1 00:00:04,120 --> 00:00:06,920 Speaker 1: Previously when after the uprising. 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,080 Speaker 2: The people at this traffic stop are FBI special as 3 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:11,600 Speaker 2: in at US Deputy. 4 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:15,480 Speaker 3: Marshall, we received this case and the day it was refused. 5 00:00:16,600 --> 00:00:19,560 Speaker 4: Well, and that's where things get weird and you know 6 00:00:19,720 --> 00:00:22,919 Speaker 4: them lose even got Q what a imprevent for some 7 00:00:22,960 --> 00:00:24,640 Speaker 4: other SEP waves going life? 8 00:00:24,680 --> 00:00:25,920 Speaker 5: Because that's who they was. 9 00:00:26,360 --> 00:00:28,600 Speaker 6: It was two managers, two guys managing us. 10 00:00:28,640 --> 00:00:29,360 Speaker 5: At one time. 11 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:32,000 Speaker 6: It was a street guy. I don't know if I 12 00:00:32,080 --> 00:00:32,960 Speaker 6: will mentioned his name. 13 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 7: I mean he was in the streets before man he 14 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:35,839 Speaker 7: was dealing with this. 15 00:00:35,840 --> 00:00:36,800 Speaker 3: Dude named j Bird. 16 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:39,520 Speaker 7: Bird just locked up Sill was supposed to be taking 17 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:41,600 Speaker 7: care of some shit for his family. They didn't go 18 00:00:41,760 --> 00:00:44,159 Speaker 7: as it was supposed to go, and they lined them up. 19 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:47,040 Speaker 1: Let me ask you season even if I did want 20 00:00:47,080 --> 00:00:50,800 Speaker 1: to tell you something, what I'm saying is that's a 21 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:52,200 Speaker 1: dangerous game to play. 22 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:55,600 Speaker 8: If I even wanted to play there, and you're scaring me, 23 00:00:56,880 --> 00:00:58,480 Speaker 8: I could get hurt by talking to you. 24 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:09,320 Speaker 1: Of what you're. 25 00:01:09,200 --> 00:01:13,880 Speaker 9: Looking for is the aftermath of the grand jury deciding 26 00:01:14,040 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 9: not to indict off. 27 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:20,400 Speaker 10: A nine year old Darren Seals was murdered before his 28 00:01:20,560 --> 00:01:21,840 Speaker 10: killer set his car on fire. 29 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:25,640 Speaker 11: Once they put out the flames. 30 00:01:25,920 --> 00:01:29,039 Speaker 1: They discovered Seal's body inside with a gunshop. 31 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:32,679 Speaker 11: You want a gun on me? 32 00:01:32,760 --> 00:01:35,120 Speaker 12: Am I am I footing your other brothers farguson PD, 33 00:01:35,319 --> 00:01:37,039 Speaker 12: grab me by my heart, slam me. 34 00:01:37,120 --> 00:01:37,600 Speaker 3: Off the car. 35 00:01:43,920 --> 00:01:45,360 Speaker 11: He says, you might want to you might want to 36 00:01:45,400 --> 00:01:46,559 Speaker 11: pick your enemies better. 37 00:01:48,880 --> 00:01:52,480 Speaker 13: This is after the Uprising season two, the murder of 38 00:01:52,600 --> 00:01:53,360 Speaker 13: Darren Seals. 39 00:02:02,400 --> 00:02:04,280 Speaker 7: Yeah, hey, gave you hear him? 40 00:02:04,280 --> 00:02:05,400 Speaker 2: He said, who ahead to look gay? 41 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:07,440 Speaker 14: Bad? Then you? 42 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:10,560 Speaker 11: He said, what do you do you have on a 43 00:02:10,600 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 11: great one? Piece of soun like that? 44 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:14,440 Speaker 13: Hey, gay, did you have on a a great one? 45 00:02:14,520 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 11: D It ain't no limit to. 46 00:02:15,639 --> 00:02:16,800 Speaker 3: What they had do for the fame. 47 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:22,120 Speaker 1: We think we know what happened to Darren Seals. Not 48 00:02:22,360 --> 00:02:25,880 Speaker 1: an intimate detail maybe, but from a high level view, 49 00:02:27,160 --> 00:02:30,560 Speaker 1: how we got there is a bit roundabout and this 50 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:34,000 Speaker 1: episode is going to be one of the most minutia 51 00:02:34,120 --> 00:02:37,160 Speaker 1: pact of the season. So if you're going to sit 52 00:02:37,320 --> 00:02:41,200 Speaker 1: forward and pay close attention to any of our episodes, 53 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:45,239 Speaker 1: this is the one. The audio you heard at the 54 00:02:45,320 --> 00:02:48,480 Speaker 1: beginning of this episode comes from a video posted on 55 00:02:48,600 --> 00:02:52,720 Speaker 1: Bottom Boys member l R's Facebook page on September thirtieth, 56 00:02:52,919 --> 00:02:57,359 Speaker 1: twenty sixteen. So a few weeks after Darren's murder. In 57 00:02:57,520 --> 00:03:00,639 Speaker 1: the video, Darren is hanging out with two other men. 58 00:03:01,320 --> 00:03:04,560 Speaker 1: One is a music producer named Chop Squad DJ who 59 00:03:04,680 --> 00:03:08,480 Speaker 1: produced music for the Bottom Boys. The other is Darren's 60 00:03:08,560 --> 00:03:13,960 Speaker 1: childhood friend and second Bottom Boys manager, Jaybird. He's teasing 61 00:03:14,040 --> 00:03:17,959 Speaker 1: Chop Squad DJ about the medallion on his gold chain. 62 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:19,120 Speaker 2: If it is Yo. 63 00:03:21,160 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 5: Jesus right. 64 00:03:26,960 --> 00:03:27,680 Speaker 11: In my head next to. 65 00:03:30,080 --> 00:03:30,240 Speaker 9: As. 66 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,959 Speaker 1: We'd heard so many stories about Jaybird from different people 67 00:03:34,560 --> 00:03:37,880 Speaker 1: about how close he was with Darren. We thought it 68 00:03:38,040 --> 00:03:41,480 Speaker 1: was important to figure out who he was to try 69 00:03:41,560 --> 00:03:44,960 Speaker 1: to talk to him. Like l R said in episode eight, 70 00:03:45,520 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: finding out how to get in touch with Jabird is difficult. 71 00:03:49,720 --> 00:03:52,960 Speaker 1: So while we were working on that, we had another 72 00:03:53,080 --> 00:03:57,200 Speaker 1: conversation with Darnell and Demir from Real STL News to 73 00:03:57,320 --> 00:03:59,200 Speaker 1: share with them what we'd been working on. 74 00:03:59,880 --> 00:04:02,560 Speaker 5: You were able to reach out to the reporter. He 75 00:04:02,720 --> 00:04:05,520 Speaker 5: had done a lot of homeworking reference to Darren, and 76 00:04:05,960 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 5: you know, we were kind of trading information, but he 77 00:04:08,720 --> 00:04:12,960 Speaker 5: did a lot of digging. He had the resources to do. 78 00:04:13,160 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 12: So. 79 00:04:13,880 --> 00:04:17,400 Speaker 1: The reporter AMR is talking about is a journalist's named 80 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:22,040 Speaker 1: Mosey Secret While working for the New York Times, Mosey 81 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:25,960 Speaker 1: began digging into the mystery behind Darren's death, and in 82 00:04:26,120 --> 00:04:29,640 Speaker 1: doing so, he became acquainted with a Mirror and Darnell, 83 00:04:30,080 --> 00:04:34,039 Speaker 1: and they developed a working relationship. As it turns out, 84 00:04:34,560 --> 00:04:38,480 Speaker 1: Mosey was the investigative reporter that Bonnie told us about 85 00:04:38,680 --> 00:04:42,520 Speaker 1: back in episode five, the one whose name she'd never 86 00:04:42,680 --> 00:04:43,400 Speaker 1: share with us. 87 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:47,520 Speaker 5: He came to the same conclusion that we did not 88 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:52,400 Speaker 5: sure if Darren's death also had something to do with 89 00:04:52,520 --> 00:04:57,240 Speaker 5: an ongoing drug charge. All of the information in publicness 90 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:58,640 Speaker 5: the Adrian Lemon. 91 00:04:58,440 --> 00:05:05,559 Speaker 14: Case, authorities deliver a major blow to a Saint Louis 92 00:05:05,640 --> 00:05:09,000 Speaker 14: drug ring with connections to Texas and Mexico. According to 93 00:05:09,080 --> 00:05:12,360 Speaker 14: the federal indictment, thirty seven year old Adrian Lemons was 94 00:05:12,440 --> 00:05:15,360 Speaker 14: the key player in the drug ring. A total of 95 00:05:15,480 --> 00:05:19,600 Speaker 14: eighteen men and women now facing serious charges including drug 96 00:05:19,680 --> 00:05:20,919 Speaker 14: trafficking and murder. 97 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:26,240 Speaker 1: The story of the Adrian Lemon's cocaine ring in Saint 98 00:05:26,320 --> 00:05:29,400 Speaker 1: Louis and how it connects back to Darren is long. 99 00:05:30,160 --> 00:05:33,279 Speaker 1: It involves a lot of people, so we are going 100 00:05:33,400 --> 00:05:35,640 Speaker 1: to do our best to keep it to the most 101 00:05:35,920 --> 00:05:39,800 Speaker 1: necessary facts. First, we have to go back to December 102 00:05:39,880 --> 00:05:44,400 Speaker 1: twenty fourteen, when an off duty Saint Louis Metropolitan Police 103 00:05:44,440 --> 00:05:47,839 Speaker 1: officer named Don McGhee was shot at by a man 104 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:52,880 Speaker 1: in another car, returning fire. In the ensuing gunfight, McGhee 105 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:56,600 Speaker 1: killed the shooter, who is named to Rell Beasley. The 106 00:05:56,760 --> 00:06:00,359 Speaker 1: crazy thing is that a few hours later, Beasley's body 107 00:06:00,520 --> 00:06:04,520 Speaker 1: was found in a burning car. Now, at that time, 108 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:08,240 Speaker 1: the Adrian Lemon's gang was moving drugs in Saint Louis 109 00:06:08,440 --> 00:06:11,720 Speaker 1: at the behest of people linked to the Sinaloa cartel. 110 00:06:12,440 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 1: The rival Bluemyer gang was trying to eliminate someone running 111 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:19,839 Speaker 1: a drug house for Lemons. The attempt on McGee's life 112 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:23,400 Speaker 1: seems to have been a case of mistaken identity because 113 00:06:23,520 --> 00:06:27,760 Speaker 1: McGee was driving a friend's car, and shockingly, that friend 114 00:06:28,279 --> 00:06:32,640 Speaker 1: was running the drug house. It's pretty convoluted, but what 115 00:06:32,920 --> 00:06:36,280 Speaker 1: matters is that the story of Beasley being shot and 116 00:06:36,480 --> 00:06:39,479 Speaker 1: left in a burning car led us to research these 117 00:06:39,560 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: hits between rival drug gangs, which were commonplace in the 118 00:06:43,240 --> 00:06:48,440 Speaker 1: early twenty tens. Not surprisingly, the Lemon's gang had also 119 00:06:48,640 --> 00:06:53,600 Speaker 1: executed several hits on their rivals, and in August twenty fifteen, 120 00:06:53,960 --> 00:06:59,160 Speaker 1: a man named Anthony Tit Jordan was indicted for having 121 00:06:59,240 --> 00:07:03,000 Speaker 1: committed a large number of those murders for lemons and 122 00:07:03,240 --> 00:07:05,120 Speaker 1: arrested by the federal government. 123 00:07:05,600 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 9: Federal prosecutors in Saint Louis are seeking the death penalty 124 00:07:08,720 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 9: for a man they accuse of killing nine people and 125 00:07:11,080 --> 00:07:14,080 Speaker 9: playing a role in two other deaths over the past decade. 126 00:07:14,440 --> 00:07:18,200 Speaker 9: Prosecutors say Jordan was involved in a cocaine dealing conspiracy 127 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,560 Speaker 9: that resulted in two other killings, three attempted murders, two kidnappings, 128 00:07:22,680 --> 00:07:26,520 Speaker 9: and five assaults. They cite those aggravating factors in their 129 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:29,200 Speaker 9: bid for the death penalty if Jordan is convicted. 130 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:32,280 Speaker 13: We spoke with the public affairs officer at the US 131 00:07:32,360 --> 00:07:36,280 Speaker 13: Attorney's Office for the Eastern District Court of Missouri, Robert Patrick, 132 00:07:36,480 --> 00:07:37,680 Speaker 13: about the case against T. T. 133 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 2: Jordan Engan Lincollect thirteen to heard he is allegedly the 134 00:07:42,600 --> 00:07:44,040 Speaker 2: you know, like the ors. 135 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 13: As the case against TT is still awaiting trial, Robert 136 00:07:47,920 --> 00:07:48,840 Speaker 13: couldn't say much. 137 00:07:49,200 --> 00:07:52,280 Speaker 15: Do you happen to know since that indictment of TT 138 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:57,080 Speaker 15: around August twenty fifteen, has he been held behind bars 139 00:07:57,120 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 15: that entire time or has he been out at at point? 140 00:08:01,840 --> 00:08:05,440 Speaker 13: Another Looking at the press release announcing the crimes TT 141 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,000 Speaker 13: was accused of. We see that he had actually shot 142 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:13,960 Speaker 13: Terrell Beasley twice before Officer McGhee finally killed him. Aside 143 00:08:13,960 --> 00:08:16,360 Speaker 13: from the burning car that Beasley's body was found in. 144 00:08:16,760 --> 00:08:19,880 Speaker 13: How does any of this connect to Darren? As it 145 00:08:20,000 --> 00:08:25,240 Speaker 13: turns out, Darren was friends with Anthony TT Jordan. In fact, 146 00:08:25,640 --> 00:08:28,600 Speaker 13: the year after TT was arrested by the federal government 147 00:08:28,680 --> 00:08:32,280 Speaker 13: for essentially being a hit man, Darren took to Facebook 148 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:35,520 Speaker 13: on April thirtieth of twenty sixteen, where he posted a 149 00:08:35,600 --> 00:08:39,360 Speaker 13: photograph of himself with several men, one of them being TT. 150 00:08:40,120 --> 00:08:43,120 Speaker 13: He captioned that post it ain't about what you know, 151 00:08:43,720 --> 00:08:46,920 Speaker 13: It's about what you can prove hashtag free big T. 152 00:08:47,679 --> 00:08:51,319 Speaker 13: It's hard not to see the contradiction here. Darren, a 153 00:08:51,480 --> 00:08:54,920 Speaker 13: folk hero of social justice in Saint Louis who used 154 00:08:54,960 --> 00:08:58,280 Speaker 13: his wide reach to condemn killings of black men by police, 155 00:08:58,800 --> 00:09:01,319 Speaker 13: was using that same place platform to call for the 156 00:09:01,400 --> 00:09:04,719 Speaker 13: freeing of T. T. Jordan, a man who allegedly was 157 00:09:04,800 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 13: involved in the deaths of eleven people, seemingly to further 158 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,080 Speaker 13: the aims of a drug gang. And TT wasn't Darren's 159 00:09:11,120 --> 00:09:14,600 Speaker 13: only connection to the Lemons gang. Darren's childhood friend, Jay Bird, 160 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:17,880 Speaker 13: was also indicted by the federal government for his role 161 00:09:18,120 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 13: in the cocaine distribution conspiracy piloted by Adrian Lemons. His 162 00:09:23,280 --> 00:09:26,960 Speaker 13: arrest came in December of twenty sixteen, three months after 163 00:09:27,080 --> 00:09:27,720 Speaker 13: Darren's murder. 164 00:09:28,200 --> 00:09:32,839 Speaker 5: It's a possibility that might have been what led to 165 00:09:32,960 --> 00:09:36,080 Speaker 5: Darren's death is cooperation with the government. 166 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:39,280 Speaker 13: Amir isn't saying that he knows for a fact that 167 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:43,959 Speaker 13: Darren cooperated with the government, just that it's possible, And 168 00:09:44,120 --> 00:09:48,240 Speaker 13: despite the sensitivity around this issue, there are reasons to 169 00:09:48,440 --> 00:09:52,160 Speaker 13: at least explore it. For one, there's the naked fact 170 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:55,360 Speaker 13: that in March of twenty sixteen, the surveillance operation on 171 00:09:55,480 --> 00:09:58,640 Speaker 13: Darren was opened. This was long after the uprising in 172 00:09:58,720 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 13: Saint Louis had calmed, but it was in the midst 173 00:10:01,760 --> 00:10:04,439 Speaker 13: of an active task force in Saint Louis trying to 174 00:10:04,559 --> 00:10:08,280 Speaker 13: disrupt and eliminate the Adrian Lemon's gang, and Darren was 175 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:12,200 Speaker 13: friends with and, through managing the Bottom Boys business, partners 176 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:16,600 Speaker 13: with members of this gang, including T. T. Jordan, Jaybird, 177 00:10:16,760 --> 00:10:20,640 Speaker 13: and possibly others. Further, over the course of all of 178 00:10:20,720 --> 00:10:23,679 Speaker 13: our interviews, we have heard stories and rumors about the 179 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:27,400 Speaker 13: possibility that Darren was reporting to some law enforcement agency. 180 00:10:27,960 --> 00:10:30,480 Speaker 13: Many people who spoke about this with us refused to 181 00:10:30,559 --> 00:10:32,720 Speaker 13: go on the record, but it was something we would 182 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:34,960 Speaker 13: bring up to people who knew Darren so we could 183 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:35,839 Speaker 13: get their take on it. 184 00:10:36,120 --> 00:10:38,480 Speaker 10: They get something on somebody and they find a way 185 00:10:38,520 --> 00:10:42,439 Speaker 10: to get them cooperating. Did you ever believe anything like 186 00:10:42,559 --> 00:10:44,360 Speaker 10: that happened within Bottom Boys? 187 00:10:45,080 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 5: I hope not, but. 188 00:10:47,280 --> 00:10:51,000 Speaker 6: Maybe the possibility is like even with the situation, No, 189 00:10:51,440 --> 00:10:53,400 Speaker 6: we don't know how everybody fell out. 190 00:10:53,800 --> 00:10:54,559 Speaker 11: This is main event. 191 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,520 Speaker 13: Again, he's the rapper you heard in the previous episode 192 00:10:57,679 --> 00:10:59,800 Speaker 13: talking about how he did some features with the Bottom 193 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:02,839 Speaker 13: Boys and how Darren also managed his career for a time. 194 00:11:03,240 --> 00:11:05,160 Speaker 10: And I don't want to offend you, but there have 195 00:11:05,320 --> 00:11:07,319 Speaker 10: been rumors with some folks that we talked to that 196 00:11:08,120 --> 00:11:12,040 Speaker 10: some thought Darren himself might have been cooperating in a 197 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:12,840 Speaker 10: limited way. 198 00:11:14,200 --> 00:11:15,199 Speaker 3: Did you ever hear that? 199 00:11:16,040 --> 00:11:16,240 Speaker 16: Oh? 200 00:11:16,360 --> 00:11:18,679 Speaker 6: Wow, No, I actually did hear that. 201 00:11:19,120 --> 00:11:20,280 Speaker 5: Actually, I've never heard that. 202 00:11:21,880 --> 00:11:24,800 Speaker 6: See even with see now now that you say that, 203 00:11:25,760 --> 00:11:29,800 Speaker 6: we don't know, I never heard that, And maybe it's 204 00:11:29,880 --> 00:11:32,559 Speaker 6: because I was incarcerated, But well. 205 00:11:32,400 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 11: I think it's gonna be the same answer. 206 00:11:33,880 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 7: But the you know. 207 00:11:34,920 --> 00:11:38,480 Speaker 10: Again, Look, the rumor mill is crazy around. As I've 208 00:11:38,520 --> 00:11:40,679 Speaker 10: gotten to know a lot of people in the story 209 00:11:40,760 --> 00:11:44,240 Speaker 10: of Bottom Boys, I mean, it's hard to tell what's 210 00:11:44,320 --> 00:11:47,199 Speaker 10: up or down or who's talking out their ass frankly, 211 00:11:47,320 --> 00:11:49,680 Speaker 10: and who's actually got something that's real. 212 00:11:49,840 --> 00:11:51,760 Speaker 11: But there was at least. 213 00:11:51,720 --> 00:11:54,800 Speaker 10: One or two folks who implied the same about and 214 00:11:54,920 --> 00:11:56,960 Speaker 10: again I don't mean to offend, but about Kilo. 215 00:11:57,280 --> 00:12:01,040 Speaker 11: Did you ever hear that he might have gotten flipped 216 00:12:01,280 --> 00:12:01,920 Speaker 11: at one point? 217 00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:02,720 Speaker 3: Wow? 218 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:04,160 Speaker 16: I didn't. 219 00:12:04,440 --> 00:12:04,800 Speaker 13: I didn't. 220 00:12:04,920 --> 00:12:05,839 Speaker 17: I haven't heard of it. 221 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:06,880 Speaker 5: I haven't heard of it. 222 00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:11,400 Speaker 6: But a lot of things, like a lot of as 223 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:14,480 Speaker 6: I as I as I as you say that I 224 00:12:14,600 --> 00:12:17,400 Speaker 6: don't know. I don't know because like every time I 225 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:20,679 Speaker 6: get in trouble, they see where I go, I gotta go, 226 00:12:20,840 --> 00:12:22,760 Speaker 6: I sit down and do these little stretches, you know, 227 00:12:23,440 --> 00:12:26,520 Speaker 6: so I can't put myself in in their in their 228 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:29,400 Speaker 6: shoes and if that's if that's the case, and be like, hey, yeah, 229 00:12:29,440 --> 00:12:32,439 Speaker 6: that was that's that's what occurred, or it's just so 230 00:12:32,600 --> 00:12:36,080 Speaker 6: confusing to me. It's like where the things go wrong? 231 00:12:38,240 --> 00:12:43,439 Speaker 6: Is it because people were snitching or became informance or 232 00:12:43,679 --> 00:12:47,280 Speaker 6: I don't know though, because I'm inculcerated, So it just 233 00:12:47,440 --> 00:12:48,280 Speaker 6: it just throws. 234 00:12:48,040 --> 00:12:48,920 Speaker 12: Me for a loop. 235 00:12:49,040 --> 00:12:53,120 Speaker 13: You know, here's Tef Poe speaking on the issue with 236 00:12:53,280 --> 00:12:54,240 Speaker 13: the sales thing man. 237 00:12:54,360 --> 00:12:54,880 Speaker 11: What I think? 238 00:12:56,000 --> 00:12:58,240 Speaker 3: And I wasn't near to confirm none of this ship. 239 00:12:58,080 --> 00:13:00,160 Speaker 7: And the police will put anything into paperwork, but there 240 00:13:00,320 --> 00:13:03,360 Speaker 7: is some paperwork flying around saying that his house got 241 00:13:03,440 --> 00:13:06,880 Speaker 7: kicked in. They wrapped them up, kept them for a 242 00:13:06,960 --> 00:13:07,800 Speaker 7: certain amount of time. 243 00:13:08,080 --> 00:13:08,480 Speaker 11: I forgot. 244 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:11,559 Speaker 7: It was like some peculiar It might have been like 245 00:13:11,720 --> 00:13:14,920 Speaker 7: seventeen minutes or something. I can't remember exact the exact 246 00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:17,520 Speaker 7: time frame they had them, but it was distinctive enough 247 00:13:17,600 --> 00:13:19,200 Speaker 7: for me to go like, why would you kick somebody's 248 00:13:19,280 --> 00:13:21,800 Speaker 7: door in and hold them for this specific amount of time. 249 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:26,360 Speaker 7: So there's a lot of wondering what he told the 250 00:13:26,440 --> 00:13:27,480 Speaker 7: police put. 251 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 13: It like that. 252 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:30,040 Speaker 7: I ain't gonna give nobody a jacket that I can't 253 00:13:30,200 --> 00:13:33,760 Speaker 7: wipe off of them. But I knew Sills well enough 254 00:13:33,840 --> 00:13:35,599 Speaker 7: to And I'm not saying this in terms of like 255 00:13:35,720 --> 00:13:37,680 Speaker 7: YO saying Sills is telling on people. 256 00:13:37,800 --> 00:13:40,440 Speaker 11: But what I am saying is he used. 257 00:13:40,280 --> 00:13:43,000 Speaker 7: To talk to the fucking trolls as if he was 258 00:13:43,080 --> 00:13:45,200 Speaker 7: their ally to get information. 259 00:13:45,000 --> 00:13:46,760 Speaker 11: About other motherfuckers. 260 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:48,600 Speaker 7: You know, trolls might be like, Yo, this person got 261 00:13:48,640 --> 00:13:49,640 Speaker 7: wah wah wah whapper. 262 00:13:49,720 --> 00:13:50,520 Speaker 16: This person's who it is. 263 00:13:50,960 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 7: They found a willing listener in Darren Phills. That's already 264 00:13:55,640 --> 00:13:58,880 Speaker 7: murky territory because they're telling you shit and you can't 265 00:13:58,920 --> 00:14:01,560 Speaker 7: tell me you ain't telling the troll shit back. And motherfucker, 266 00:14:02,040 --> 00:14:06,680 Speaker 7: most trolls are fucking pigs. So then, like I said, 267 00:14:06,720 --> 00:14:09,800 Speaker 7: the paperwork says they kicked in his crib took him 268 00:14:09,800 --> 00:14:13,719 Speaker 7: into custody. From that understanding of what I've seen, you 269 00:14:13,840 --> 00:14:17,040 Speaker 7: could say that there was some corroboration going on between 270 00:14:17,280 --> 00:14:17,880 Speaker 7: him and the police. 271 00:14:17,920 --> 00:14:21,560 Speaker 1: Possibly back when Bonnie was alive and she would call 272 00:14:21,720 --> 00:14:24,480 Speaker 1: Ray from her chair at the dialysis center to talk, 273 00:14:24,920 --> 00:14:26,640 Speaker 1: he asked her about this incident. 274 00:14:28,000 --> 00:14:30,600 Speaker 2: Now there's a story where he gets taken in for questioning, 275 00:14:30,720 --> 00:14:33,400 Speaker 2: where he gets arrested and they let him out in 276 00:14:33,520 --> 00:14:35,240 Speaker 2: like fifteen minutes or something like that. 277 00:14:35,760 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 3: Yeah, we pum down there. 278 00:14:37,080 --> 00:14:41,400 Speaker 4: They took him down there for questioning. And for me, 279 00:14:41,760 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 4: I don't know if they were trying to get him 280 00:14:44,280 --> 00:14:47,560 Speaker 4: by himself then, but all I know is I was 281 00:14:47,680 --> 00:14:51,880 Speaker 4: told that they was really, really really trying to stop 282 00:14:51,960 --> 00:14:52,640 Speaker 4: them trying. 283 00:14:52,440 --> 00:14:53,760 Speaker 2: To shed them up. 284 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:58,720 Speaker 1: As Bonnie remembered it, Darren, his girlfriend, his brother Byron, 285 00:14:58,800 --> 00:15:01,480 Speaker 1: and Bonnie were all preparing to have a movie night. 286 00:15:02,120 --> 00:15:05,040 Speaker 1: They were headed to the house in separate cars, and 287 00:15:05,200 --> 00:15:08,880 Speaker 1: Bonnie arrived a few minutes after Darren, only to find 288 00:15:08,960 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 1: him being arrested. 289 00:15:10,480 --> 00:15:13,240 Speaker 4: He was with his little girlfriend, were set good to 290 00:15:13,280 --> 00:15:14,880 Speaker 4: have movie nights and I popcorn. 291 00:15:15,120 --> 00:15:18,400 Speaker 2: But few weeks before he dies or a few months, Yeah, 292 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:19,080 Speaker 2: it had to be. 293 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:20,080 Speaker 5: It was some month. 294 00:15:20,200 --> 00:15:22,640 Speaker 4: Wasn't on weekend some months. See, they didn't know that. 295 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:25,200 Speaker 4: Me and my daughter was sent to pull up behind him. 296 00:15:25,560 --> 00:15:28,800 Speaker 4: We was probably like a block away and he got 297 00:15:28,840 --> 00:15:32,880 Speaker 4: out the car. Next thing we know, he's standing. They 298 00:15:33,640 --> 00:15:34,720 Speaker 4: got him himed up. 299 00:15:35,320 --> 00:15:36,400 Speaker 2: Soon as we pulled up. 300 00:15:36,440 --> 00:15:40,640 Speaker 4: I looked, I'm like, who is that? So I jumped 301 00:15:40,680 --> 00:15:44,800 Speaker 4: out and so litter. He said stay back. I said, no, 302 00:15:44,880 --> 00:15:47,080 Speaker 4: I'm not standing back. I said, because I don't know 303 00:15:47,160 --> 00:15:49,000 Speaker 4: who you are. You in front of my house and 304 00:15:49,080 --> 00:15:51,240 Speaker 4: you got My son hemmed up, who are you? 305 00:15:51,720 --> 00:15:52,440 Speaker 6: And then he went on. 306 00:15:52,560 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 4: He took his beds up and he showed and he said, ma'am, 307 00:15:55,360 --> 00:15:58,600 Speaker 4: you're right. He said, I'm sorry. He said, we here 308 00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:03,840 Speaker 4: to pick your on for question, and I'm like, for whoo. 309 00:16:04,680 --> 00:16:08,440 Speaker 4: They said they desire to pick him up, the saying 310 00:16:08,560 --> 00:16:12,040 Speaker 4: that City Polly told us to come and give him 311 00:16:12,360 --> 00:16:13,920 Speaker 4: because they want to question him. 312 00:16:14,240 --> 00:16:17,440 Speaker 1: Bonnie explains that the police told her the reason for 313 00:16:17,600 --> 00:16:20,960 Speaker 1: taking Darren in for questioning is that a witness had 314 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,120 Speaker 1: claimed to have seen him speeding in his car and 315 00:16:24,280 --> 00:16:25,440 Speaker 1: hitting a road sign. 316 00:16:25,960 --> 00:16:27,200 Speaker 4: How far are you serious? 317 00:16:28,760 --> 00:16:29,840 Speaker 2: No more? 318 00:16:30,000 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 4: This is about more than a fine. I said, this 319 00:16:32,720 --> 00:16:33,240 Speaker 4: ain't eving. 320 00:16:33,960 --> 00:16:35,720 Speaker 2: And you knew they were FBI because it was on 321 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:37,760 Speaker 2: the badge or they said they were FBI. How did 322 00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 2: you know they were FBI. 323 00:16:40,640 --> 00:16:42,800 Speaker 4: That's what I'm saying. They had to either be FBI 324 00:16:42,960 --> 00:16:47,280 Speaker 4: or detakers. Okay, it was it was, it was one 325 00:16:47,360 --> 00:16:47,800 Speaker 4: in the other. 326 00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:53,320 Speaker 1: Regarding this specific incident, Bonnie wasn't sure if the men 327 00:16:53,400 --> 00:16:57,440 Speaker 1: who arrived to arrest Darren were FBI or local detectives. 328 00:16:57,960 --> 00:17:00,920 Speaker 1: And we can't be sure that she referring to the 329 00:17:01,080 --> 00:17:04,880 Speaker 1: same event that tef Poe spoke of, and we never 330 00:17:04,960 --> 00:17:09,200 Speaker 1: could pinpoint what paperwork he was talking about. But we 331 00:17:09,359 --> 00:17:13,240 Speaker 1: do have a lot of paperwork, a lot as you've 332 00:17:13,320 --> 00:17:16,440 Speaker 1: heard us discussed previously over the two and a half 333 00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:21,160 Speaker 1: years that we've investigated Darren's death. We have requested many, 334 00:17:21,880 --> 00:17:26,639 Speaker 1: many government documents, with varying levels of success, but our 335 00:17:26,720 --> 00:17:31,280 Speaker 1: files were greatly augmented by those of journalist Moscy secret 336 00:17:32,119 --> 00:17:34,679 Speaker 1: After Bonnie's death, when he felt that he was at 337 00:17:34,720 --> 00:17:38,480 Speaker 1: an impasse investigating Darren's murder, he gave all of his 338 00:17:38,640 --> 00:17:41,840 Speaker 1: files to Darnell and a Mirror, and at the end 339 00:17:41,920 --> 00:17:45,119 Speaker 1: of twenty twenty three I swung by a Mirror's office 340 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:47,600 Speaker 1: to pick them up. He said we were free to 341 00:17:47,720 --> 00:17:51,080 Speaker 1: look through them and to make our own copies. After 342 00:17:51,240 --> 00:17:55,000 Speaker 1: my third readthrough, I called Ray and our other producers. 343 00:17:55,359 --> 00:17:58,640 Speaker 1: So like, I'm on a third review, filling in blanks 344 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:02,840 Speaker 1: right now, and I have like sixteen pages of notes 345 00:18:02,880 --> 00:18:05,560 Speaker 1: for myself. I mean, it's just a list of characters, 346 00:18:05,680 --> 00:18:09,360 Speaker 1: new characters, and I think that some of them may 347 00:18:09,440 --> 00:18:12,240 Speaker 1: fill in the blank of who Number two, three, and 348 00:18:12,359 --> 00:18:17,440 Speaker 1: four may have been MOSE's files after the break. 349 00:18:25,240 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 13: Now back to the show. Mossey's files contained a lot 350 00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:36,760 Speaker 13: of police and court records on Darren, the Bottom Boys, 351 00:18:36,960 --> 00:18:38,920 Speaker 13: and several of the young men they hung around with. 352 00:18:39,760 --> 00:18:43,200 Speaker 13: After reading through the files multiple times, a few facts 353 00:18:43,320 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 13: really stand out. For one, the Bottom Boys at some 354 00:18:46,920 --> 00:18:49,920 Speaker 13: point became perceived as a gang by Saint Louis County 355 00:18:49,960 --> 00:18:54,359 Speaker 13: police after Darren's death. Each member of the group lr 356 00:18:54,960 --> 00:18:58,360 Speaker 13: LP and Keilo were involved in one or more crimes. 357 00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:03,680 Speaker 13: Ricky Smith AKALR, who we spoke with in the previous episode, 358 00:19:04,080 --> 00:19:06,920 Speaker 13: was jailed after carjacking a woman in twenty nineteen. 359 00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:11,320 Speaker 16: A woman carjacked in broad daylight in downtown Saint Louis, 360 00:19:11,359 --> 00:19:13,720 Speaker 16: and it didn't take long for police to track down 361 00:19:13,760 --> 00:19:16,480 Speaker 16: a suspect. After getting a hit on a license plate 362 00:19:16,600 --> 00:19:21,119 Speaker 16: recognition camera, police arrested Ricky Smith. Police say he confessed 363 00:19:21,160 --> 00:19:24,040 Speaker 16: to the crime after being identified in a lineup. 364 00:19:24,760 --> 00:19:30,040 Speaker 13: You already know that Lopez Watson Simms AKALP spent five 365 00:19:30,119 --> 00:19:32,480 Speaker 13: years in jail on a murder charge and that he 366 00:19:32,600 --> 00:19:36,040 Speaker 13: was found not guilty, but in Moses files we see 367 00:19:36,200 --> 00:19:40,560 Speaker 13: that on October fourth, twenty sixteen, one month after Darren's death, 368 00:19:40,960 --> 00:19:43,760 Speaker 13: an officer in Castle Point witnessed a train of cars 369 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:47,760 Speaker 13: driving recklessly, so the officer began to follow them, and 370 00:19:47,840 --> 00:19:50,159 Speaker 13: when the people in the cars noticed, they sped up 371 00:19:50,200 --> 00:19:54,280 Speaker 13: and separated. The officer pursued one car, which, after trying 372 00:19:54,320 --> 00:19:57,080 Speaker 13: to make a sharp turn, rolled into someone's front yard. 373 00:19:57,720 --> 00:20:00,600 Speaker 13: Two young men fled from the upside down car, and 374 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:04,159 Speaker 13: the officer followed one of them on foot. After catching him, 375 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:08,000 Speaker 13: the officer found that that person was LP, and it 376 00:20:08,119 --> 00:20:11,200 Speaker 13: turns out the overturned car had been reported stolen and 377 00:20:11,280 --> 00:20:13,720 Speaker 13: it also had a loose fire arm in it. While 378 00:20:13,800 --> 00:20:17,080 Speaker 13: in jail, LP called his mother, who told him Kilo 379 00:20:17,160 --> 00:20:18,119 Speaker 13: has just been shot. 380 00:20:18,880 --> 00:20:20,000 Speaker 17: You know that boy all right? 381 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:29,480 Speaker 4: Oh yeah, I just know that he's okay. 382 00:20:30,119 --> 00:20:30,960 Speaker 12: Where he shot it? 383 00:20:31,480 --> 00:20:33,320 Speaker 17: He said, he got shot in the head with a 384 00:20:33,480 --> 00:20:39,160 Speaker 17: minderstanding the grades before him. But he's fine, he's stable, 385 00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:40,920 Speaker 17: he's talking to his mother. 386 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:42,000 Speaker 3: He's fine. 387 00:20:42,920 --> 00:20:45,080 Speaker 17: So everybody got the praying and said that boy is 388 00:20:45,119 --> 00:20:47,560 Speaker 17: all right. Both of y'all are all right. Guy he 389 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,760 Speaker 17: found firing y'all, y'all better change. Letting another nigga take 390 00:20:51,840 --> 00:20:55,600 Speaker 17: y'all like one. Y'all work, say the time working. Y'all 391 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:57,920 Speaker 17: got too much talent and invested in y'all can be 392 00:20:58,000 --> 00:21:00,880 Speaker 17: fucking million nerves, and y'all let him bomb take you life. 393 00:21:01,520 --> 00:21:02,720 Speaker 17: I got to do better than this. 394 00:21:04,720 --> 00:21:04,880 Speaker 3: Uh. 395 00:21:06,840 --> 00:21:09,840 Speaker 13: This was the major shooting where Kilo was shot twenty 396 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,760 Speaker 13: one times, as described by his grandmother Peggy back in 397 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:16,560 Speaker 13: episode seven. In this shooting, Keilo was with his friend 398 00:21:16,640 --> 00:21:19,600 Speaker 13: Christopher Moore, and apparently they were shot at by someone 399 00:21:19,680 --> 00:21:24,000 Speaker 13: named Melmel. While on the jail telephone, LP's father warned 400 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:25,400 Speaker 13: him about Kilo's demeanor. 401 00:21:26,840 --> 00:21:30,919 Speaker 3: Anybody that just move off, impose the case a trolley 402 00:21:31,040 --> 00:21:35,240 Speaker 3: emotions and just act got to keep them and learn, man, 403 00:21:35,280 --> 00:21:37,040 Speaker 3: because it's gonna cause an accident for you. 404 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:40,720 Speaker 13: There was another shooting of Kilo, the one that happened 405 00:21:40,760 --> 00:21:43,280 Speaker 13: the night after Darren's body was discovered that you heard 406 00:21:43,359 --> 00:21:46,480 Speaker 13: us talk about with LP in the last episode. That 407 00:21:46,680 --> 00:21:49,520 Speaker 13: shooting we learned about from a report in Mosy's Box 408 00:21:49,640 --> 00:21:53,040 Speaker 13: that describes how Keilo and another man, Mark Kwan Lee, 409 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:56,080 Speaker 13: were shot on the same day, at the same time, 410 00:21:56,400 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 13: in almost the exact same location, though police found them separate. 411 00:22:00,760 --> 00:22:03,240 Speaker 13: Keilo told police he was shot by a person in 412 00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,320 Speaker 13: a car who he thought was a dealer. 413 00:22:05,080 --> 00:22:06,600 Speaker 11: That he could buy percocet from. 414 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,720 Speaker 13: Mark Kwan told police he was shot after leaving a 415 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,119 Speaker 13: vigil for Darren in Castle Point by an unknown person 416 00:22:13,200 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 13: in a passing vehicle as he stood outside of his 417 00:22:15,560 --> 00:22:19,200 Speaker 13: own car searching for where he dropped his keys. The 418 00:22:19,320 --> 00:22:22,479 Speaker 13: men's claims to have not been together when they were 419 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:26,800 Speaker 13: both shot. Defies reason and logic would have us believe 420 00:22:26,880 --> 00:22:29,760 Speaker 13: that Kilo and mar Kwan shot at each other, but 421 00:22:29,880 --> 00:22:33,639 Speaker 13: we don't know why. For his part, Keilo is involved 422 00:22:33,680 --> 00:22:36,159 Speaker 13: in a good number of crimes, including going to his 423 00:22:36,240 --> 00:22:38,960 Speaker 13: aunt and uncle's house, where at gunpoint he robbed his 424 00:22:39,080 --> 00:22:42,520 Speaker 13: own cousin of cash and a pistol. His family reported 425 00:22:42,560 --> 00:22:45,720 Speaker 13: this to the police, and the following day, Keelo came 426 00:22:45,840 --> 00:22:48,359 Speaker 13: back and shot at his uncle as he was driving 427 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:52,439 Speaker 13: down the street in his car, fortunately missing him. Viewing 428 00:22:52,520 --> 00:22:55,880 Speaker 13: this and his other crimes, we're reminded of Detective Bray 429 00:22:55,920 --> 00:22:59,399 Speaker 13: Miller's statement in episode seven that Kilo was no angel 430 00:22:59,680 --> 00:23:02,200 Speaker 13: and that he dealt with him for years. If it's 431 00:23:02,320 --> 00:23:04,800 Speaker 13: true that Kilo was the trigger man who killed Darren, 432 00:23:05,080 --> 00:23:08,040 Speaker 13: as the Saint Louis County police believed, were these two 433 00:23:08,119 --> 00:23:11,040 Speaker 13: shootings of Kilo that happened within one month of Darren's 434 00:23:11,080 --> 00:23:14,480 Speaker 13: murder related, Were either of them an attempt at exacting 435 00:23:14,560 --> 00:23:19,280 Speaker 13: revenge or even an attempt at keeping him quiet? While 436 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:22,960 Speaker 13: nothing in our box of files can answer those questions definitively, 437 00:23:23,440 --> 00:23:26,160 Speaker 13: we think it's worth pointing out that mar Kwan Lee 438 00:23:26,320 --> 00:23:30,240 Speaker 13: is also very close with Jaybird and speaking of Jaybird, 439 00:23:30,680 --> 00:23:33,200 Speaker 13: we were able to find a police report from June sixth, 440 00:23:33,320 --> 00:23:37,240 Speaker 13: twenty sixteen, exactly three months before Darren's murder, in which 441 00:23:37,320 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 13: jay Bird was pulled over in a car with LP. 442 00:23:40,280 --> 00:23:42,800 Speaker 13: Jay Bird was in possession of a firearm and LP 443 00:23:43,040 --> 00:23:45,440 Speaker 13: was in possession of what appeared to be crack cocaine. 444 00:23:46,000 --> 00:23:59,080 Speaker 13: Both men were arrested more after the break. Now back 445 00:23:59,160 --> 00:24:02,640 Speaker 13: to the show, we found in Mosey's box a lot 446 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:06,399 Speaker 13: about Darren that we didn't previously know. We'd been aware 447 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,960 Speaker 13: that in his younger years, Darren had been a drug dealer, 448 00:24:09,240 --> 00:24:12,040 Speaker 13: which was the source of his nickname Dee Boy, and 449 00:24:12,280 --> 00:24:14,439 Speaker 13: we had seen in his FBI file that he had 450 00:24:14,440 --> 00:24:18,159 Speaker 13: been convicted of felony distribution of a controlled substance, but 451 00:24:18,320 --> 00:24:21,640 Speaker 13: we never had the documents covering the specifics of that conviction. 452 00:24:22,520 --> 00:24:26,200 Speaker 13: Fortunately they were in Mosey's box. He had the court 453 00:24:26,280 --> 00:24:29,680 Speaker 13: documents outlining Darren's two thousand and seven arrest charges and 454 00:24:29,800 --> 00:24:33,879 Speaker 13: sentencing for distribution of cocaine. Reading them, we see that 455 00:24:34,000 --> 00:24:37,000 Speaker 13: Darren pled guilty to the felony counts against him, and 456 00:24:37,080 --> 00:24:40,360 Speaker 13: that he was given five years of probation. Mossey also 457 00:24:40,440 --> 00:24:43,800 Speaker 13: had the court documents from Darren's earlier charges for assaulting 458 00:24:43,840 --> 00:24:47,439 Speaker 13: an officer and resisting arrest, to which he'd also pled guilty. 459 00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:52,880 Speaker 13: More interesting, still, Mosey had documents about an incident we'd 460 00:24:53,000 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 13: somehow never heard of only months before Darren's five year 461 00:24:56,960 --> 00:24:58,760 Speaker 13: probation was set to be completed. 462 00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:00,960 Speaker 11: He was in a shootout. 463 00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:05,400 Speaker 13: If you remember, in twenty thirteen, Darren was shot six 464 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,680 Speaker 13: times outside of an apartment complex. Well, it turns out 465 00:25:09,920 --> 00:25:12,239 Speaker 13: one year prior, he had been in a parked car 466 00:25:12,359 --> 00:25:14,480 Speaker 13: with a young woman in front of that very same 467 00:25:14,520 --> 00:25:17,639 Speaker 13: apartment complex when a man approached the car and banged 468 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,399 Speaker 13: on the hood. According to the woman's testimony in the 469 00:25:20,440 --> 00:25:23,600 Speaker 13: police report, Darren said he knew the man. The man 470 00:25:23,720 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 13: pulled a gun, and Darren jumped out of the car, 471 00:25:26,080 --> 00:25:29,440 Speaker 13: drawing his own weapon. The two exchanged fire, and the 472 00:25:29,520 --> 00:25:32,879 Speaker 13: man fled up the street. Witnesses saw Darren stash his 473 00:25:32,960 --> 00:25:35,800 Speaker 13: gun in a parked car, which police later had towed. 474 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:39,200 Speaker 13: Bonnie later called the police as the car was hers 475 00:25:39,960 --> 00:25:43,240 Speaker 13: Soon after the police arrested Darren. What happened in the 476 00:25:43,359 --> 00:25:47,920 Speaker 13: interview room is very important. According to the report, Darren 477 00:25:48,000 --> 00:25:51,760 Speaker 13: answered very few questions and he was visibly shaking after 478 00:25:51,880 --> 00:25:53,880 Speaker 13: he was told that he was being booked on three 479 00:25:53,960 --> 00:25:58,959 Speaker 13: different felony charges, assault, armed criminal action, and unlawful use 480 00:25:59,000 --> 00:26:02,000 Speaker 13: of a weapon. The detective offered Darren one more chance 481 00:26:02,080 --> 00:26:06,320 Speaker 13: to explain what happened. After a long pause, Darren told 482 00:26:06,359 --> 00:26:10,960 Speaker 13: the detective quote, they will kill me for saying after 483 00:26:11,080 --> 00:26:14,639 Speaker 13: this arrest. We don't see any legal consequences for Darren. 484 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:19,480 Speaker 13: No probation violation, no new charges or sentencing, which is 485 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:23,080 Speaker 13: significant because Darren was already a convicted felon, so he 486 00:26:23,119 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 13: could not legally possess a firearm. In the report, in 487 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:32,359 Speaker 13: a box marked status, it says cleared January nineteenth, twenty twelve, 488 00:26:33,080 --> 00:26:37,399 Speaker 13: so eight days after the incident itself. Seemingly the police 489 00:26:37,440 --> 00:26:40,000 Speaker 13: have passed the case on to a prosecutor for review 490 00:26:40,920 --> 00:26:44,440 Speaker 13: or something. We requested documents from the Saint Louis City 491 00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:47,480 Speaker 13: Police about what happened next in this case, but we're 492 00:26:47,560 --> 00:26:51,240 Speaker 13: told they had no records to give us. Now, just 493 00:26:51,359 --> 00:26:53,760 Speaker 13: because we don't know what happened to Darren as a 494 00:26:53,800 --> 00:26:56,600 Speaker 13: result of his illegal possession of a firearm while he 495 00:26:56,760 --> 00:26:59,919 Speaker 13: was on probation, we need to be clear we cannot 496 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,200 Speaker 13: say that necessarily means he made a deal to cooperate 497 00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:03,840 Speaker 13: with the police. 498 00:27:04,720 --> 00:27:05,359 Speaker 2: We just don't know. 499 00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:08,639 Speaker 8: You tell on me, I tell on the next person, 500 00:27:08,960 --> 00:27:11,520 Speaker 8: and we're both out. And at the end of the day, 501 00:27:11,560 --> 00:27:14,800 Speaker 8: all of this negative energy is out on the streets. 502 00:27:14,440 --> 00:27:17,480 Speaker 11: And that just continues to go on day in and 503 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:18,200 Speaker 11: day out. 504 00:27:18,560 --> 00:27:23,000 Speaker 8: And that's what's actually pushed a lot of the confusion 505 00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:26,240 Speaker 8: that a lot of times result in somebody or some 506 00:27:26,480 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 8: people being killed. This is what we're dealing with in 507 00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:33,680 Speaker 8: our community daily, and it starts down there at the 508 00:27:34,080 --> 00:27:38,560 Speaker 8: federal courthouse, and then from that, you know, sides are picked, 509 00:27:38,760 --> 00:27:42,399 Speaker 8: and we have a community that is usually I know 510 00:27:42,520 --> 00:27:45,119 Speaker 8: everything about you, you know everything about. 511 00:27:44,920 --> 00:27:46,000 Speaker 3: Me, and we're at war. 512 00:27:46,480 --> 00:27:49,080 Speaker 8: The worst enemy in the world is somebody that knows 513 00:27:49,160 --> 00:27:50,040 Speaker 8: everything about you. 514 00:27:50,640 --> 00:27:52,920 Speaker 5: And that's what we're dealing with. 515 00:27:53,200 --> 00:27:53,360 Speaker 4: Man. 516 00:27:53,960 --> 00:27:56,639 Speaker 8: And when they get done prosecuting their case of making 517 00:27:56,680 --> 00:27:59,240 Speaker 8: their arrest, they go off to the safety of their 518 00:27:59,359 --> 00:28:03,440 Speaker 8: safe impart and they do what they do in the 519 00:28:03,560 --> 00:28:07,800 Speaker 8: community as a whole, where these the suspects are from. 520 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,280 Speaker 8: They have to walk on pins and needles and hope 521 00:28:11,359 --> 00:28:15,680 Speaker 8: that they are not innocent victims being are being an 522 00:28:15,840 --> 00:28:17,720 Speaker 8: incident that they have absolutely nothing to. 523 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:19,000 Speaker 7: Do with for years. 524 00:28:19,320 --> 00:28:21,480 Speaker 13: I think Lewis has been known as the most dangerous 525 00:28:21,520 --> 00:28:22,280 Speaker 13: city in America. 526 00:28:22,880 --> 00:28:25,880 Speaker 18: And that's not just referring to gun viners, and that's 527 00:28:25,920 --> 00:28:28,040 Speaker 18: talking about what you have to do as a black 528 00:28:28,119 --> 00:28:30,720 Speaker 18: person to survive in Saint Louis. 529 00:28:31,160 --> 00:28:32,560 Speaker 13: Is a battle for resources. 530 00:28:33,280 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 18: And not only are they battling environmental factors, they're battling 531 00:28:37,720 --> 00:28:40,560 Speaker 18: legal structures. And our legal structure is. 532 00:28:40,960 --> 00:28:43,880 Speaker 11: Such that if you can pay, you can play. 533 00:28:45,080 --> 00:28:47,920 Speaker 18: But if you don't have the resources to fight for 534 00:28:48,040 --> 00:28:51,440 Speaker 18: your freedom, you're in trouble, you know. And most people 535 00:28:51,840 --> 00:28:56,400 Speaker 18: in those situations will do anything to keep their freedom, 536 00:28:57,080 --> 00:28:59,960 Speaker 18: whether that being informant, whether that be whatever. 537 00:28:59,720 --> 00:29:02,640 Speaker 17: It is is, you know, just not to be incarcerated, 538 00:29:02,920 --> 00:29:03,520 Speaker 17: which is a. 539 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:05,880 Speaker 14: Terrifying thing for someone. 540 00:29:05,920 --> 00:29:10,160 Speaker 18: Who has never been incarcerated, you know, when you get 541 00:29:10,280 --> 00:29:11,360 Speaker 18: caught in that track. 542 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:15,760 Speaker 10: And so, you know, I definitely think we need to give. 543 00:29:15,640 --> 00:29:20,040 Speaker 18: A little attention to that toxic environment. And Darren Sales 544 00:29:20,240 --> 00:29:23,960 Speaker 18: was facing a giant. There's nothing that he could do 545 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:27,160 Speaker 18: with the government. They have way more resources than he does, 546 00:29:28,560 --> 00:29:30,840 Speaker 18: and they could put their timb on the scale whenever they. 547 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:38,200 Speaker 1: Want, curing a mirror in Darnelle talk about the pressure 548 00:29:38,320 --> 00:29:41,320 Speaker 1: to take a deal to inform on someone else in 549 00:29:41,560 --> 00:29:45,120 Speaker 1: order to reduce your own sentence. Brings to mind what 550 00:29:45,320 --> 00:29:49,120 Speaker 1: my friend Paul Jones told us in episode two about 551 00:29:49,240 --> 00:29:54,360 Speaker 1: police using children for information. It also reminded us of 552 00:29:54,480 --> 00:29:58,960 Speaker 1: something Chariff Allen said, bro the police, your. 553 00:29:58,880 --> 00:30:02,160 Speaker 7: Fame was leaving to the person who will be come 554 00:30:02,240 --> 00:30:04,040 Speaker 7: to you. Gill Candy, the more little one that will 555 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,840 Speaker 7: literally pull up on the sea until you where a game. 556 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:10,480 Speaker 1: Many parts of Saint Louis and Saint Louis County are dangerous, 557 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:14,680 Speaker 1: and we're not under any Candyland delusions that making them 558 00:30:14,760 --> 00:30:18,840 Speaker 1: safe is a simple task. But what goes unseen by 559 00:30:18,920 --> 00:30:23,720 Speaker 1: most people is that the conflict between criminals, law enforcement, 560 00:30:24,120 --> 00:30:27,200 Speaker 1: and regular citizens who are just trying to live their 561 00:30:27,320 --> 00:30:32,480 Speaker 1: lives is the information war. Law enforcement is always trying 562 00:30:32,560 --> 00:30:36,360 Speaker 1: to stay ahead of criminals, and criminals are always trying 563 00:30:36,440 --> 00:30:40,120 Speaker 1: to stay one step ahead of law enforcement. As police 564 00:30:40,160 --> 00:30:45,280 Speaker 1: gather sources and information, they also put information, true or not, 565 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:49,560 Speaker 1: back into the community. And when we think of Darren 566 00:30:49,680 --> 00:30:52,880 Speaker 1: being pulled over by a long stretch of police cars, 567 00:30:53,280 --> 00:30:56,680 Speaker 1: or the story about him being arrested, only briefly held 568 00:30:57,000 --> 00:31:00,720 Speaker 1: and then quickly released, we have to wan if these 569 00:31:00,800 --> 00:31:04,120 Speaker 1: weren't attempts by law enforcement to make it appear to 570 00:31:04,200 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: people in the community that Darren was cooperating with him. 571 00:31:08,080 --> 00:31:11,400 Speaker 1: After all, if he is pulled over by a string 572 00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:15,239 Speaker 1: of officers when his driver's license is revoked and has 573 00:31:15,320 --> 00:31:19,240 Speaker 1: then let go, as we discussed in episode six, is 574 00:31:19,320 --> 00:31:22,920 Speaker 1: the point of that exercise or others like it to 575 00:31:23,200 --> 00:31:26,640 Speaker 1: endanger Darren, to make him suspicious in the eyes of 576 00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,920 Speaker 1: the people around him, to make it appear as though 577 00:31:30,000 --> 00:31:33,000 Speaker 1: he's gotten a good deal from the police, so the 578 00:31:33,120 --> 00:31:37,640 Speaker 1: criminal element will begin to question his loyalties and motives. 579 00:31:38,360 --> 00:31:41,239 Speaker 1: We wonder if this pressure wasn't placed on Darren by 580 00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,400 Speaker 1: law enforcement so he would feel as though he had 581 00:31:44,480 --> 00:31:49,720 Speaker 1: no choice left but to cooperate. Or perhaps he had 582 00:31:49,760 --> 00:31:53,760 Speaker 1: at one point given information and had then changed his mind, 583 00:31:54,120 --> 00:31:58,000 Speaker 1: refusing to tell police anything more, and the police decided 584 00:31:58,160 --> 00:32:00,880 Speaker 1: to turn the screws on him to bring him back 585 00:32:00,960 --> 00:32:06,360 Speaker 1: in line. It's anyone's guests, and Darren himself warned people 586 00:32:06,480 --> 00:32:09,000 Speaker 1: about this information war before he died. 587 00:32:09,560 --> 00:32:12,000 Speaker 12: I think it's important that people learn from all mistakes 588 00:32:12,080 --> 00:32:15,120 Speaker 12: he made a furnuson and become a little bit more intelligent. 589 00:32:15,320 --> 00:32:17,840 Speaker 12: I mean, we got to learn from the part of 590 00:32:17,880 --> 00:32:20,560 Speaker 12: the states he's made for the instut employ ary. I mean, 591 00:32:20,600 --> 00:32:22,560 Speaker 12: how did it take down Marcus Guardy, How did it 592 00:32:22,640 --> 00:32:25,600 Speaker 12: take down Malchael? Makes you gotta come more educated on 593 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:27,360 Speaker 12: things like Corntail Prome. 594 00:32:30,440 --> 00:32:34,440 Speaker 1: Let's look at a timeline. In August of twenty fifteen, 595 00:32:34,960 --> 00:32:38,560 Speaker 1: friend of Darren's, Anthony T. T. Jordan, is arrested as 596 00:32:38,640 --> 00:32:42,760 Speaker 1: part of a sealed federal indictment for conspiracy to distribute 597 00:32:42,800 --> 00:32:46,400 Speaker 1: cocaine and a spate of murders. He was suspected of 598 00:32:46,480 --> 00:32:50,480 Speaker 1: committing on behalf of the Adrian Lemon's gang. A few 599 00:32:50,560 --> 00:32:55,240 Speaker 1: months later, in January of twenty sixteen, eighteen more people 600 00:32:55,360 --> 00:33:00,560 Speaker 1: were arrested as part of this investigation, including Adrian Lemons himself. 601 00:33:01,360 --> 00:33:04,160 Speaker 1: This likely began to send cracks into the day to 602 00:33:04,280 --> 00:33:08,520 Speaker 1: day operations of that cocaine distribution network, and if other 603 00:33:08,680 --> 00:33:11,880 Speaker 1: members were worried that they were next, it stands to 604 00:33:12,040 --> 00:33:15,960 Speaker 1: reason that they would want to eliminate any possible informants 605 00:33:16,240 --> 00:33:19,640 Speaker 1: who might leak information that would help the government in 606 00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:25,040 Speaker 1: their crackdown. Then two months later, in March of twenty sixteen, 607 00:33:25,320 --> 00:33:29,280 Speaker 1: the FBI opens its surveillance operation on Darren and from 608 00:33:29,360 --> 00:33:32,400 Speaker 1: then on we see him followed and pulled over and 609 00:33:32,560 --> 00:33:36,840 Speaker 1: let go several times, including the incident his mother described 610 00:33:37,040 --> 00:33:41,720 Speaker 1: and believed occurred about a month before he died. That summer, 611 00:33:42,240 --> 00:33:45,520 Speaker 1: j Bird is arrested, which leaves Darren in charge of 612 00:33:45,560 --> 00:33:48,440 Speaker 1: the Bottom Boys and sees that it is him that 613 00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:53,440 Speaker 1: goes to Rock Nation to present the group. Then three 614 00:33:53,520 --> 00:33:58,760 Speaker 1: months later, in September of twenty sixteen, Darren is murdered. 615 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:04,000 Speaker 1: Months after that, on November thirtieth, we see in Darren's 616 00:34:04,080 --> 00:34:08,000 Speaker 1: FBI documents what appears to be a request to access 617 00:34:08,160 --> 00:34:13,920 Speaker 1: this file. The language reads quote request redacted be opened 618 00:34:14,080 --> 00:34:19,839 Speaker 1: and captioned investigation. The referred to investigation is also redacted. 619 00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:25,120 Speaker 1: But the very next day, December one, twenty sixteen, Jaybird 620 00:34:25,200 --> 00:34:28,480 Speaker 1: is arrested as part of the federal indictment into the 621 00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:33,640 Speaker 1: Lemon's Cocaine Gang. Less than two weeks later, another redacted 622 00:34:33,760 --> 00:34:38,360 Speaker 1: action is taken by a redacted person in Darren's FBI file, 623 00:34:38,880 --> 00:34:41,680 Speaker 1: but we can see that a stated reason for the 624 00:34:41,800 --> 00:34:47,000 Speaker 1: redaction is listed as quote sealed pursuant to a United 625 00:34:47,080 --> 00:34:51,360 Speaker 1: States court order. While perhaps it's a coincidence, we do 626 00:34:51,640 --> 00:34:54,839 Speaker 1: note that the indictments in the Lemon's cases were all 627 00:34:55,040 --> 00:34:59,279 Speaker 1: sealed by the court. Taken together, these items make us 628 00:34:59,360 --> 00:35:03,120 Speaker 1: at least I suspect that something in Darren's FBI file 629 00:35:03,480 --> 00:35:08,239 Speaker 1: was being used to prosecute Jabird. And finally, we have 630 00:35:08,520 --> 00:35:12,560 Speaker 1: one piece of evidence that we cannot entirely reveal in 631 00:35:12,840 --> 00:35:16,080 Speaker 1: order to protect the safety of its source. We have 632 00:35:16,280 --> 00:35:19,680 Speaker 1: shared it with an independent third party fact checker, who 633 00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:23,120 Speaker 1: confirmed to our attorney its validity and hopes that you 634 00:35:23,239 --> 00:35:27,000 Speaker 1: will trust us when we say that this piece of evidence, 635 00:35:27,400 --> 00:35:32,200 Speaker 1: while not ironclad, suggests that Jaberd did believe that Darren 636 00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:36,920 Speaker 1: was an informant and that's why Darren was killed. We 637 00:35:37,120 --> 00:35:40,239 Speaker 1: know it doesn't make for Sexy Radio to present it 638 00:35:40,360 --> 00:35:44,040 Speaker 1: this way, but we had no choice. We never would 639 00:35:44,080 --> 00:35:49,480 Speaker 1: have accessed it otherwise. To be absolutely one hundred percent clear, 640 00:35:50,120 --> 00:35:53,880 Speaker 1: this evidence does not in any way prove that jaber 641 00:35:54,000 --> 00:35:57,400 Speaker 1: told Kilo to kill Darren, but as of this writing, 642 00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 1: based on everything that we have seen and heard, we 643 00:36:01,440 --> 00:36:05,959 Speaker 1: think that this is the most likely case. Jay Bird 644 00:36:06,400 --> 00:36:09,600 Speaker 1: has since been released from prison. We reached out to 645 00:36:09,719 --> 00:36:13,120 Speaker 1: him through his lawyer, hoping to arrange a conversation so 646 00:36:13,280 --> 00:36:18,200 Speaker 1: he could give comment. That lawyer happens to be Travis Noble, 647 00:36:18,880 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: the same lawyer who represented LP in his murder case 648 00:36:23,040 --> 00:36:26,120 Speaker 1: and who sat with LP during our interview with him. 649 00:36:26,800 --> 00:36:32,040 Speaker 1: So far, he has not responded to our request, and 650 00:36:32,239 --> 00:36:35,920 Speaker 1: that is where we landed. After more than two years 651 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:39,239 Speaker 1: of work, we were wrapping up the season, waiting on 652 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:43,160 Speaker 1: a few documents and responses to our request for final comments, 653 00:36:43,840 --> 00:36:52,120 Speaker 1: when something happened, something big, something that answered everything, And 654 00:36:52,400 --> 00:36:55,600 Speaker 1: that's next time on After the Uprising. 655 00:36:59,200 --> 00:37:02,080 Speaker 13: After the Upright is a production of Double Asterisk and 656 00:37:02,239 --> 00:37:07,320 Speaker 13: iHeart Podcasts in association with True Stories. Season two was written, reported, 657 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:11,200 Speaker 13: and produced by Maria Chappelle, Nadal, John Duffy, Mallory Kenoy, 658 00:37:11,320 --> 00:37:12,320 Speaker 13: and Renovashlski. 659 00:37:12,800 --> 00:37:14,279 Speaker 11: Executive producers are. 660 00:37:14,239 --> 00:37:18,120 Speaker 13: Nikki Atore and Lindsay Hoffman for iHeart Podcasts, John Duffy 661 00:37:18,160 --> 00:37:21,800 Speaker 13: and Renoviashewski for Double Asterisk, David Cassidy and Ruth Baka 662 00:37:21,880 --> 00:37:26,319 Speaker 13: for True Stories. Directed by John Duffy and Renoviashlsky. Theme 663 00:37:26,400 --> 00:37:29,919 Speaker 13: song and score by Zachary Walter, sound engineering and mixed 664 00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:34,040 Speaker 13: by John Autry. Fact checking by Muffin Humes, marketing by 665 00:37:34,120 --> 00:37:38,080 Speaker 13: Alison Canter Fair Use legal by Peter Yazzi. And Brandon Butler. 666 00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:41,760 Speaker 13: Legal by Holly Decan for iHeart Podcasts and Keith Skarr 667 00:37:41,800 --> 00:37:46,279 Speaker 13: for Double Asterisk Missouri Sunshine Legal by David Rowland. Show 668 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:50,640 Speaker 13: logo by iHeart Podcasts using a photo by at Tillo Dagostino. 669 00:37:51,200 --> 00:37:55,319 Speaker 13: Our interns were Hannah Madura and Rosemary Fiery. Website by 670 00:37:55,360 --> 00:38:00,440 Speaker 13: Stephanie Clark, recorded at David Weber's Airtime Studios in Bloomington, Indiana. 671 00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:04,360 Speaker 13: We want to acknowledge additional investigation that became part of 672 00:38:04,440 --> 00:38:07,399 Speaker 13: this podcast was conducted by Detective Adams in the Saint 673 00:38:07,480 --> 00:38:10,840 Speaker 13: Louis County Police and the FBI, who did not participate 674 00:38:10,880 --> 00:38:14,760 Speaker 13: in this podcast, and by a Mere Brandy Mosey, Secret 675 00:38:14,920 --> 00:38:18,000 Speaker 13: and Darnell Singleton. If you like our work, check out 676 00:38:18,040 --> 00:38:21,120 Speaker 13: our other podcasts. You can find us at Double asteriskmedia 677 00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:25,279 Speaker 13: dot com and on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. Support us 678 00:38:25,320 --> 00:38:28,840 Speaker 13: on Patreon. If you're enjoying the show, leave us a 679 00:38:28,960 --> 00:38:29,880 Speaker 13: rating and review. 680 00:38:29,680 --> 00:38:31,120 Speaker 11: On your favorite podcast app. 681 00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:35,960 Speaker 13: Thank you to Jamie Dennis, Danny Gonzalez, Jonathan Hartwig, Bethan Macalouso, 682 00:38:36,200 --> 00:38:41,239 Speaker 13: Matt McDonough, Melissa McKinnes, Ryan Mears, Tony and Valovyshlski and 683 00:38:41,320 --> 00:38:45,120 Speaker 13: the family and loved ones of Darren Seals, Bottom Boys 684 00:38:45,160 --> 00:38:48,440 Speaker 13: and Doa tracks used via fair use, So was the 685 00:38:48,520 --> 00:38:53,080 Speaker 13: news reporting. Archival copyright twenty twenty four Double asteriskink