:55,000 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: they got the results. So when police went to arrest 164 00:08:58,559 --> 00:09:02,880 Speaker 1: Derek Toddley, home appeared to be abandoned and a foreclosure 165 00:09:02,960 --> 00:09:04,959 Speaker 1: notice was stuck to the front door. 166 00:09:05,480 --> 00:09:08,280 Speaker 4: I think the day we got his DNA, he took off. 167 00:09:08,679 --> 00:09:12,080 Speaker 1: The man believed to have killed five women in South 168 00:09:12,080 --> 00:09:16,360 Speaker 1: Louisiana over the course of eighteen months, had again slipped 169 00:09:16,360 --> 00:09:20,320 Speaker 1: out of reach. That's when the Baton Rouge police chief went. 170 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:24,000 Speaker 5: On TV an arrest ward has been issued for the 171 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:28,360 Speaker 5: arrest of Derek todd Lee. He is to be considered 172 00:09:28,520 --> 00:09:31,920 Speaker 5: armed and dangerous and authority should be notified immediately. 173 00:09:32,360 --> 00:09:35,480 Speaker 1: That began a nationwide man hunt. 174 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:38,400 Speaker 4: I said, look, I'm days. If he knows he's about 175 00:09:38,400 --> 00:09:40,400 Speaker 4: to be called, he's probably from the kill again. Y'all 176 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:44,400 Speaker 4: need to find him. 177 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 1: Just one day into a nationwide man hunt for Derek Toddley, 178 00:09:52,840 --> 00:09:57,040 Speaker 1: police arrested him without incident in Atlanta, and when his 179 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:01,400 Speaker 1: mugshot hit the news, all of South Louisiana couldn't believe it. 180 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:05,600 Speaker 6: Well, none of this matches anything the police had told 181 00:10:05,679 --> 00:10:08,760 Speaker 6: us for a very long time, and it just didn't 182 00:10:08,760 --> 00:10:10,360 Speaker 6: piece together and it didn't make sense. 183 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:14,360 Speaker 1: Journalist Melinda de Lott had covered the story for nearly 184 00:10:14,520 --> 00:10:18,000 Speaker 1: a year. Most of that time, she reported that the 185 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:21,160 Speaker 1: police were looking for a white male in a white truck. 186 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:25,959 Speaker 6: The police in Baton Rouge led people down a lot 187 00:10:26,000 --> 00:10:31,160 Speaker 6: of rabbit trails that ended up not being credible, so 188 00:10:32,320 --> 00:10:35,480 Speaker 6: they got a lot of blowback about that. The police 189 00:10:35,520 --> 00:10:37,760 Speaker 6: chief and a lot of other people who had been 190 00:10:38,360 --> 00:10:41,640 Speaker 6: very engaged in that case got very defensive of what 191 00:10:41,679 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 6: they had done and how they had handled it. There 192 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:47,840 Speaker 6: was just a lot of mishmash of emotions. It was 193 00:10:48,240 --> 00:10:54,240 Speaker 6: relief for the families because I knew how much they 194 00:10:54,280 --> 00:10:58,440 Speaker 6: needed to see somebody arrested for this, And there was 195 00:10:58,559 --> 00:11:03,200 Speaker 6: just a lot of frustration vented at the batter Uge 196 00:11:03,200 --> 00:11:08,120 Speaker 6: police department because this police officer in Zachary is the 197 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:12,760 Speaker 6: one who sought the DNA swab of Derek Todd Lee 198 00:11:13,320 --> 00:11:17,200 Speaker 6: and ended up being the person who connected all the murders. 199 00:11:18,640 --> 00:11:21,400 Speaker 1: At the time of his arrest, Derek Todd Lee was 200 00:11:21,480 --> 00:11:25,199 Speaker 1: thirty four years old. He was married, He even had 201 00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:30,679 Speaker 1: children and a girlfriend on the side. Here's Prosecutor Dana Cummings. 202 00:11:30,480 --> 00:11:33,720 Speaker 3: And I found that really bizarre that somebody that was 203 00:11:33,760 --> 00:11:38,360 Speaker 3: actually married in relationships was doing that. 204 00:11:39,080 --> 00:11:41,439 Speaker 1: The profile said that this was someone who would be 205 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:44,480 Speaker 1: a loner, and this was a man who was surrounded 206 00:11:44,520 --> 00:11:48,760 Speaker 1: by women. You've a married father of two who also 207 00:11:49,040 --> 00:11:52,760 Speaker 1: had a girlfriend on the side, charged with killing a 208 00:11:52,880 --> 00:11:55,440 Speaker 1: handful of women in South Louisiana. 209 00:11:55,720 --> 00:11:58,200 Speaker 3: You know you can understand people that do things in 210 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:01,360 Speaker 3: like heat of passion. Somebody walks in and finds their 211 00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:04,520 Speaker 3: spouse cheating, you can understand that you don't like it, 212 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,000 Speaker 3: but you can understand that they may lose it, and 213 00:12:07,120 --> 00:12:09,160 Speaker 3: they may get emotional, and they may do something that 214 00:12:09,160 --> 00:12:13,040 Speaker 3: they regret later. But I don't remember anything that I 215 00:12:13,240 --> 00:12:16,600 Speaker 3: learned of him to say, oh, well, no wonder, no 216 00:12:16,720 --> 00:12:17,440 Speaker 3: wonder he did that. 217 00:12:19,520 --> 00:12:23,640 Speaker 1: Derek Toddlee was born in South Louisiana. His troubles began 218 00:12:23,720 --> 00:12:26,320 Speaker 1: at the age of eleven, when he first started peeping 219 00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:30,240 Speaker 1: into the windows of girls. Growing up, he attended special 220 00:12:30,360 --> 00:12:34,720 Speaker 1: education classes. He later dropped out of school and married 221 00:12:34,720 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: his high school sweetheart. A year later, she accused him 222 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:43,920 Speaker 1: of abusing her. Journalist Melinda Delotte interviewed people who knew 223 00:12:43,960 --> 00:12:44,720 Speaker 1: Derek Toddley. 224 00:12:44,960 --> 00:12:46,880 Speaker 6: People said nice things about him. 225 00:12:46,920 --> 00:12:51,720 Speaker 1: His neighbors, for example, called him polite, friendly, and well dressed. 226 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:55,640 Speaker 6: So despite how he came across to people, he clearly 227 00:12:55,720 --> 00:13:00,360 Speaker 6: had a background of some disturbing behavior regarding women, because 228 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:04,839 Speaker 6: he had been arrested before for trespassing and peeking in 229 00:13:04,920 --> 00:13:08,800 Speaker 6: the houses and stalking as part of the peeping Tom 230 00:13:08,920 --> 00:13:14,040 Speaker 6: kind of allegations and then he was accused of beating 231 00:13:14,120 --> 00:13:16,440 Speaker 6: up a woman, like some sort of fight in a bar. 232 00:13:17,080 --> 00:13:20,000 Speaker 6: He was convicted and he was sentenced to jail for 233 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:23,760 Speaker 6: that one. You know, hindsight's always twenty twenty. But like obviously, 234 00:13:23,920 --> 00:13:27,760 Speaker 6: there was a trail of some arrest records that probably 235 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 6: could have drawn some attention if they knew they were 236 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:33,000 Speaker 6: looking for a black man. 237 00:13:33,400 --> 00:13:36,480 Speaker 1: By two thousand and four, Derek Todd Lee's DNA connected 238 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:40,120 Speaker 1: him with the murders of two more people, another LSU 239 00:13:40,160 --> 00:13:43,840 Speaker 1: grad student and a twenty eight year old woman from Zachary. 240 00:13:44,559 --> 00:13:47,440 Speaker 1: There was now seven women that Lee was accused of killing, 241 00:13:48,400 --> 00:13:51,560 Speaker 1: but prosecutors decided to only try the cases they believed 242 00:13:51,720 --> 00:13:53,360 Speaker 1: had the best shot at winning. 243 00:13:55,679 --> 00:13:58,920 Speaker 7: I'm John Stinkfield. I'm prosecutor and los Ana. Since nineteen 244 00:13:59,000 --> 00:14:03,440 Speaker 7: seventy one, I specialized in trying capital murder cases in 245 00:14:03,720 --> 00:14:06,560 Speaker 7: East Batton, Rugs Parish, and I had three people actually 246 00:14:06,600 --> 00:14:08,280 Speaker 7: executed that I prosecuted. 247 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:11,160 Speaker 1: In the fall of two thousand and four, Derreck Todd 248 00:14:11,280 --> 00:14:14,800 Speaker 1: Lee stood trial for the murder of Murray Peace. She 249 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 1: was the twenty two year old LSU grad who was 250 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:23,640 Speaker 1: sexually assaulted and stabbed eighty one times. John Sinkfield was 251 00:14:23,680 --> 00:14:24,680 Speaker 1: the Lee prosecutor. 252 00:14:25,200 --> 00:14:28,480 Speaker 7: I give the knowledge. It's like a gold miner. A 253 00:14:28,560 --> 00:14:31,360 Speaker 7: gold miner's got to work where there's goal. A murder 254 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:34,800 Speaker 7: prosecutor's got to work where their murders. In Baton Rouge 255 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:36,360 Speaker 7: was a good place for my career. 256 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:41,680 Speaker 1: In this case, the prosecutor was seeking capital punishment. 257 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:45,000 Speaker 7: And I had no problem asking these jurors to return 258 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:48,920 Speaker 7: a death penalty against derreck todd Lee based on the 259 00:14:48,960 --> 00:14:52,360 Speaker 7: evidence that I thought proved beyond a reasonable doubt until 260 00:14:52,480 --> 00:14:55,040 Speaker 7: Moorrow certainty that he had committed all these crimes. 261 00:14:55,160 --> 00:14:59,920 Speaker 1: Throughout his trial, Derek Todd Lee sat quietly and appeared motionless. 262 00:15:00,760 --> 00:15:04,080 Speaker 1: He was represented by a team of public defenders. 263 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:08,160 Speaker 7: You may have heard bad things about public defenders, but 264 00:15:08,200 --> 00:15:11,560 Speaker 7: not in this case. He had a top notch team. 265 00:15:11,960 --> 00:15:16,360 Speaker 1: In fact, neither the lead defense attorney nor the prosecutor 266 00:15:16,920 --> 00:15:19,480 Speaker 1: had ever lost a capital case. 267 00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,000 Speaker 7: They set it up as a mano a mano contest, 268 00:15:23,120 --> 00:15:27,720 Speaker 7: almost like a sporting event, and headlines were two very 269 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 7: experienced lawyers will face each other off tomorrow in the 270 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,680 Speaker 7: Batteryge court room. Neither one of them has ever lost 271 00:15:34,720 --> 00:15:38,040 Speaker 7: a capital case. In this case, one of them is 272 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:38,720 Speaker 7: going to lose. 273 00:15:39,440 --> 00:15:42,720 Speaker 1: After weeks of jury selection and a short delay from 274 00:15:42,720 --> 00:15:46,200 Speaker 1: a hurricane, the case involving the murder of Murray Pace 275 00:15:46,360 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 1: began in October two thousand and four. 276 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:52,360 Speaker 7: In that trial, I had some hard decisions to. 277 00:15:52,360 --> 00:15:57,720 Speaker 1: Think, specifically whether to calls my witnesses who reported seeing 278 00:15:57,880 --> 00:15:59,960 Speaker 1: someone outside of Murray Pace's home. 279 00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,640 Speaker 7: There's three or four witnesses that claimed have seen Derrick 280 00:16:03,720 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 7: Todd Lee in that area around her condo in the 281 00:16:07,320 --> 00:16:11,760 Speaker 7: day's previous to the assault and murder, but they had 282 00:16:11,800 --> 00:16:16,280 Speaker 7: given some descriptions that didn't exactly match, so they had 283 00:16:16,320 --> 00:16:20,920 Speaker 7: some vulnerability, I thought, and then I made a decision 284 00:16:20,960 --> 00:16:25,000 Speaker 7: one night during that trial not to use the eyewitnesses, 285 00:16:26,000 --> 00:16:28,000 Speaker 7: to go just with the DNA. 286 00:16:28,560 --> 00:16:31,160 Speaker 1: For the first few days of the trial. That's what 287 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 1: the prosecution did. They called witness after witness to speak 288 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:35,920 Speaker 1: about the DNA evidence. 289 00:16:36,840 --> 00:16:40,400 Speaker 7: We put on the DNA evidence, only have them put 290 00:16:40,440 --> 00:16:46,360 Speaker 7: on a defense saying that our criminalists who were examined 291 00:16:46,440 --> 00:16:50,800 Speaker 7: the DNA evidence were young and inexperienced, that there were 292 00:16:50,840 --> 00:16:54,080 Speaker 7: some sloppy procedures in the lab, that a swab was 293 00:16:54,080 --> 00:16:56,480 Speaker 7: found in one of the boxes, which was related to 294 00:16:56,520 --> 00:17:01,320 Speaker 7: the cases that our computer systems that analyze this evidence 295 00:17:02,400 --> 00:17:05,960 Speaker 7: was old and out of date, and there was some attempt, 296 00:17:06,400 --> 00:17:08,880 Speaker 7: you know, like possibly to frame him or something like that. 297 00:17:09,200 --> 00:17:12,520 Speaker 1: As the defense attacked his DNA evidence, it left the 298 00:17:12,560 --> 00:17:15,160 Speaker 1: prosecutor second guessing his strategy. 299 00:17:15,880 --> 00:17:19,680 Speaker 7: I've eliminated three or four five witnesses, and I put 300 00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:23,760 Speaker 7: on this powerful case of the DNA only to sit 301 00:17:23,840 --> 00:17:27,479 Speaker 7: there and pray that my career wasn't going to go 302 00:17:27,520 --> 00:17:31,480 Speaker 7: straight out the window because I had never seen a 303 00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,600 Speaker 7: DNA defense like that, and you're praying that the jury 304 00:17:35,800 --> 00:17:37,040 Speaker 7: don't buy. 305 00:17:38,080 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: The prosecution saved their star witness until the very end. 306 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,720 Speaker 1: That's when they called the forty six year old nurse 307 00:17:45,119 --> 00:17:46,560 Speaker 1: named Diane Alexander. 308 00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:51,800 Speaker 7: Diane Alexander explained what it was like, in her words, 309 00:17:52,080 --> 00:17:55,120 Speaker 7: to be attacked by Dereck Todd Lee and survived. 310 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,280 Speaker 1: Diane reported being attacked by Derrick Todd Lee during the 311 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:04,119 Speaker 1: summer to and two. It happened inside her home about 312 00:18:04,160 --> 00:18:08,000 Speaker 1: an hour outside that en rouge, and her testimony was 313 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,840 Speaker 1: huge for prosecutors. Although we don't have that audio. Diane 314 00:18:12,840 --> 00:18:16,400 Speaker 1: described the attack on a series called La Gospel Beats. 315 00:18:16,800 --> 00:18:19,159 Speaker 8: There was a knock at the door, so when I 316 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:22,880 Speaker 8: opened the door. There was this fair, complexed young man 317 00:18:23,000 --> 00:18:25,119 Speaker 8: standing outside my door. 318 00:18:25,640 --> 00:18:27,960 Speaker 1: Diane said she didn't recognize. 319 00:18:27,480 --> 00:18:30,080 Speaker 8: The man, and he said, Hi, my name is Anthony. 320 00:18:30,680 --> 00:18:33,720 Speaker 8: I'm looking for the Montgomerys and I'm supposed to do 321 00:18:33,800 --> 00:18:35,160 Speaker 8: construction for them. 322 00:18:35,440 --> 00:18:38,199 Speaker 1: Diane told him he must be at the wrong house. 323 00:18:38,960 --> 00:18:41,160 Speaker 1: She didn't know the Montgomerys, and. 324 00:18:41,080 --> 00:18:43,639 Speaker 8: He said, do you think your husband might know? And 325 00:18:43,720 --> 00:18:46,520 Speaker 8: I knew my husband was at work, but I just 326 00:18:46,600 --> 00:18:50,000 Speaker 8: told him my husband doesn't know who these people are. 327 00:18:50,440 --> 00:18:53,399 Speaker 1: And then he asked Diane one more time, are you 328 00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:56,359 Speaker 1: sure your husband doesn't know who those people are? 329 00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,920 Speaker 8: I said, look, my husband's not home. 330 00:19:00,080 --> 00:19:04,639 Speaker 7: The blue all hell broke loose. He was strong, he 331 00:19:04,760 --> 00:19:07,639 Speaker 7: was bigger. He pushed his way in her door and 332 00:19:07,760 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 7: attacked her. Within just a few seconds or minutes, he 333 00:19:12,480 --> 00:19:16,280 Speaker 7: had her down, trying to strangler with a phone cord. 334 00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,520 Speaker 8: His intentions was to rape and kill me. That was 335 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:21,600 Speaker 8: his intentions. 336 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,040 Speaker 1: Over the next few minutes, he struck Diane on her 337 00:19:25,080 --> 00:19:28,879 Speaker 1: head and stomped on her chest, all the while he 338 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:31,520 Speaker 1: threatened to stab her in the eye with his knife. 339 00:19:31,480 --> 00:19:35,480 Speaker 8: And in my left ear, he whispered. He said, I've 340 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:36,520 Speaker 8: been watching you. 341 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:39,040 Speaker 1: And then all of a sudden, the sound of a 342 00:19:39,119 --> 00:19:42,119 Speaker 1: car pulling into the gravel driveway made him. 343 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:46,600 Speaker 8: Freeze, and not long after my son showed up. 344 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:50,399 Speaker 1: Diane's son was a college student who came home early 345 00:19:50,480 --> 00:19:54,520 Speaker 1: that morning. He chased the man but lost him. He 346 00:19:54,640 --> 00:19:57,840 Speaker 1: reported seeing his mother's attacker drive off in a gold 347 00:19:57,880 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 1: colored sedan with a big telephone court hanging out the window. 348 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:07,520 Speaker 1: In a dramatic moment, the prosecutor asked Diane for her attacker, 349 00:20:07,960 --> 00:20:10,960 Speaker 1: who claimed his name was Anthony, was in the courtroom 350 00:20:11,000 --> 00:20:11,400 Speaker 1: that day. 351 00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:14,560 Speaker 7: She looked right at Dereck todd Lee and she said, 352 00:20:15,400 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 7: that's him. 353 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,800 Speaker 1: It was powerful testimony, but things wouldn't go as smoothly. 354 00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:33,720 Speaker 1: During cross examination, jurors heard several DNA experts describe how 355 00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:37,520 Speaker 1: Derek todd Lee's DNA was found on the victim murray pace. 356 00:20:38,640 --> 00:20:42,240 Speaker 1: As you can imagine, that testimony was complex, but when 357 00:20:42,280 --> 00:20:46,200 Speaker 1: Diane Alexander took the stand, she provided something no other 358 00:20:46,359 --> 00:20:49,960 Speaker 1: witness could do. She described how Derek tod Lee was 359 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:56,160 Speaker 1: able to get inside her home. Here's prosecutor Dana Cummings. 360 00:20:55,760 --> 00:20:58,080 Speaker 3: So he goes to the door and he's asking her 361 00:20:58,160 --> 00:21:02,000 Speaker 3: questions and asking her I'm looking for somebody, and she 362 00:21:02,119 --> 00:21:05,359 Speaker 3: said he was very very polite at first, well spoken, 363 00:21:05,520 --> 00:21:08,840 Speaker 3: I mean, that's the way he came across. And then 364 00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,000 Speaker 3: when he said, well, ask your husband, and I think 365 00:21:12,040 --> 00:21:15,760 Speaker 3: she said he's not home or something to that effect, 366 00:21:16,280 --> 00:21:19,679 Speaker 3: and that's when he just changed his personality, forced his 367 00:21:19,720 --> 00:21:23,840 Speaker 3: way into the trailer and started attacking her, just viciously, 368 00:21:24,359 --> 00:21:27,199 Speaker 3: tried to rape her, but her son drove up. She 369 00:21:27,240 --> 00:21:29,840 Speaker 3: had like a gravel driveway, and he drove up the 370 00:21:29,960 --> 00:21:34,159 Speaker 3: driveway and Derrek Tuddley got up and ran. And her 371 00:21:34,200 --> 00:21:39,520 Speaker 3: testimony was very compelling because the science is great, but 372 00:21:39,640 --> 00:21:43,919 Speaker 3: to hear somebody actually describe how he operated and it 373 00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:46,159 Speaker 3: just made sense in all the other cases. 374 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:51,640 Speaker 1: And Diane's testimony came with another key piece of evidence. 375 00:21:52,440 --> 00:21:55,840 Speaker 3: He used a cord, a phone cord to try to 376 00:21:55,880 --> 00:22:00,800 Speaker 3: strangle her, and that phone cord when he left, he 377 00:22:00,880 --> 00:22:01,520 Speaker 3: grabbed it and. 378 00:22:01,480 --> 00:22:02,440 Speaker 9: Took it with him. 379 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 3: As a matter of fact, the son who came home 380 00:22:05,440 --> 00:22:11,120 Speaker 3: described a cord hanging out of the vehicle. And that's 381 00:22:11,160 --> 00:22:16,760 Speaker 3: important because three days later he attacked Pam Kinnemore. 382 00:22:17,040 --> 00:22:21,639 Speaker 1: Diane Alexander was attacked on July ninth. Pam Kinnimore was 383 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:25,680 Speaker 1: attacked and killed July twelfth. Pam's body was later found 384 00:22:25,680 --> 00:22:26,440 Speaker 1: in Whiskey Bay. 385 00:22:27,520 --> 00:22:29,919 Speaker 3: They're looking out there at Whiskey Bay and on a 386 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:34,520 Speaker 3: like a roadway there is a cord, and sure enough 387 00:22:34,520 --> 00:22:38,199 Speaker 3: they were later able to match it to the cord 388 00:22:38,280 --> 00:22:41,439 Speaker 3: that was back at a Diane Alexander's house. So that 389 00:22:41,480 --> 00:22:43,359 Speaker 3: was a nice little piece of evidence, because, you know, 390 00:22:43,400 --> 00:22:45,520 Speaker 3: it was fine to have the DNA, and DNA is 391 00:22:45,600 --> 00:22:48,800 Speaker 3: such incredible evidence, but it was also nice to have 392 00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,919 Speaker 3: a little bit different piece of evidence that will corroborate that. 393 00:22:52,480 --> 00:22:55,639 Speaker 1: During her time on the stand, Diane was calm and 394 00:22:55,680 --> 00:22:59,879 Speaker 1: spoke matter factly. Here's lee Prosecutor John Sinkfield. 395 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:04,040 Speaker 7: After she testified, if I'd had any doubt about the 396 00:23:04,119 --> 00:23:07,480 Speaker 7: DNA part of the parts of the elements to myself, 397 00:23:07,520 --> 00:23:08,640 Speaker 7: I said, this case. 398 00:23:08,520 --> 00:23:13,520 Speaker 1: Is over, but it wasn't. During cross examination, Diane slipped up. 399 00:23:14,119 --> 00:23:17,359 Speaker 1: She gave conflicting information about what Derek Tidley wore the 400 00:23:17,440 --> 00:23:21,479 Speaker 1: morning he attacked her. The defense also questioned why Diane 401 00:23:21,520 --> 00:23:25,560 Speaker 1: told medical personnel she couldn't remember any details about the attack. 402 00:23:26,920 --> 00:23:31,119 Speaker 1: Diane explained that she was hospitalized for five days and 403 00:23:31,280 --> 00:23:34,720 Speaker 1: was in and out of it. Things got so tense 404 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:39,160 Speaker 1: during cross examination that Diane asked the defense lawyer, why 405 00:23:39,200 --> 00:23:41,000 Speaker 1: are you trying to confuse me? 406 00:23:41,400 --> 00:23:44,720 Speaker 7: I was stepping up in my office. Then well, you know, 407 00:23:44,840 --> 00:23:48,600 Speaker 7: wonder what the opportunities like in Minnesota, or you know, 408 00:23:49,280 --> 00:23:51,600 Speaker 7: for a guy with my accent are, because if I 409 00:23:51,720 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 7: lose this case, I may be out of here. 410 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:59,000 Speaker 1: During closing arguments, prosecutor John Sinfield reminded the jury of 411 00:23:59,040 --> 00:24:02,199 Speaker 1: what he called the silent witness. 412 00:24:01,840 --> 00:24:07,000 Speaker 7: Dereck Todd Lee's DNA. When Derck Todd Lee pushed his 413 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:10,240 Speaker 7: way in her door and attacked her, he picked the 414 00:24:10,280 --> 00:24:14,679 Speaker 7: wrong woman that day, over and over again. She was stout, 415 00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:20,200 Speaker 7: She fought back, and she scratched him. And when she 416 00:24:20,280 --> 00:24:24,440 Speaker 7: scratched him, she got skin cells with DNA off of him. 417 00:24:25,040 --> 00:24:28,400 Speaker 7: If you take the population of the Earth and multiplied 418 00:24:28,520 --> 00:24:32,560 Speaker 7: by five hundred and fourteen thousand times, you wouldn't find 419 00:24:32,560 --> 00:24:36,960 Speaker 7: another DNA match to Dereck Todd Lee. He was one 420 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:40,240 Speaker 7: person out of three point six quadrigon. 421 00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,760 Speaker 1: The defense never called any witnesses. They simply picked apart 422 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:50,320 Speaker 1: the prosecution's case, suggesting that there were errors collecting and 423 00:24:50,440 --> 00:24:51,760 Speaker 1: processing that DNA. 424 00:24:52,240 --> 00:24:56,639 Speaker 7: We put on seventy witnesses, one hundred pieces of evidence 425 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,439 Speaker 7: and two hundred photographs of that trial. And then, of 426 00:25:00,440 --> 00:25:03,879 Speaker 7: course we had Diane Alexander, which explained what it was like, 427 00:25:04,680 --> 00:25:07,600 Speaker 7: in her words, to be attacked by Derrick Todd Lee 428 00:25:08,119 --> 00:25:12,520 Speaker 7: and survived. She was the only person alive that had survived. 429 00:25:12,960 --> 00:25:16,320 Speaker 1: In their closing arguments, the defense questioned how a special 430 00:25:16,440 --> 00:25:19,639 Speaker 1: education drop out like Derreck Todd Lee could murder all 431 00:25:19,720 --> 00:25:23,399 Speaker 1: these women without leaving behind a fingerprint, a tire track, 432 00:25:24,160 --> 00:25:28,800 Speaker 1: or any trace of evidence. They also reminded the jury 433 00:25:28,880 --> 00:25:32,160 Speaker 1: that for years the Zachary Police Department placed Derreck Todd 434 00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:36,200 Speaker 1: Lee under heavy surveillance, So with all those eyes on him, 435 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:39,840 Speaker 1: how could he have killed Murray Pace or any of 436 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:45,080 Speaker 1: the other victims. But Prosecutor Sinkfield got in the final word. 437 00:25:46,320 --> 00:25:49,200 Speaker 7: I told him, let me tell you something. What I'm 438 00:25:49,240 --> 00:25:53,520 Speaker 7: about to say is not politically correct, but I'm gonna 439 00:25:54,200 --> 00:25:58,680 Speaker 7: say it anyway. You see Obama like Charlotte Murray Pace. 440 00:25:58,840 --> 00:26:04,960 Speaker 7: She's beautiful, smart, she's accomplished, she's well dressed. Men will 441 00:26:05,040 --> 00:26:08,960 Speaker 7: kill each other over a woman like her, and some 442 00:26:09,119 --> 00:26:12,959 Speaker 7: men will kill her just for a few minutes of 443 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:18,080 Speaker 7: sexual gratification with her. And that's what the evidence has 444 00:26:18,119 --> 00:26:23,919 Speaker 7: shown that Derrick Todley did. There's no doubt that she 445 00:26:24,560 --> 00:26:28,040 Speaker 7: lost her life in a fight. Fight's not over yet. 446 00:26:29,119 --> 00:26:32,199 Speaker 7: When she clawed evidence from his skin, she said, the 447 00:26:32,200 --> 00:26:36,480 Speaker 7: fight to you. Who wins it? Your decision. 448 00:26:37,720 --> 00:26:41,440 Speaker 1: After less than eighty minutes of deliberation, the jury returned 449 00:26:42,040 --> 00:26:46,320 Speaker 1: on the count of first degree murder. They convicted Derek Tudley. 450 00:26:49,359 --> 00:26:52,160 Speaker 7: When the verdict came out, the real issue I think 451 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:54,840 Speaker 7: is this he going to receive the death belt. 452 00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,040 Speaker 1: Throughout the trial, the defense claimed Dereck Toddley was mentally 453 00:26:59,160 --> 00:27:02,040 Speaker 1: challenged and that would take the death penalty off the 454 00:27:02,080 --> 00:27:06,920 Speaker 1: table and trigger an automatic life sentence. Here's prosecutor Data Cummings. 455 00:27:07,760 --> 00:27:10,840 Speaker 3: They tried to say he's mentally challenged and should not 456 00:27:10,880 --> 00:27:11,720 Speaker 3: be executed. 457 00:27:12,160 --> 00:27:15,320 Speaker 1: In two thousand and two, the US Supreme Court ruled 458 00:27:15,320 --> 00:27:21,119 Speaker 1: that executing anyone with an intellectual disability was unconstitutional. 459 00:27:20,359 --> 00:27:22,560 Speaker 3: And so we had a long hearing about whether or 460 00:27:22,640 --> 00:27:26,080 Speaker 3: not he was actually mentally and capable. There were various 461 00:27:26,119 --> 00:27:29,119 Speaker 3: reports about his IQ, but it was just so clear 462 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,760 Speaker 3: that he could pull off these crimes without being seen. 463 00:27:33,480 --> 00:27:36,200 Speaker 3: I mean, that did take planning, and that did take 464 00:27:36,320 --> 00:27:37,840 Speaker 3: a certain amount of intelligence. 465 00:27:38,600 --> 00:27:42,200 Speaker 1: An hour and a half later, the jury returned. They 466 00:27:42,320 --> 00:27:46,680 Speaker 1: all agreed that Derek Toddley should die by lethal injection. 467 00:27:48,560 --> 00:27:51,320 Speaker 1: As he was let out of the courtroom, the usually 468 00:27:51,480 --> 00:27:57,080 Speaker 1: stoic Derek Toddley erupted. Journalist Melinda Delott was there that day. 469 00:27:57,680 --> 00:28:01,480 Speaker 6: He held up a vee for victory kind of and 470 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:05,280 Speaker 6: he shouted to his family something about God, don't sleep, 471 00:28:05,680 --> 00:28:07,720 Speaker 6: and they don't want to tell you about the DNA 472 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,160 Speaker 6: that they took. I don't know that we ever really 473 00:28:11,160 --> 00:28:14,320 Speaker 6: got a good explanation, but clearly he was trying to 474 00:28:14,359 --> 00:28:17,560 Speaker 6: get at that suggestion that somehow law enforcement planned at 475 00:28:17,560 --> 00:28:19,600 Speaker 6: the DNA evidence that convicted him. 476 00:28:20,000 --> 00:28:22,840 Speaker 1: Outside the courtroom, Lee's lawyer addressed the media. 477 00:28:23,240 --> 00:28:26,960 Speaker 6: His lawyer said he wasn't surprised by the verdict, but 478 00:28:27,280 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 6: that Derek Childley cried after he left the courtroom. We 479 00:28:30,800 --> 00:28:31,520 Speaker 6: did not see that. 480 00:28:31,960 --> 00:28:34,680 Speaker 1: Prosecutor John Sinfield also spoke to the media. 481 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:38,560 Speaker 7: The question they asked me was were you worried to 482 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:41,880 Speaker 7: just make you nervous? Rather than saying yes, I was 483 00:28:41,920 --> 00:28:44,960 Speaker 7: about to jump off the seventh floor of the courthouse, 484 00:28:45,440 --> 00:28:51,680 Speaker 7: my answer was goodnight. The South lose in a serial 485 00:28:51,800 --> 00:28:56,600 Speaker 7: killer got South Louise Ina justice. He got the depth hilt. 486 00:28:57,240 --> 00:29:00,920 Speaker 1: Here's audio from Murray Pece's mother, An from that press conference. 487 00:29:02,080 --> 00:29:11,160 Speaker 2: I think we thought when it came back so quickly, I. 488 00:29:11,240 --> 00:29:13,320 Speaker 9: Just can't believe it's finally happened. 489 00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:19,480 Speaker 2: I'm overwhelmed. 490 00:29:20,600 --> 00:29:24,280 Speaker 1: Throughout the trial and even during the press conference, Anne 491 00:29:24,360 --> 00:29:28,400 Speaker 1: was surrounded by the families of the other victims. In 492 00:29:28,480 --> 00:29:31,920 Speaker 1: a separate trial, Derrek tud Lee was convicted of murdering 493 00:29:32,120 --> 00:29:37,040 Speaker 1: LSU student Jarrelyn Desto. He was sentenced to life in prison, 494 00:29:37,960 --> 00:29:41,720 Speaker 1: and just like during her daughter's trial, Anne was there 495 00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,440 Speaker 1: to support Jarrelyn's family. 496 00:29:44,120 --> 00:29:47,320 Speaker 9: We formed like a sort of fraternity that you don't 497 00:29:47,360 --> 00:29:50,120 Speaker 9: want to be in, where everybody felt very close to 498 00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,320 Speaker 9: everybody else, because who in the world understands that but us. 499 00:29:54,520 --> 00:29:57,680 Speaker 9: We called it the Casablanca question of all the gin 500 00:29:57,800 --> 00:30:02,240 Speaker 9: joints in all the world. Did he pick my daughter? 501 00:30:03,320 --> 00:30:03,840 Speaker 7: And why? 502 00:30:05,040 --> 00:30:08,120 Speaker 9: That's one of the questions you never have an answer to. 503 00:30:09,040 --> 00:30:12,120 Speaker 1: And planned to be there the day Derek Tuddley was executed, 504 00:30:12,760 --> 00:30:14,000 Speaker 1: but that day never came. 505 00:30:15,440 --> 00:30:17,680 Speaker 3: For interrupting your program with what will be a sigh 506 00:30:17,720 --> 00:30:21,080 Speaker 3: of relief for many families here in South Louisiana. 507 00:30:20,960 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 10: Sirra Kuler Derek Toddley died at a hospital in Zachary 508 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:24,200 Speaker 10: this morning. 509 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:25,680 Speaker 4: He had been there since Saturday. 510 00:30:25,800 --> 00:30:29,000 Speaker 1: Derek Toddley was forty seven years old. He'd been on 511 00:30:29,120 --> 00:30:34,000 Speaker 1: death row since that conviction. A decade ago. In twenty sixteen, 512 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:38,680 Speaker 1: Derek Toudley died in prison. His cause of death was 513 00:30:38,720 --> 00:30:43,040 Speaker 1: heart disease. And for and Pace, that news was bittersweet. 514 00:30:43,680 --> 00:30:48,680 Speaker 11: All of it was truly like stepping off the edge 515 00:30:48,680 --> 00:30:52,840 Speaker 11: of a cliff into an alternate universe in which you 516 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:54,440 Speaker 11: had no control whatsoever. 517 00:30:56,400 --> 00:30:59,360 Speaker 1: She told a local newspaper. The end of the fight 518 00:30:59,480 --> 00:31:03,160 Speaker 1: feels like a loss, feels like I'm armored for battle, 519 00:31:03,360 --> 00:31:07,680 Speaker 1: only to find you have no opponent. The years of 520 00:31:07,800 --> 00:31:11,760 Speaker 1: legal wrangling over Derek todd Lee's execution came to an 521 00:31:11,800 --> 00:31:12,960 Speaker 1: abrupt ending. 522 00:31:13,400 --> 00:31:17,920 Speaker 10: We had spent eleven years in court, which means every 523 00:31:17,960 --> 00:31:21,240 Speaker 10: time your life gets a little bit normal, you're snatched 524 00:31:21,360 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 10: back into the nightmare. 525 00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:29,480 Speaker 1: With the nightmare over and finally began the healing process. 526 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:32,719 Speaker 2: It was like literally falling off the edge of the world, 527 00:31:33,480 --> 00:31:35,320 Speaker 2: and all of a sudden you came to live in 528 00:31:35,360 --> 00:31:39,440 Speaker 2: a new world that was darker and hotter and had 529 00:31:39,480 --> 00:31:43,959 Speaker 2: sharper edges, and that stays with you. You don't get 530 00:31:44,040 --> 00:31:45,720 Speaker 2: to leave that world when it's over. 531 00:31:46,360 --> 00:31:50,240 Speaker 1: Anne had Murray's remains cremated. The reason she's just heartbreaking. 532 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:52,760 Speaker 1: She said it was the only way she could get 533 00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:56,680 Speaker 1: rid of every molecule Derek Toddley left on her daughter. 534 00:31:57,600 --> 00:32:01,960 Speaker 1: She sprinkled her daughter's ashes in life London, Paris, and Egypt, 535 00:32:02,560 --> 00:32:06,240 Speaker 1: places Murray always wanted to visit, but never got the chance. 536 00:32:08,720 --> 00:32:13,000 Speaker 2: I can truly say I've never had a day that 537 00:32:13,760 --> 00:32:18,840 Speaker 2: I don't think of her more than once, sometimes several times. 538 00:32:20,000 --> 00:32:22,600 Speaker 2: And I think, you know when somebody you love like 539 00:32:22,680 --> 00:32:26,200 Speaker 2: that dies, that some of you goes with them. 540 00:32:26,520 --> 00:32:28,200 Speaker 7: I don't think they go along. 541 00:32:29,840 --> 00:32:32,760 Speaker 2: I think you keep the memories and send the rest 542 00:32:32,880 --> 00:32:37,560 Speaker 2: with them. 543 00:32:37,880 --> 00:32:42,880 Speaker 1: Next time on American Homicide, after a teenager's death was 544 00:32:42,960 --> 00:32:46,520 Speaker 1: ruled a suicide, her mother goes on a decade's long 545 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,520 Speaker 1: crusade to find the truth. Will had to Ancher, j 546 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:54,840 Speaker 1: Alaska for the case of who killed Bonnie Craig, I'm 547 00:32:54,920 --> 00:33:06,720 Speaker 1: slung glass. That's next time on American Homicide. You can 548 00:33:06,760 --> 00:33:10,720 Speaker 1: contact the American Homicide Team by emailing us at American 549 00:33:10,720 --> 00:33:15,480 Speaker 1: Homicide Pod at gmail dot com. That's American Homicide Pod. 550 00:33:15,760 --> 00:33:19,720 Speaker 1: At gmail dot com. American Homicide is hosted and written 551 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:24,400 Speaker 1: by me Sloane Glass and is a production of Glass Podcasts, 552 00:33:24,480 --> 00:33:28,960 Speaker 1: a division of Glass Entertainment Group, in partnership with iHeart Podcasts. 553 00:33:29,560 --> 00:33:33,320 Speaker 1: The show is executive produced by Nancy Glass and Todd Gans. 554 00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:36,880 Speaker 1: The series is also written and produced by Todd Gans, 555 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:41,000 Speaker 1: with additional writing by Ben Fetterman and Andrea Gunning. Our 556 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:45,080 Speaker 1: associate producer is Kristin Melcurrie. Our iHeart team is Ali 557 00:33:45,160 --> 00:33:50,360 Speaker 1: Perry and Jessica Crimecheck. Audio editing, mixing and mastering by 558 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:55,080 Speaker 1: Nico Ruka. American Homicide theme song was composed by Oliver 559 00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:59,800 Speaker 1: Bains of Neiser Music Library, provided by My Music. Follow 560 00:33:59,920 --> 00:34:03,760 Speaker 1: up American Homicide on Apple Podcasts, and please rate and 561 00:34:03,840 --> 00:34:07,440 Speaker 1: review American Homicide. Your five star review goes a long 562 00:34:07,480 --> 00:34:11,000 Speaker 1: way towards helping others find this show. For more podcasts 563 00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:16,280 Speaker 1: from iHeart, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever 564 00:34:16,360 --> 00:34:17,640 Speaker 1: you get your podcasts.