Tag: Case

Jah’Sean Hodge Case Summary

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 13, 2020
No Comments on Jah’Sean Hodge Case Summary

On May 5^th, 2020, 9-year-old Jadalee Pagan was brutally attacked by a family friend, Jah’Sean Hodge in Saint Cloud, Florida. Jadalee’s mother, Veronica Snyder, calls Jah’Sean Hodge Jadalee’s uncle, although there is no relation. Minutes after the attack, police made contact with Jah’Sean Hodge where he refused to obey orders to stop, shouted to shoot him multiple times, and rushed an officer who ended up shooting and killing him as he tried to retreat after the taser proved ineffective. While Jadalee Pagan was still too injured to speak while in the children’s ICU, her mother spoke to news stations and said that police had shot the wrong person. She stated that Jah’Sean Hodge was attempting to protect Jadalee from an unseen intruder and was injured during the incident. She continued by saying that “he saved his niece’s life” and that he was a hero.

This response led to a public outcry despite all evidence pointing to Jah’Sean as the only perpetrator in the attack. When Jadalee became well enough to speak, she named Jah’Sean and only Jah’Sean as her attacker while still in the ICU. After this, Jadalee’s mother changed her opinion and made a statement saying “we finally got answers, and I have a lot to accept, but I just want to say that St. Cloud Police Department did their job. Let’s just not make this any worse than it is”.

Additionally, DNA evidence from the knife and barbell used to stab and bludgeon Jadalee, blood on Jah’Sean’s shirt, and skin under Jadalee’s fingernails all pointed to Jah’Sean being the only attacker. Jadalee has survived the attack and has recovered well.

Background Information

Jadalee did not grow up with her mom, Veronica Snyder, since she was incarcerated in 2012 shortly after Jadalee was born. She was released in September of 2018. Even at the time of the incident, Veronica Snyder typically stayed in her boyfriend’s apartment downstairs while her two children, mother, and brother lived in the upstairs apartment. Jah’Sean Hodge, who Veronica Snyder calls her brother, though is of no blood relation, did not live upstairs with Jadalee but did stay there sometimes according to Veronica’s mother. He was a close friend of the family.

Attempted Murder

On May 5^th, 2020, Veronica’s mother left to go to Walmart with Veronica’s brother, who was dropping her off there. Before she left the house, 21-year-old Jah’Sean took a shower, and was last seen on the floor by the TV with 9-year-old Jadalee. They both were on their phones. As far as Veronica’s mother could tell, everything was normal, including Jah’Sean’s behavior. Minutes after she left, Veronica’s boyfriend heard a scream from upstairs while in his downstairs apartment. Hearing a commotion wasn’t unusual living in an apartment building that housed several children. Veronica’s boyfriend jokingly said, “who screams like that?”, to which he was told that it was probably Jadalee mad at a game. After walking to his kitchen, he heard a second scream that sounded aggressive and like a man “in rage”. From the downstairs apartment with her boyfriend, Veronica then heard Jah’Sean say “Oh my God” while running down the stairs. Upon looking out the window, she witnessed him running south down their road.

Veronica and her boyfriend ran up to the upstairs apartment to investigate the noises and found Jadalee covered in blood on the living room floor. Veronica’s boyfriend told a neighbor to call 911 and also called himself. His call came into emergency dispatchers first at 12:43 P.M., and the neighbor’s call came in less than a minute afterwards, about 10 or 15 minutes after Veronica’s mother left to go to Wal-Mart. On Veronica’s boyfriend’s 911 call he can be heard pleading for an ambulance and states that he is not sure what happened but that the child is bleeding from her head and needs immediate help. On the neighbor’s 911 call, the neighbor went upstairs to the apartment and relayed to dispatchers that there was a knife involved. As Veronica’s brother was nearing the apartment building after dropping off their mother at Wal-Mart, he receives a call from Veronica telling him that Jadalee is bleeding. When he arrived, he saw Veronica holding Jadalee’s bloody body, took her from Veronica, and loaded her into the car to go to the hospital. On the way to the hospital, the car used to transport Veronica and Jadalee was stopped by police where Saint Cloud Police Department first got confirmation that Jadalee had definitely been stabbed and was bleeding profusely from her neck.

When they arrived at Saint Cloud Regional Medical Center, a patient access employee heard Veronica and her brother yelling for help saying that Jadalee had been stabbed. A paramedic who was doing screenings for COVID 19 outside of the hospital’s emergency department transported Jadalee from the vehicle into the hospital and noted that blood was “bubbling” out of Jadalee’s neck and overheard Veronica and her mother talking about an “uncle” that wasn’t related to them possibly being responsible. Once inside the hospital, a nurse heard Veronica’s mother state “you know he was going to do this” to Veronica, but who she was talking about was not said. Because of the severity of Jadalee’s injuries, she was transported to Arnold Palmer Hospital and was admitted into the children’s ICU. There, she continued to receive treatment and surgeries for her injuries, and it was noted that a “J” was carved into her forehead. Veronica was not able to stay with Jadalee because of COVID 19 precautions. Instead, she made appearances on local news where she said that Jah’Sean was actually a victim of the attack by an unknown perpetrator and was running erratically covered in blood trying to find the person who attacked him and Jadalee.

When police went to the house where the incident happened, they found blood on the main door to the apartment building, the stairs and wall leading up to the apartment, both sides of the apartment door, on the carpet in front of and further back from the television in the living room, and on the door of one of the bedrooms. Inside of the kitchen sink was a bloody knife with the blade broken from the handle and in the bedroom with the bloody door, blood was found on a barbell with weights on both sides. Veronica’s boyfriend said the knife was originally near Jadalee on the floor where the blood stains were, but he moved it to the sink when it was almost stepped on.

On May 8^th police began to try to interview Jadalee while she was still in the children’s ICU. Interviewing her took many attempts because she would often get upset, not respond, or become confused. In one attempt she was asked if she knew how she got hurt and she said she did not know. When asked if she remembers being at her house, she said that she had a dream where Jah’Sean stabbed her. She then goes on to ask for them not to be brought there. During another interview with Jadalee in the children’s ICU, Jadalee named Jah’Sean as the only perpetrator multiple times and said “I stood up to say ‘hi’ and then I said ‘why do you have that knife in your hand?’” to which he responded “it was you” before stabbing her. She also stated that he choked her while “killing her”.

Jah’Sean’s Movements After the Attack and Police Shooting

After Jah’Sean left the apartment, he jogged south on the apartment’s street and about a block away he passed two teenagers on a golf cart who called 911 because he was bleeding and acting strangely. During police interview they stated that at one point he looked like he was on the opposite side of the street and may come out into the middle of the street and tapped his fingers together like he may be attempting to get their attention but then went back to the other side of the road and continued to run. They made eye contact with Jah’Sean but he never said anything. In their 911 call they noted that he had blood on his hands, chest, and head. Behind them was a U-Haul driver that also passed Jah’Sean but he didn’t make an attempt to flag them down either. Shortly afterwards a 12-year-old child saw Jah’Sean who pointed in his direction and yelled to “get back in the house”.

Jah’Sean continued south until he reached the driveway of a person he did not know and laid face down in their driveway. A neighbor saw this and asked Jah’Sean if he was okay and he said “yes”. This neighbor went inside before coming back out 10 seconds later to see Jah’Sean running north towards O P Johnson Park, before jumping a fence on the corner of a block about two and a half blocks from the apartment. Here, he opened a camper door of a person he did not know and went inside before jumping the fence into another person’s yard where he removed his shirt inside of their screened in pool area. He then ran across the street from this house before police make contact with him while he’s in their front yard, shirtless and covered in blood. He first approached Officer Fertic who was on the passenger side of the patrol vehicle. Officer Fertic repeatedly ordered Jah’Sean to stop and pulled out his taser. Jah’Sean responded by saying “shoot me then” and continued to approach him. Officer Dunn stepped out of the driver side door and pulled out his firearm. Jah’Sean then abruptly changed his focus and rushed Officer Dunn. The taser was deployed without any effect, Officer Dunn attempted to retreat, then fired his firearm 4 times, killing Jah’Sean Hodge. The officers performed CPR until EMTs arrived.

Evidence

As a result of canvassing a two-block radius of the attack, police recovered several pieces of evidence along with witness accounts. Many witness statements were taken, none of which showed anyone running in front of Jah’Sean or anyone leaving the apartment building besides Jah’Sean. Surveillance video also showed Jah’Sean jogging down the street, not chasing anyone. At one point, a police officer saw someone matching Jah’Sean’s description jogging down the road before losing sight of him.

Witnesses heard banging and noises that were recognized as weights being dropped and clanked together. The bloody barbell found in a bedroom in the upstairs apartment not only tested positive for Jah’Sean and Jadalee’s blood and no one elses, Jah’Sean’s bloody fingerprint was left on it. The knife blade and handle found at the crime scene tested positive for Jadalee and Jah’Sean’s blood and no one else. Similarly, the shirt Jah’Sean removed in a neighbor’s screened in pool area only had his and Jadalee’s blood. Jah’Sean’s DNA was also found under Jadalee’s fingernails. There was no evidence or DNA from a third party.

Upon autopsy, it was found that Jah’Sean Hodge had 14 stab wounds, most being on the left side and superficial, consistent with being self-inflicted. This is collaborated with text messages recovered from his phone that indicated that he attempted to kill himself at or around the time of the attack. Three of the stab wounds were more substantial, with one nicking a lung, another piercing his chest wall, and one cutting through his pinky to the bone. Toxicology only showed cannabinoids in his system.

Conflicting Stories

Complicating this tragic case was the inconsistencies in stories. These inconsistencies fueled theories that led to the public outcry. For example, according to statements made to police, Jah’Sean’s behavior was normal when he was last seen with Jadalee directly before the incident. In one of these statements Veronica’s mother said that Jah’Sean had taken a shower, was laying on the floor near Jadalee in front of the TV, and was acting normally. Contrary to what was said in police statements, Veronica said to a doctor at Saint Cloud Regional Medical Center that she witnessed Jah’Sean “acting crazy and running around the house”. What Veronica saw and heard during the incident has also been inconsistent. In a police interview, Veronica told police that she went downstairs to have a cigarette after her mother and brother went to Wal-Mart. Minutes later she heard him run down the stairs saying “oh my God” then saw him through the downstairs apartment window running south on their street.

When another officer was driving Veronica to Arnold Palmer Hospital she made and received several calls. In one of the calls she told the person on the other end that she passed Jah’Sean on the stairs while she ran upstairs from the downstairs apartment and noticed blood on his hands. On another call made during the car ride she said that she had seen him “chasing the guy that had hurt Jada”, though she didn’t see anyone he was chasing. While at Saint Cloud Regional Medical Center, Veronica told a patient access employee that she was laying in her bed in the downstairs apartment when she heard screaming coming from upstairs and this time she also said that Jah’Sean passed her on the stairs. When she told the patient access employee, she specifically said he said nothing to her. To the patient registration coordinator, she said that she was gardening outside when she heard a scream and that she saw Jah’Sean running from the house, bloody. This also contradicts her boyfriend’s statement which said she was in his apartment with him. The next time she spoke to the patient registration coordinator, she said that she didn’t see anything and that she thought he was chasing after someone. The patient registration coordinator stated that at this time she stopped asking Veronica questions because she felt that her “story was changing every time they spoke about it”.

Through these statements and high emotions, a third-party attacker theory developed. A rumor began that someone had run through the back yard and was possibly involved. This was ruled out after police interviewed a neighbor who was watering their flowers in the back yard of the apartment building during the incident. This neighbor stated that they heard what they thought was kids jumping around before Veronica began screaming for help. They stated they never saw anyone in the back yard of the apartment building and that the back yard can not be accessed through the common area of the house.

Although the mother’s of both Jadalee and Jah’Sean speculated publicly that Jah’Sean was actually a victim of the attack and was behaving strangely because he was wounded and trying to find the attacker, statements made by Veronica and others show that even those closest to the situation suspected Jah’Sean from the beginning. An example of this would be the statement reported by the paramedic doing COVID 19 screenings at Saint Cloud Regional Medical Center where Veronica and her mother were suspecting Jah’Sean was responsible for the attack immediately after getting to the hospital. Still, statements to news outlets continued to be made until Veronica heard Jadalee tell investigators that Jah’Sean was the culprit numerous times, and DNA evidence showed only Jah’Sean’s DNA. In the end, Veronica spoke to the media again and expressed that she struggled to believe that Jah’Sean was the attacker because of his relationship with the family, but she conclusively knows who did it now, though she will never know why.

Tags 2020, Attempted Murder, Case, Florida, Jadalee Pagan, Jah'Sean Hodge, Murder, Police Shooting, Saint Cloud, Stabbing

Case Summary Uncategorized

Debra Jeter Case Summary

On June 5, 2009, 32-year-old Debra Jeter slit the throats of both of her daughters in an abandoned house off of Interstate 77 in Hillsboro, Texas. Warning signs dated back several years. In 2004, authorities determined that Debra Jeter was physically abusing her older daughter, Kiersten, but the case was dropped after Debra Jeter received mental health treatment.

For reasons not disclosed, in May 2009, Lester Lee Jeter filed court documents to separate from his wife, Debra. Taking the separation badly, on May 22 Debra Jeter attempted suicide by consuming pills in front of her two daughters she had with Lester Jeter. Debra was temporarily institutionalized in a mental health facility. The day after the suicide attempt while Debra was still inpatient, Lester Lee Jeter filed for divorce, obtained a debra-jeter-2 temporary restraining order, and was given temporary custody of his two children. In court documents, Lester Lee Jeter stated that “she may be released within a few days, and I am concerned about her possible actions regarding the children” and that he was requesting custody “to protect the safety and well-being of the children and any other person who has been a victim of family violence committed by Jeter”. The day after her release, though, a judge lifted the restraining order and allowed for unsupervised visitation during a hearing. The first court ordered visitation was set for that Friday, June 5^th, 2009.

After not seeing their mother for 15 days, 12-year-old Kelsey and 13-year-old Kiersten kelsey-jeter were excited to see their mother with Kelsey posting on her MySpace page “I GET TO SEE MY MOM TOMMORROW!!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!”. Debra Jeter told Lester Lee Jeter that she had a surprise for the girls and was taking them out.

After picking up her daughters in the afternoon, Debra drove them to an abandoned house off Interstate 77 just past highway 35 towards Milford. Debra Jeter first attacked Kiersten with a knife. While fending off her mother, Kiersten screamed for her sister to run. This caused Debra to turn her attention from Kiersten and onto Kelsey. Kiersten was stabbed in the back while trying to protect her sister. Unfortunately, these attempts were unsuccessful, and Debra slit Kelsey’s throat and she died in the bathroom of the abandoned house. Debra returned to Kiersten and cut her from one side of the neck to the other, severing her airway and one of her main arteries.

Despite her severe injuries, she stayed alive and conscious and pleaded with her mother debra-jeter-3 to get help. Three hours after picking up her children, Debra Jeter called police to report the crime saying, “I just killed my children”. Even though Debra Jeter was a nursing student, she did not tend to her daughter, instead walked around the abandoned house urging the ambulance to hurry up stating that her daughter that survived is “asking to be saved and she couldn’t handle it”. She also went on to ask the dispatcher to ask the police not to shoot her as she didn’t have a gun. The complete transcript can be read here.

Sadly, the sweet quiet book-loving Kelsey did not survive the attack. Kiersten was air lifted for immediate emergency surgery after being found in the bedroom of the debra-jeter-1 abandoned house and survived. Debra’s explanation for her heinous actions was that she was “heartbroken” over the separation and the child custody battle. Her ex-husband, Lester Lee Jeter stated that Debra “figured if she felt that way, then we all must feel that way and she wanted to take away all of our pain”. After accepting a plea deal where she pleaded guilty to capital murder and attempted capital murder on May 27, 2010, Debra Jeter was sentenced to life without parole. The plea deal avoided the possibility of the death sentence and spared her surviving daughter from having to testify in court.

Tags Attempted Murder, Case, Crime, Debra, Filicide, Hillsboro, Jeter, Kelsey Jeter, Kiersten Jeter, Life Sentence, Murder, Summary, Texas

Case Summary Uncategorized

Russell Williams Case Summary

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 30, 2019
1 Comment on Russell Williams Case Summary

Image result for Russell williams underwear Russell Williams is a formal colonel in the Canadian Forces. He has been convicted of sexual assault, two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of forcible confinement, and 84 counts of breaking and entering after confessing to the crimes on February 7, 2010 during a transcribed police interview. His crimes were fetish motivated. On October 21, 2010, he was sentenced to two life sentences, four 10-year sentences, and eighty-two 1-year sentences to be served concurrently. The earliest he can be paroled from the maximum-security prison Port-Cartier Institution will be at age 72.

Background

Russell Williams emigrated from England to Canada as a young child. His parents divorced when he was 6 years old and his mother remarried. Young Russell After completing high school, he obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science from the University of Toronto Scarborough. The following year, Russell Williams enrolled in the Canadian Forces. In 1991 he was promoted to Captain and married Mary Harriman. He was entrusted with flying government officials and foreign leaders, and in 1999 he was promoted to Major. In 2004, Williams obtained a Master of Defense degree from the Royal Military College of Canada and further promoted to lieutenant. Finally, a year prior to his arrest, he was promoted to colonel.

Crimes and Victims

*The following may be disturbing to some readers. Details of sexual assault and murder are discussed below. Reader discretion is advised.*

Williams’s fetish related crimes start in September 2007, although he made a habit of waiting in people’s rooms in college to “play pranks”. Between September 2007 and November 2009, Williams broke into 82 homes, 61 of which went unreported or undetected. During these break in’s Williams would steal female underwear, sometimes of victims as young as 9 years old, take photos, and lay in their beds and masturbate. These crimes were all documented through photographs and videos he took, along with stolen items he kept and cataloged. His photos generally followed the same pattern with each victim. Russell First, he would take pictures of the victim’s bedroom in general and anything that helped identify the victim such as mail. Then he would take photos of undergarments in the victim’s drawer before laying them out on the bed or floor and taking more photos. The next photos would be of him wearing the underwear, and then him ejaculating, generally back at his house. He would meticulously categorize the photos, undergarments, and police and news reports. Of the people who he could not identify in their bedrooms, he would name the files in which their respective photographs were kept, “mysterious little girls”. He would also leave notes with some of his victims, one of which was “merci”, which means “thank you” in French, on a 12-year-old’s computer.

As time went on, William’s crimes escalated. One victim’s house he broke into a total of nine times. On the 6^th time, he watched a woman get into the shower from outside of her window, broke in, got naked, stole her panties naked, then left the house before she got out of the shower to discover him. In another case of his fetish and crimes escalating, Williams got completely naked in masturbated in bushes outside of a teenager’s window. Russell3 On New Years in 2008, Williams broke into a 15-year-old girl’s bedroom, and after taking undergarments and photographs, touched his genitals with her make up brush and left it behind in her bedroom to later be used. Williams obtained so much panties, bras and lingerie that he still had several boxes and bags of it despite burning much of it to make room. Between two victims alone, he stole around 60 items of intimate clothing.

Of the four sexual assaults, the first victim’s name has not been released. On September 16^th, 2009, Williams cut the screen to the side window of the victim’s house and crawled in while she was asleep. He snuck up next to the bed and after watching her for a short while, hit her with his fist, waking her. They struggled, and she expressed concern for her young baby in the next room and her own life. He told her that he was not going to hurt her, took photos of her in various undergarments she had, stole some undergarments, and left.

The next victim was Laurie Massicotte. Williams removed a screen from the back window of her house, slid the window open, and climbed in. Laurie Massicotte was asleep on the couch in front of the T.V. in her living room. Williams hit her in the head with a flashlight in hopes of rendering her unconscious. This attempt was unsuccessful. Williams struggled with Masscotti, tied her hands behind her back and told her that there were other men robbing her house. He claimed to her that he was in charge of controlling her and that he would not hurt her if she complied with him. Because her hands were tied behind her back he removed her shirt by cutting it off of her. He took various photos of her in her underwear and sexually assaulted her over a period of two to two and a half hours before telling her to wait for a period of time before calling the police. He then went home a couple houses away and went to sleep.

The first murder victim was Marie-France Comeau, a fellow military woman who worked at William’s Air Force Base, CFB Trenton. Williams broke into her residence a few nights prior to her murder, stealing panties after wearing them himself inside of her house. On November 24, 2009, after listening to her having a conversation on the phone in her bedroom from outside, Williams went through her basement window and hid behind the furnace waiting for her to fall asleep. Comeau’s cat notices Williams and is fixated on him. Comeau comes into the basement trying to call her cat upstairs when she discovers Williams. Marie-France Williams and Comeau get into a physical struggle where he hits her about her head with his flashlight in an attempt to knock her out, ties her hands behind her back, and duct tapes her mouth the prevent her from screaming. At some point during the struggle Williams ties Comeau to a pole in her basement and goes outside to put the screen back on the window to prevent anyone noticing something is amiss. Williams leads her up the stairs to the bedroom, but Comeau faints on the stairs and he carries her the rest of the way. Over a series of hours Williams rapes Comeau. While he left the room to check outside the windows for people coming, Comeau runs to the bathroom where she tries to get help through the window. He subdues her and brings her back to the bedroom. He attempts to strangle her, but she put up too much of a fight for him to successfully do so. Instead, he places tape over her nose (with her mouth already being taped) and holds her down on the floor face down until she suffocates. After her death, Williams then removes the tape and places her back in bed and pulls the covers up before leaving.

On January 28, 2010, Williams notices Jessica Lloyd on her treadmill as he drives past her house. Williams broke into her home through the kitchen window before she came home, then left. When she returned and she went to sleep he came in through the unlocked back patio door. He snuck up to the side of the bed intending to try to knock her out with his flashlight, but she woke up before he could. She was compliant to his demands so he did not hit her, instead placed a zip tie around her neck and told her if he did not like what she did, he would pull the zip tie. Over a span of three to four hours he raped and took pictures of Jessica Lloyd before loading her up into his vehicle and driving her back to his cottage closer to work (his wife lived at their newly built house). Image result for jessica lloyd russell williams Upon arrival, they laid in his bed so he could nap, wrapping the rope that bound her hands around his body so he would feel if she tried to leave. She began to have a stress induced seizure sometime after more sexual assault, and he claims to have given her water, talked her through it, and had another nap on the floor with her after the seizure because she was exhausted. After taking series of photos of both her in different undergarments and him and her together, he told her he would bring her back home. They ate some fruit and then as they went to leave the house, he struck her on the back of the head with his flashlight. The blow rendered her unconscious with him believing that her skull caved. While she was unconscious, he strangled her. He then removed the zip tie, bound her body into a fetal position with duct tape, and placed her into the garage so he could go to work. After spending a time with his wife for a few days, he went back to his cottage and disposed of her body along a road behind a rock. A roadblock on Highway 37 on February 4^th discovered his Pathfinder’s tires produced the same tracks as those found outside of Jessica Lloyd’s house and he was brought in for questioning a few days later. There they found his shoe prints matched those found in the snow outside of her house and he confessed to both murders, the sexual assaults, and 82 break ins.

Conviction and Sentencing

On October 7, 2010, Williams plead guilty to all charges and on October 22, Ontario Superior Court Justice Robert Scott sentenced him to two life terms to be served concurrently, without the possibility of parole for 25 years. Williams’s commission and metals were revoked, and he was expelled from the Canadian Forces. In turn, his uniform was burned, medals destroyed, vehicle scrapped, and commission scroll shredded. Despite this, Williams is still entitled to his military pension, amounting to $60,000 annually. Williams refused to pay victim surcharge fines, which are only $8,000, leading to a lawsuit against him by one of his victims. This case was later settled.

Tags Canadian Forces, Case, Fetish, Homicide, Jessica Lloyd, Killer, Laurie Massicotte, Life Sentence, Marie-France Comeau, Murder, Panty, Rapist, Russell Williams, Sexual Assault, Summary

Case Summary Uncategorized

Dalia Dippolito Case Summary

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 24, 2019
No Comments on Dalia Dippolito Case Summary

Four months after meeting Mike Dippolito as a client, former escort Dalia Dippolito (Mohammed) married Mike Dippolito in 2009. Within 6 months of their marriage, she hired a man to kill her husband. Fortunately, that man was a police officer. Another man Dalia Dippolito was seeing reported to police that he was afraid something was going to happen to either Mike or Dalia Dippolito and the investigation began. Many phone calls were recorded along with a video of Dalia in the undercover police officer’s car stating that she was “5000 percent sure” that she wanted Mike Dippolito dead and agreed to pay a $1200 deposit.

Dippolito3 After the police staged a crime scene at her house and told her that her husband was shot and murdered, she was taken to the police station for what she believed to be an informal interview. When asked if she knew anyone who would want to harm her husband, she told a story about “guys” involved in organized crime being mad that Mike Dippolito was using money he owed them to pay off his probation. After she was finished with this story, the interrogators told her about how they found out through their investigation that Mike Dippolito opened the front door and was taken upstairs where he was shot twice and killed. She argued this, saying he would not have opened the door because they had cameras. The investigators exited the room and pretended to have someone call to see if the house had been burglarized before coming back and telling her that they knew she hired the hitman. The investigators brought in the man she hired in handcuffs before telling her that he is actually a police officer. She denied “doing anything” despite video and audio evidence. The video and transcript of this interrogation can be found here.

dippolito2 There have been 3 trials for Dalia Dippolito’s case. In 2011 she was convicted and sentenced to 20 years, but this was overturned on appeal. The second trial in 2016 ended in a hung jury, and in 2017, a third trial ended in a guilty verdict. She tried to get a fourth trial, but her conviction was upheld. Dalia Dippolito claims the police department set her up to impress the reality TV show, “COPS”.

Tags 2009, Case, Conspiracy, Dalia Dippolito, Dalia Mohammed, Florida, Hired, Hitman, Mike Dippolito, Murder, No more games, Palm Beach, Recorded, Summary, Taped, True Crime, Undercover

Case Summary Uncategorized

Lee Rodarte Case Summary

On August 2, 2017, Savannah Gold was last seen on security cameras leaving her car and entering the car of her manager, Lee Rodarte, at the restaurant she worked at, Bone Fish. They had an on-again off-again relationship; though Rodarte primarily dated someone else.

Savvanah Gold

Within minutes of entering Rodarte’s car, Savannah’s mother and brother received text messages from her phone, written in a way that Savannah would not write, with various spelling errors. The text message to her mother read:

“Hey I just eanted to tell you and mom I met a really great guy and we are running away together I love him and we are leaving to ight ill call you later when we get tk where we are glong”

The text message to her brother read:

“Heyi quit im leavingwith my boyfriend I cant do this shit anything im fine justwant to get away”

This immediately alarmed her family who later filed a missing person’s report. Soon, the police reviewed security footage showing Lee Rodarte’s vehicle doors being kicked open three times after he gets into the back of his vehicle with her. She is never seen leaving his vehicle.

Lee Rodarte2

In a police interrogation, he says he went to Bone Fish knowing her shift was about to start to tell her to stop spreading rumors about their intimate relationship because it was upsetting his girlfriend. The situation escalated and he slashed her tire and murdered her. Examiners were not able to determine her cause of death but did say her hyaline cartilage was fractured and that her death was certainly a homicide. Lee Rodarte claims as the struggle ensued in the back of his vehicle, he felt something “pop” in her neck.

Lee Rodarte has filed a “Stand Your Ground” claim with the First District Court of Appeal, resulting in his trial being delayed.

Tags 2017, Bone Fish, Case, Florida, Homicide, Jacksonville, Killer, Lee Rodarte, Murder, Savvanah Gold, Stand your ground, Strangulation, Summary, Text, True Crime

Police Interrogations Uncategorized

Lee Rodarte Interrogation Transcript

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 15, 2019
1 Comment on Lee Rodarte Interrogation Transcript

Lee Rodarte was a manager at the Bone Fish restaurant who killed a server there named Savannah Gold, in his car in the restaurant’s parking lot. She was 21 years old. Within minutes after the murder he texted her mother and brother text messages filled with misspellings, claiming she was leaving with a boyfriend. He first denied any knowledge when questioned by police but three days after her disappearance he admitted to slashing her tire, killing her and directed investigators to her body in a body of water. He claims the murder was accidental. The incident was recorded on security cameras but investigators could not see what happened inside of the vehicle. Below is the interrogation video and transcript. The confession was edited out when it was published but everything leading up to, and following the confession remains. When it is the edited parts are released, the transcript will be updated. A case summary can be viewed here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZu6AgbCBYg]

Lee Rodarte Interrogation Transcript

[conversation between investigator and officer about uncuffing Rodarte]

Officer 1: Put your hands on your head, I’ve got to pat you down.

Lee Rodarte: Yes sir.

Officer 1: Spread your legs for me. Do you have anything in your pockets?

Lee Rodarte: Nothing. They got it all.

Officer 2: I’ve got his hat and um [inaudible] in my trunk. I’ll go get them.

Officer 1: Okay. I just want to… Just our policy, you know what I mean?

Lee Rodarte: Yes sir. Yes sir.

Officer 1: Could you do me a favor? I’m going to have you take that apron off.

Lee Rodarte: Okay.

Officer 1: [inaudible] You can go ahead and have a seat right there for me. I’ll be right back, okay?

Lee Rodarte: Yes sir.

Officer 1: Need a water or anything?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, I’ll take some water.

Officer 1: Water? Yup, give me one second.

[Investigator leaves and returns with a bottle of water]

Lee Rodarte: [inaudible] Would it be, uh, possible if I could use the restroom?

Officer 1: Yeah, give me one second. Let me get my partner real quick and we’ll walk you there.

Lee Rodarte: Yes sir, no problem.

Officer 1: No problem.

[Officer 1 closes and opens the door]

Officer 1: You can come on.

[Rodarte leaves and returns from bathroom]

Officer 1: I’ll be right outside just knock if you need anything, okay? Just give me a couple minutes.

[90 minutes of silence]

Detective 1: Hey man

Lee Rodarte: How are you doin?

Detective 1: Good good. Do you remember me from the other day? Detective Reeves?

Lee Rodarte: Yes, sir.

Detective 1: Uh, this is my partner, Detective [inaudibale]. She was interviewing some of the other folks, waiters and other staff people the other day, so she didn’t have the chance to come down at the time. Um. I want to talk to you, well actually, we wanted to… do you want some more water?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah. Actually, would it be alright to use the bathroom one more time?

Detective 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’ll walk you out there. Grab, ah, hang on one second, let me grab something.

Lee Rodarte: No problem.

Detective 1: No worries.

[Detective 1 and Rodarte leave to bathroom]

[Detective 1 and Rodarte returns 7 minutes later]

Detective 1: You want some water?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, yes please if that would be alright.

Detective 1: Got a water?

[Detective 1 exits and returns]

Detective 1: Um, like I said, I kind of want to go over some stuff. We talked the other day for just a few minutes, and I had some concerns about a couple things and um, oh okay, um I wanted to talk to you about Savannah. So, I just have a couple of things that came up that I wanted to ask you about specifically that didn’t seem to line up. So, I wanted to come down to talk to you. Alright?

Lee Rodarte: Alright.

Detective 1: So, lets get a couple, let’s make sure I got your basic information. It’s Lee. Tell me how you pronounce your last name.

Lee Rodarte: Rodarte.

Detective 1: Rodarte. And that’s R-O-D-A-R-T-E and it’s 1081 Halifax Road, Jacksonville. What’s the zip?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, 32216.

Detective 1: 32216. Okay. Date of birth is 8/11/88?

Lee Rodarte: Yup.

Detective 1: And you’re 5’11”?

Lee Rodarte: Yup.

Detective 1: And what’s your approximate weight?

Lee Rodarte: Um… It’s been a while since I weighed myself but probably about 163, something like that.

Detective 1: 163? Okay, what color eyes do you have?

Lee Rodarte: Brown.

Detective 1: Brown? Hair is…

Lee Rodarte: Brown.

Detective 1: Brown. And what’s your phone number?

Lee Rodarte: 904-452-6094.

Detective 1: Okay. And your social, do you know your social?

Lee Rodarte: Pretty sure I do.

[edited out]

Detective 1: And white male. And how old are you?

Lee Rodarte: Um. I’m 28.

Detective 1: 28? And can you read and write?

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: What’s the last school you went to?

Lee Rodarte: Forest Highschool. Before it was [inaudible]

Detective 1: When did you graduate from there?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, ‘06.

Detective 1: Okay. 2006. Alright, and you can read and write. Have you had um, have you drank any alcohol today? Any drugs today?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I took an Adderall that my buddy gave me.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Because I was there late last night, and I was super tired like [inaudible] take this.

Detective 1: Alright, Adderall?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: And do you normally take that?

Lee Rodarte: Nah, I was, I’ve taken one long time ago. I wouldn’t say high school. A little after high school but it’s been years.

Detective 1: Okay, uh, but nothing to drink, alcohol wise?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay and how, about what time do you think you took the Adderall?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, It was probably twelve-ish.

Detective 1: Like noon?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay. And do you understand what I’m saying though? You able to communicate okay enough? It didn’t, you know, make you not be able to…

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay. And no alcohol. And you said you can read and write?

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: Alright. Perfect, awesome. Okay, I want to ask you some questions, but I want to go over your rights. We are currently at 501 East [street] Street, which is the police memorial building. Today is August the 5^th, 2017 and it’s approximately 7:15. Make sure about that. Yep. 7:15 p.m. give or take. Um, can you, will you read that? Just that top line for me?

Lee Rodarte: You have the following rights under the United States Constitution.

Detective 1: Perfect. I will read these with you, and you can kind of just follow. Um, you do not have to make a statement or say anything. Anything you say can be used against you in court. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before you make a statement or before any questions are ask of you and to have the lawyer with you during any questioning. If you can not afford to higher a lawyer, one will be appointed to you before any questioning if you wish. If you do answer questions, you also have the right to stop answering those questions at any time and consult with your attorney or with a lawyer. Do you understand those rights?

Lee Rodarte: Yes sir.

Detective 1: Okay awesome. If you just sign there that you understand that. That isn’t admitting or not saying anything, it’s just saying that you understand your rights.

Lee Rodarte: Okay.

Detective 1: Perfect. I appreciate it that. Alright so, um, Savannah. You said you knew her, and guys had… Uh, you knew her from work. I mean, just fill me in. How long have you known her…?

Lee Rodarte: Like I said, I have known her obviously since she start, since she started working there. Um, I would say probably about eight months ago or so we started hanging out outside of work. Um, and at the time I had a girlfriend. Um, but we kind of, you know, we kind of connected, me and Savannah. So, we hung out a little bit here and there. Um, got pretty close. Uh, we come from I guess somewhat similar, uh, backgrounds I guess you should say.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, she didn’t have it the best growing up, neither did I. So, we kind of connected. Hung out for a while. Probably would say a period of two, three months. Um, and then she started using drugs a lot. Now, I used them with her, not the same drugs that she used all the time, um but I did them with her a couple times. And then she started to get heavy into them.

Detective 1: Oh, gotcha.

Lee Rodarte: So, um. I kind of just, uh, try to take a step back and, you know, put things off. Um, and after that, um, me and my ex started kind of chit chatting again [cross talk]

Detective 1: Okay, and who’s that? What’s her name?

Lee Rodarte: Her name’s Chelsea.

Detective 1: Okay, alright.

Lee Rodarte: Um, so, we kind of started chit chatting again, never really hundred percent because obviously she was still kind of upset about me hanging out with Savannah and stuff like that. Um, and then probably a month or so ago, um, I saw Savannah again at work and she looked healthy again. You know, she gained a little bit of weight and uh, just, you know, friendly talk at work. You know, telling her, you know, hope everything has been good and she told me, you know, that I guess she did a lot of drugs and ended up in the hospital. She ended up missing like, I want to say, a couple days, three or four days of work.

Detective 1: Oh okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, so obviously, you know, me being pretty close to her I was concerned and everything. But after she came back, she looked good. She ended up telling me that, I guess, uh, you know, over those four days she detoxed pretty well. She kind of caught a… new sense into why she should do so much drugs …

Detective 1: Good for her.

Lee Rodarte: so much. And like I said, she looked good. She started looking healthy so, uh, we were kind of talking here and there and we hung out a couple times. Um, she came over to the house and we just kind of kicked back, drank a couple beers, watched movies, stuff like that. Um, and then as we hung out, you know, after a couple times, she brought drugs over. Um, and I told her, you’re doing really good. You can’t, you know, you shouldn’t be doing it again. You’re finally gaining weight. Because when we were together the first time, she was you know, she got really petite and just didn’t look well. Which is kind of why I took a step back plus, uh, my father used a lot of drugs growing up, my mother used a lot of drugs growing up. And it was just kind of a hard thing to see, you know, every time that we hung out.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Like I said, we did, uh like we took some pain pills here and there, on occasion, but then she started like bringing heroin over and stuff like that. That’s, uh. My mom was addicted to methamphetamines when she was, when I was younger. So those hard, like hard drugs does kind of scare me a little but so that’s why I stepped back the first time. Then I felt like she was better as we hung out recently and then she brought drugs over to my house the last time we hung out and uh, we would text here and there. I would ask her how she was doing, you know, hope her day was going good just… because I told her the last time we hung out I was like, you know, you’re doing really well, stop doing this, you know, you can do it.

Detective 1: Yeah, yeah. No doubt.

Lee Rodarte: Um, and I heard that she kept, was doing the same thing.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, so, we texted a couple times and I end up telling her “hey, you know, for one I’m dealing with a lot of personal stuff myself right now as it is. I’m a little depressed. Um, but I think we’re moving too fast. I think we should stop talking”. Um, and she said “I understand, it’s completely fine. No problem”, you know. She said “I’ll delete your number. I’ll never text you again”.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: And I said “same”. And I was like “I’m sorry. Like, I didn’t mean to, you know, try to jump back into things, I just, I think we moved too fast”. Um, and I said I wouldn’t text her either. Just to be, you know, kind of split.

Detective 1: Mutual, yeah.

Lee Rodarte: Um, and that was the last time that we text.

Detective 2: When was that?

Lee Rodarte: Um, it was probably a couple, two or three weeks ago.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Sometime in July.

Detective 1: Right right. Yeah, I think that was one of the things you said was that was the last time that you had contact with her as far as, and I don’t want to put words in your mouth so you correct me if I’m wrong”

Lee Rodarte: That’s the last time that I text her.

Detective 1: Text or phone call or messenger or any like that is two to three weeks?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay. And um, the last time… When was the last time you saw her?

Lee Rodarte: This is what I was [inaudible]. I didn’t tell you the truth when we talked [inaudible]. The last time I saw her was Wednesday afternoon.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um. I heard that she has been, basically telling a lot people at work that, um, we hooked up a bunch a couple days before that and that she was going to like, tell about the whole situation and try to get me fired.

Detective 1: Why, why would that get you fired?

Lee Rodarte: Well, I’m a manager and she’s an employee.

Detective 1: Okay, so you guys aren’t supposed to fraternize?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay, I gotcha.

Lee Rodarte: And she just told people she was out with at work at the restaurant that we were having sex and hooking up and stuff like that. That I was her boyfriend and this and that. Um, so I was a little upset. Obviously, you know, I care about my job. Um…

Detective 1: Sure, how long have you been working there again?

Lee Rodarte: Um, it’ll be five years in December.

Detective 1: Okay, yeah. Right.

Lee Rodarte: So I was a little upset. Um, so. I met her in the parking lot at BoneFish.

Detective 1: When was this?

Lee Rodarte: Wednesday afternoon.

Detective 1: Okay. Do you know what time or about?

Lee Rodarte: Um, it was about 5:30.

Detective 1: Okay.

Detective 2: When you say you met her, was she meeting you too or…

Lee Rodarte: Um, I didn’t call her…

Detective 2: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: I just drove up there to see if maybe she was working. I was going to, you know, talk to her and um…

Detective 1: Did you know if she was working that night?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I did.

Detective 1: You did not.

Lee Rodarte: I did.

Detective 1: Oh, you did.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Oh, I’m sorry. So, you knew she was working that night.

Lee Rodarte: So, I drove up there and was hoping I would get the chance to talk to her.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, I pulled in the parking lot. She pulled in a little bit after me. I parked. And I said “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” um, and she said “yeah, what’s up?” and I was like “I heard you’ve been saying some things about me and you continuing to hang out and we’re boyfriend and girlfriend and she asked me, she said “Can I come sit in the car because I just did some heroin and I’m a little paranoid”.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: I said, “why are you doing that?” You know, you’ve been doing really well, you shouldn’t be doing that.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um and, she came and got in the car and I explained to her the situation that, I told her that servers and Bone Fish were coming to me and telling me that you’re telling people when you’re out that we’re having sex and we’re boyfriend and girlfriend and I said “I would appreciate, you know, I need you to stop. Because for one this is jeopardizing my job. We agreed to, you know, split. Stop talking mutually and just move on and you know, be cordial or whatever” but um, it was nothing more than that. And she said “I’m going to do what I want, uh, you can believe what you want, I didn’t tell anybody anything” and I told her, I said “the girl that you were out with told Chelsea that we were still having sex and that you were just at my house like yesterday, hanging out” and..

Detective 1: That she was out with when?

Lee Rodarte: That Savannah was out with a couple nights prior.

Detective 1: Okay. Gotcha.

Lee Rodarte: I guess at one of the bars [cross talk]

Detective 1: And who’s that?

Lee Rodarte: The girl that she…

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: The girl that she was with? He name was Rachel.

Detective 1: Rachel. Okay. Rachel told Chelsea that…

Lee Rodarte: Savannah was saying that uh… cause me and Chelsea talk, we are very, you know, friendly at work, you know. We joke back and forth “haha” and uh, um, and Savannah said “Yeah, I did say that”, you know, uh “I don’t really like Chelsea”, you know. And I said “look, you need to stop because for one, like I said, we agreed to go our separate ways, and this is jeopardizing my job and it is making me really upset having to come into work. You know? Or talk to Chelsea and she just constantly, you know, badgering me about stuff that you’re saying that isn’t true.

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: Um. And I told her that she needs to stop. Um. At that point…

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: I said “Stop, I’m serious. I don’t want to talk to you, it’s not good for us, so let’s stop” and she just said, “why did you do that?” I said “well, I’m upset” and she said, “fuck you”, you know “you’re a piece of shit”. She said she was going to keep talking, telling lies and stuff about me and everything like that, and I said…

[edited]

Lee Rodarte: and at that point, uh, she had a phone in her hand, she got out of the car and walked towards the main entrance of San Jose.

Detective 1: So, like if, um.

Lee Rodarte: So, like if this is…

Detective 1: I know Bone Fish is over here, this is San Jose, this is the bank over here in this area. Where were you guys parked?

Lee Rodarte: She was parked here.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, to the left of the five-star ATM.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: I was parked here.

Detective 1: Okay, alright, so you’re like here?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah, um, I was, I was probably three spaces away.

Detective 1: Okay, from her car?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um so.

Detective 1: And what do you drive?

Lee Rodarte: I drive a Chevy Malibu.

Detective 1: Okay. What color is it?

Lee Rodarte: Silver.

Detective 1: Silver Chevy Malibu.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Does it have Colorado tags, Florida tags, Georgia tags?

Lee Rodarte: Florida tags.

Detective 1: Okay. And um, did you, when you got there did you pull into the parking place or did you park sideways, did you…

Lee Rodarte: I backed in, I backed in.

Detective 1: Okay, you backed in.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: You backed into this parking space over by the bank area um, by the five-star ATM.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: And you’re driving a Silver Chevy Malibu with a Florida tag. Okay. And she pulls in over on this side of you?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay, so like, if you’re in your car and you’re sitting here, she would be on your left, the driver side.

Lee Rodarte: So, if I’m sitting facing forward, yeah, she would be on the driver’s side.

Detective 1: Does she back in, does she pull in?

Lee Rodarte: She pulled in.

Detective 1: Okay. Alright. So, when she gets out she’s close enough to you and that’s when you motioned her over or called her over or said “hey can I talk to you”…

Lee Rodarte: Yeah, I said “hey can I talk to you”.

Detective 2: Were you by yourself?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 2: Okay. Nobody in the car with you?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Nobody in the car with her?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay, alright. What was she wearing?

Lee Rodarte: Um, her uniform.

Detective 1: Her uniform. Okay. Alright. And then she comes over, she says “can I get in the car?” If I say anything wrong, correct me. Okay? I’m going to repeat back but if I don’t get something right, I need you to make sure I’m saying the right thing. Okay. Um, you say “hey, can I talk to you” and she walks over, approaches on the driver’s side. You in the car or out of the car?

Lee Rodarte: In the car.

Detective 1: Okay. You’re sitting in the driver’s seat?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay. Um, and she, she asked if she can get in because she just did heroin and she, how does she do it? Does she shoot up, smoke it, snort?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, she snorts it.

Detective 1: Okay. And then…

Lee Rodarte: She’s told me she shot up before, but…

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: Never in front of me.

Detective 1: Okay, and then she comes and gets in the car with you?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Is your car a two door or four door?

Lee Rodarte: Four door.

Detective 1: Four door. Does she get in the front seat, back seat?

Lee Rodarte: She gets in the back and I ask why she got in the back.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, and she was like “I just don’t want anybody to see me”, you know.

Detective 2: And when did you get in, too?

Lee Rodarte: Um, she said “you can come back here, and we can talk”

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: So, I got out and got in the back seat.

Detective 1: Okay so you guys are both in the back seat now?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay, gotcha. Alright, alright. I wasn’t sure. Um, and then how the conversation went basically you’re telling her to leave you alone. Stop harassing you or why are you telling people we’re having sex and you guys; um you don’t want to jeopardize your job.

Lee Rodarte: I just told her, you know, especially since she was high I was like “we just don’t need to have anything to do with each other” and uh, she said “fuck you, I’m going to keep doing this” and whatever. So…

Detective 1: Alright.

Lee Rodarte: So, I got out and…

[edited]

Detective 1: And then you got back in and then what did you say to her?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I said “you know, could you leave me alone? Like, I’m serious, I don’t want to talk to you.” And she said, “fuck you, why’d you do that?” And I said, she continued to say that she was going to do whatever she wants and say what she wants no matter what and I knew in my mind it was because she was high.

Detective 1: Yeah, so what did you say to all that? [cross talk] Obviously you got to get pissed.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah, I got aggravated.

Detective 1: I would too.

Lee Rodarte: I got frustrated and I said [edited] and then…

Detective 1: Now you [edited]

Lee Rodarte: No you go ahead.

Detective 1: Um, we were told that had happened before to her car. Have you heard that?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I didn’t hear that her car was vandalized before.

Detective 1: You have?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay, so you didn’t know about that.

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay. Same deal, okay. Alright. Okay, what were you saying something about, the um, you were, did you get back in the car?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: And did you get in the front seat or back seat?

Lee Rodarte: I got in the front seat.

Detective 1: Okay. That time you got in the front seat. Where is she?

Lee Rodarte: She was in the back seat still and at that point I said, you know, “now leave me alone”. She responded [edited] and she said, “fuck you” you know, “I’ll do what I want” and she got out, and it looked like she was either texting or calling somebody.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, because as she started walking towards the, there’s an entrance to the, um, to the plaza…

Detective 1: Okay, closer towards the 295.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: I wouldn’t say she was walking along the edge of the plaza, but she was walking maybe towards this way and I would say an older model Ford pickup…

Detective 1: Mm-hm

Lee Rodarte: Green.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Uh, drove past me and around, and she got in.

Detective 1: Okay. So, um, she, had she, when you guys are talking in the car back and forth, she’s not, is she calling somebody while you guys are talking back and forth on the phone?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I didn’t see, she didn’t call anybody, no. She had her phone in her hand.

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: But um, but I don’t think she texts anybody.

Detective 1: So, she gets out of the car with you and starts walking this direction.

Lee Rodarte: I was in the car.

Detective 1: You were in the car, but she got out.

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: Now you’re in the front seat. So, she gets out of the back seat and starts walking towards, or in the direction of, not necessarily paralleling San Jose, but she’s walking towards 295 or down towards that entrance area, um, and then she has her phone and you thought she was calling somebody.

Lee Rodarte: Um, she was, she had it in her hand and it looked like, I mean, I couldn’t tell if she was texting or not or anything…

Detective 1: But she had her phone out.

Lee Rodarte: She had her phone out and she was looking at it. And then, uh, it looked like she was going to put it up to her ear and then the green truck came around …

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: And

Detective 1: So how long do you think, um, it was between the time she got out and started using her phone and that green truck pulled up?

Lee Rodarte: Um, maybe five minutes.

Detective 1: Okay, so wow. So, if she called somebody, they got there in five minutes to pick her up.

Lee Rodarte: I mean, like I said it looked like she, she was going to call somebody and that’s when the green truck came around and she got in.

Detective 1: Okay. Okay. She gets in the truck. What happened at that point?

Lee Rodarte: Um, they drove back around, kind of looped around a little bit

Detective 1: Which way did they drive?

Lee Rodarte: So, she was say, here. The green truck comes here, and then kind of like, loops around, and it looked like, I guess they exited that way and at that point I left.

Detective 2: They exited going which way down [inaudible]?

Lee Rodarte: Um, toward [inaudible]. I guess to leave the, uh…

Detective 1: So, they come out of the back side of this bank, like this way…

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Towards Clair and San Jose.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: And then you pull out. Which way do you go?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I go around and then go out…

Detective 1: The same way.

Lee Rodarte: The same way, yeah.

Detective 1: And where do you go from there?

Lee Rodarte: From there, I go home.

Detective 1: Go straight home.

Detective 2: Tell me your route that you went.

Lee Rodarte: Uh, 295 all the way to Peach Blvd, Peach Blvd to Grove Park.

Detective 1: How long does that usually take you? Depending on traffic obviously.

Lee Rodarte: Mmm… [inaudible] I think it usually takes me about 25 minutes or so.

Detective 1: Okay. What happened to your neck?

Lee Rodarte: That was self-inflicted, actually.

Detective 1: Why?

Lee Rodarte: I just been having a hard time, uh, I couldn’t…

Detective 2: To your neck?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah and [displays arm]

Detective 2: What did you use?

Lee Rodarte: A knife.

Detective 2: When did you do that?

Lee Rodarte: Um.. sometime in July.

Detective 2: You did that in July and it’s still…

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 2: Bloody-ish.

Lee Rodarte: Well, it’s, I kind of peel the scab here and there at work. [inaudible] stuff like that. I peeled it last night working. Um, this was coming off a bit today, so I peeled that a little bit.

Detective 1: Okay, let me see.

Lee Rodarte: But this and this was the same night. This one was just a lot worse…

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: Than this one was.

Detective 1: Okay, and this was in July?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Like a few weeks back?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay. Okay. So, who, could you see who the person in the truck was?

Lee Rodarte: Um, the truck had fairly tinted windows. I saw a baseball cap.

Detective 1: Yeah. Okay. Guy, girl, white, black?

Lee Rodarte: I couldn’t really tell, if it was a guy or a girl. Um, I just remember seeing the truck drive and her get in.

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: I’m sitting in the front and the truck drives right past me and I saw a baseball cap through the passenger window. Um, but…

Detective 1: So, it seemed like she knew the person?

Lee Rodarte: I mean, she got right in.

Detective 1: Had you ever, um, seen that truck before?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Never.

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Have you seen it since then?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Did she say…

Detective 2: Why… Go ahead.

Detective 1: Did she say anything to you when she got out of the car other than fuck you?

Lee Rodarte: She was just like “fuck you. I’m going to do what I want.”

Detective 1: She doesn’t say anything other than that? Okay.

Detective 2: Why didn’t you mention this before since we’ve been looking for this girl? I mean, don’t you think this information [cross talk]

Lee Rodarte: I mean it definitely, it definitely does. And I regret not saying anything before. Um, I mean, I talked to Chelsea and she said, “you need to tell them everything you know”.

Detective 1: When did you talk to Chelsea? You talked to Chelsea about this?

Lee Rodarte: Yes. Um, the day that it happened. Because, I mean, her whole issue was me hanging out with Savannah prior.

Detective 1: Sure, and if Savannah is out of the picture then you guys can be free to have your relationship, be back together.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Yeah, I mean. Savannah is in the way, in essence. She kind of creeped in, she sounds like an ass to you. If she’s out there telling people you guys are having sex, or if you are, um then she’s the one pushing your buttons, she’s pushing Chelsea…

Lee Rodarte: I mean I told Chelsea I was going to tell her to leave me alone.

Detective 1: You were going to tell Savannah?

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: When did you tell Chelsea that?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I believe it was Tuesday night, maybe.

Detective 1: Tuesday. Okay. Um, and you, how do you guys talk? Facebook? Text?

Lee Rodarte: Text message.

Detective 1: Okay. And do you have a Facebook?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: You don’t have one at all?

Lee Rodarte: Um… I had one. I deactivated it, maybe a month or two ago.

Detective 1: It’s still there, just don’t use it or…

Lee Rodarte: I deactivated it the account.

Detective 1: Okay, so you don’t even have one that’s out there then.

Lee Rodarte: No. Um, I did have one when Savannah and I first started talking. That was kind of how we talked.

Detective 1: A way for you guys to talk without Chelsea knowing what was going on. I’m not telling Chelsea I’m just…

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: So, when I come up and talk to you yesterday, I’m not threatening, I’m talking to everybody up there, what?

Lee Rodarte: I freaked out, to be honest with you.

Detective 1: That this girl is missing?

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: Okay, but you know she’s been missing. I mean, you knew from, from essence from day one, that she’s been missing. And you um, you freaked out [cross talk]

Lee Rodarte: Obviously you know, you know I was the last one to see her, so I was a little bit scared about that. Um, and…

Detective 1: How do you know, you just said you weren’t the last one to see her, you just said somebody in a truck…

Lee Rodarte: Well, I mean, the last one to see her at Bone Fish. Last one she’s heard from, had contact that anybody knows of.

Detective 1: Sure.

Lee Rodarte: Um, and I know, thought that I had a warrant out already.

Detective 1: Okay. What’s the warrant for?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, I didn’t go to a court date for a ticket.

Detective 1: Okay. Okay. But I talked to you last night and I didn’t have handcuffs, I wasn’t threatening in any way…

Lee Rodarte: Definitely not but I mean…

Detective 1: And I left so what were you, what were you, if you were worried you were going to get arrested then it would have happened.

Lee Rodarte: Well, that’s another reason that uh, my, Chelsea called me, and I said “you know, I told them I didn’t know anything, what do I do now, you know, I already…”

Detective 1: When did you tell Chelsea that? When did you talk to her?

Lee Rodarte: Um, about

Detective 1: It had to be after last night so was it today?

Lee Rodarte: No. I didn’t talk to her today.

Detective 1: Okay, so how was I up there talking to you at about 11 o’clock but you talked to her after?

Lee Rodarte: I’m sorry, it was earlier in the day. I, cause, obviously I told her what happened, the day that it happened. Um, and told her that I was going to tell Savannah to leave me alone.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: The day before. And after I told her about what happened about me, you know, getting in the car with some guy. Um, she, we talked a little bit just about, you know, how it’s kind of crazy, you know what I’m saying. And I said, “you know, she hasn’t hung out with the best of people in her past.”

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: Um, she asked if I knew who it was. Said “no”. Um, just told her it was a green truck. Um, and then everything happened, and her mom and police came up there and everything like that, so we talked Thursday night. And she said, “you need to tell somebody”.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: And I was like, how, I don’t know what to do, I’m scared. You know, I don’t want to get in trouble for, you know, anything or have anything, you know, be a suspect or anything like that. Which, I mean, was obviously not the right decision to make.

Detective 1: Yeah, yeah.

Lee Rodarte: Because now…

[cross talk]

Detective 2: We could have been three days ahead with this.

Lee Rodarte: Obviously. Obviously now it looks, um…

Detective 1: So, um, so you’re saying that there’s a green, what kind of truck was it?

Lee Rodarte: It looked like a Ford. Mid-90’s.

Detective 1: Mm-hm. Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: It was a two door. Maybe the one with the little third door that you open from the side.

Detective 1: Okay. Um, well, the good thing about that is, um, we should be able to verify all of that, all of this kind of thing, so that won’t be a problem at all. Um, yeah, I’m just, I don’t know. So you said you told her that you had talked to us, but I don’t think, chronologically I don’t think that matches up.

Lee Rodarte: We, we talked Thursday and…

Detective 1: Not last night [inaudible]

Lee Rodarte: No. We talked Thursday after like, her mom and everything was on the news.

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: And she called me and was like “hey everything is all over the news. Uh, you need to, you need to tell somebody you know. She said “Call the hotline” or something like that.

Detective 2: Did you call the hotline?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I told her I did just because in my head I wasn’t, I was scared to call that night.

Detective 2: So, but did you ever call the hotline?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: So, this, you haven’t told anyone about this yet, other than Chelsea.

Lee Rodarte: Chelsea is the only person that knows.

Detective 1: Okay. Okay. You …

Lee Rodarte: Just because I felt like I could, you know, [cross talk]

Detective 1: So how did that conversation go with you and Chelsea, um?

Lee Rodarte: She kept asking me what happened, you know, what happened. And I would tell her and she said it’s crazy. Um, and then she told me that, you know, I need to call somebody and let them know that I was talking to her Wednesday, um, before the news said she went missing.

Detective 1: Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: And I said I would.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: And I didn’t.

Detective 1: How did, how did the conversation end with you guys?

Lee Rodarte: She was, she told me, she basically said she’s not going to, she doesn’t want to associate with me because I talked to Savannah on Wednesday. [cross talk]

Detective 1: You already told her you were going to do that.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay, so, here…

Lee Rodarte: See, the thing with, me and Chelsea would argue all the time about me not telling Savannah…

Detective 1: To cut it off or whatever.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah. Yeah.

Detective 1: But you go up, and you meet, Chelsea knows you’re going to go meet Savannah Wednesday afternoon.

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: She knows that. Afterwards, do you guys talk about how that conversation went?

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: Okay, so you guys, so she knows how the conversation ended.

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: And you told her that night, Wednesday night, about the truck and about the [edited]. Was there ever, you just called her and told her?

Lee Rodarte: No, we spoke first via text.

Detective 1: Okay, um. So, you text her from your phone [edited] so that’s on your phone?

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 1: Okay, so that text message is on your phone?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Why not?

Lee Rodarte: [Edited] You know, they said Savannah was missing, ‘cause I freaked out. I was like, holy crap.

Detective 1: Yeah. That sounds like, sounds crazy.

Lee Rodarte: Which is, which is… I mean obviously me sending a picture of one of the things they pointed out on the news kind of, scared me.

Detective 1: Sure, absolutely. Um, so how, how, did you all get together or talk anymore Wednesday night? How, did she do a follow up with you? How did the conversation go? How did the rest of Wednesday go?

Lee Rodarte: Um, we, she called me on my way home. Um, and you know, asked where I was. I told her, I was like “pulling into my neighborhood”. Um, and then we just talked about the situation. She asked what I said to Savannah. What Savannah said to me and you know [edited] Because she was texting me while Savannah and I were talking and I didn’t reply because we were talking and, you know, we were going back and forth so I didn’t text her back. So I told her I’m not ignoring you, we were talking [edited] So she called me and asked me what I was doing, I said I was in my neighborhood, about to go home. Uh, went home. Uh, we texted a little bit more here and there. She asked me what I was doing, told her I was eating. I sent her a picture after I got out of the shower because she was like “oh you haven’t gotten any pics” this and that so um as I was getting out of the shower I got the text message and texted her a picture of me getting out of the shower and uh she said she didn’t believe I was home or something like that.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: So I sent her a picture. And other than I hung out at the house.

Detective 1: Okay.

Detective 2: By yourself?

Lee Rodarte: No. I have a roommate.

Detective 2: Okay, what’s his name?

Lee Rodarte: Aaron. A-A-R-O-N. Bieger. B-I-E-G-E-R.

Detective 2: B-I-E-G-E-R.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah, he’s um,

Detective 1: P or B?

Lee Rodarte: B.

Detective 1: B. Okay, he’s what? I’m sorry.

Lee Rodarte: He’s who I moved in with.

Detective 1: Okay. So, Wednesday night over at your house it’s you and Aaron.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah.

Detective 1: Okay. Okay.

Detective 2: Is Aaron there when you get home?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 2: What time did he get home?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, 11ish.

Detective 1: Okay.

Lee Rodarte: A little bit after.

Detective 2: So before that you just hung out at the house by yourself and ate?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I ate some dinner, took a shower, Chelsea actually came over Wednesday night, if I’m not mistaken.

Detective 1: Okay.

Detective 2: And what did you all do?

Lee Rodarte: Just hung out, watch movies, drunk a couple beers.

Detective 1: Okay. Um. So where, where, when she’s in the car what is she, what does she say to you about what her plans are? So, she’s scheduled to work that night. So, she’s going to work?

Lee Rodarte: We didn’t talk about, uh, I assumed she was going to work. Um, she was in her uniform. But she didn’t say, when she got out of the car she doesn’t say anything after she gets out of the car.

Detective 1: And she gets in that truck she, lets be honest, we wont even call her she, Savannah, okay. Um, Savannah, again with this picture if we are using it in the same place, from where you’re drawing was, they drove over here. You’re here, and you, they drive out over here. Do they stop? Does she stop and get out and go to work? Does the truck keep going?

Lee Rodarte: Um, I didn’t see once they turned the corner past the ATM. Once she got in and they left, I left. Cause I just…

Detective 1: Did you run into them on the road anywhere?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay. Did she call you later on or text you later on?

Lee Rodarte: Savannah? No.

Detective 1: No other contact with her?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: So, where’s Savannah right now?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 1: Where would I find her?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 1: That’s my prime objective is to find her.

Lee Rodarte: Definitely.

Detective 1: I think time’s running out on her and I think that….

Lee Rodarte: I mean, I’ve, I should have said something to you guys when I talked to you guys.

Detective 1: Oh yeah yeah yeah.

Lee Rodarte: I should have said something Wednesday or when Thursday when it was brought to everyone’s attention.

Detective 1: So, tell me how I go from nice guy, never met you, you seem like a nice guy, I come up and talk to you, again, you know, you agreed there was nothing threatening or anything about our conversation. Just asking you for some simple basic things. Where we just talked for a few minutes. And you, um, didn’t tell me this story. I’m not going to say the truth because I think there’s holes in this story too.

Lee Rodarte: Okay.

Detective 1: Um, so you don’t tell me this story and then today we’re talking again because I brought you down to talk to you because I found holes in that story that didn’t match up and now you’re telling me another story that has holes that does not match up. So, where’s Savannah?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 2: Why were you being hesitant about Chelsea being at your house? First you said that you were by yourself, you ate alone

Lee Rodarte: Yes, I ate dinner alone. Yes.

Detective 2: Right, but that’s not true either because you ordered Pa Pa Johns for you and Chelsea. [cross talk]

Lee Rodarte: I ate, I ate corndogs earlier in the evening and when Chelsea got there, she was hungry, so I said…

Detective 2: But you clearly said you were alone.

Lee Rodarte: When I ate the corndogs, yeah.

Detective 2: Okay, yeah. Well you know what I’m saying.

Lee Rodarte: I remember specifically texting Chelsea “I’m eating corndogs”.

Detective 1: And all that is on your phone?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 2: Why would you delete all that?

Detective 1: Just a conversation with you and Chelsea you would delete about “I’m having corndogs”?

Lee Rodarte: That text might be on there.

Detective 1: Okay, but she…

Lee Rodarte: We got to talking about me going up to Bone Fish and everything like that.

Detective 1: Yeah. Yeah.

Lee Rodarte: Chelsea said, you know “don’t involve me”, you know…

Detective 1: Does Chelsea believe you?

Lee Rodarte: She, I don’t know…

Detective 1: Okay. Um, just so you know, Chelsea thinks you’re bullshitting. Okay, because we’ve talked to her. We’ve talked to a lot of people.

Lee Rodarte: I mean, that’s about the gist of, you know, Chelsea’s attitude towards me for the most part for the past months. Ever since me and Savannah.

Detective 2: Is that because you’re a liar? I mean, to her, in the past?

Lee Rodarte: That’s pretty much what she labels me as, yeah. Because…

Detective 2: Do you lie?

Lee Rodarte: Not about every, no, obviously to her about hanging out with Savannah and stuff like that…

Detective 2: Okay.

Detective 1: And you lied to me, about Savannah.

Lee Rodarte: Yes sir.

Detective 1: Okay. So, I’m just, I’m not trying to say anything…

Lee Rodarte: I understand.

Detective 1: I’m just trying to lay out the facts. I want to find this girl. I need to find her.

Lee Rodarte: I understand.

Detective 1: Here’s a couple reasons I need to find her. One is, um, I’m hoping that she is still alive. And that’s really, I’m really do, I’m holding out for that, um, and if she’s not alive then I think she and her family are due that knowledge. I think they need some closure. Um, cause I think the reality is, if somebody you know is dead somewhere a parent would want to know. I think if, do you have kids?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Okay so, one day when you have kids, you, what beyond certainty is, is whatever kind of person she is, and I’m not about to say what kind of person she is, um, because I’m not making any judgements. I’m saying, this human being, if she’s alive, then I want to find her. I need to make sure she’s okay because it’s been several days now, she hasn’t been around. Some, there’s, things that happen to the human body and some people can’t stand a lot of things that can transpire. But the other thing is is if she’s not alive this family deserves better than this. This family deserves better than somebody who works with her and who has knowledge but won’t tell the police because they’re worried about their own ass. Because that’s pretty cheap. I’m going to be honest with you

Lee Rodarte: I agree

Detective 1: Your feelings in it? I don’t really care about your feelings. What I care about finding her. So, where is she?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know where she is.

Detective 1: Where is Savannah?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 1: I need to know Savannah is so I can let her family is.

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know where she is.

Detective 1: You don’t know because you had something done with her and you weren’t involved with that part? I don’t know. Tell me something. What can I work with?

Lee Rodarte: I told you the last time I saw her.

Detective 2: That’s not true because we have proof. We have proof. And that’s why we’re sitting here, Lee. At this point where we need that for her. I mean, I look at that little girl and I think of my little girl. My little girl that’s her age. That’s who I think about. If that was my little girl, I couldn’t imagine. I don’t care what she said about you or whatever. But my little girl is that age.

Detective 1: Maybe…

Detective 2: And you’re not telling the truth.

Detective 1: Maybe something get’s out of hand in the car.

Lee Rodarte: I didn’t do anything.

Detective 2: Okay, you didn’t do anything, but she was in your car. She never got out of your car. She never got out of your car, Lee.

Detective 1: We’re not saying you did anything. I’m trying to find her. I didn’t say you did anything.

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know where she is.

Detective 2: Well, we can prove that you left with her in the car. So please, do, do, do everybody a favor and just tell us.

Detective 1: Where is she?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 1: You got to be able to separate. We’re not saying you did anything to her. I don’t know, she’s on drugs. Maybe she passed out. I don’t know. I’m not in that car with you guys. I know that she’s in that car with you. I have proof of all of this.

Detective 2: Okay I’m going to ask you Lee, you tell us now if you’re being honest [inaudible] are you being honest?

Lee Rodarte: Yes.

Detective 2: Okay then let’s start being honest. She never got out of your back seat. Lee, she never got out of your back seat. Video cameras don’t lie. How do you know, how do you know, how do you think I know this information, Lee? I wasn’t there. But a video camera caught it.

Detective 1: Tell me what happened.

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 1: How did, how, what happened to her? Was it an overdose? Is that what happened? I don’t know. I’m not in the car with you guys. You just said she was in your car and she had admittedly done heroin. Bodies overdose all the time, is that what happens? Did she overdose?

Detective 2: Okay, well so tell us when you left with her in the car, that is what is shown, we can’t make up that. We can’t falsify video camera, Lee. I’m not lying to you. Because you know I’m telling the truth because you know what’s on the video. How else would I know that? I don’t unless I have the video. Where did you go with her?

Lee Rodarte: I didn’t go anywhere with her.

Detective 2: You did.

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 2: You did. So, the video cameras lie?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know this, I mean…

Detective 2: Well, I’m telling you, I’m telling you I’m not lying. I’m not making that up. That’s why I’m so passionate about this. This is someone child. You might not have kids, but damn it, she’s someone’s kid. It’s not fair to her mom with stage four cancer. When all she wants to know is where her daughter is but have this man sitting over here. A 28-year-old man, that first says you haven’t seen her, you didn’t see her that day, to now the roles have reversed a little bit, because we have been doing our background okay? And now you’re saying that she was sitting in your car, which all lines up with the video, actually, I’m glad you said you got in the back seat with her, all that lines up [edited]. You know what doesn’t line up? That passenger door comes open, and shuts, opens and shuts. She never gets out of that car. And you drive off. She never gets out of that car. There is no green truck. And that’s not right to her. We are fact finders, Lee. We don’t have anything personal against you.

Detective 1: No, no. Not at all. It’s over. Just tell us what happened. Where is she?

Detective 2: We’re fact finders, just doing our job.

[Rodarte shakes head “no”]

Detective 2: No, no, no. Where did you go with her? Where did you go with her, Lee. You’re human, you’re human, you’re a man. Where did you go with her? I know you’re not that cruel inside. Seriously, where did you go with her?

Detective 1: Maybe, maybe you don’t know where she is now. Where did go with her?

Detective 2: Please. Please. I’m begging you, Lee. Please. Please tell us. Please don’t make us waste any more of our time. Just tell us. Please tell us, please. I’m begging you; I know you’re not evil. Just tell us where she is. I’m begging, please. Please. Can you please just tell me? Is that how you want it, people to think. I know you’re not an evil person. I don’t see that in you. I don’t see that in your history. I don’t hear that those things about you at work. Please tell us where you went with her. She never got out of your car. Please tell us, please, please. I’m begging you. For her family. Please. Please. She didn’t get out of her car and you know that obviously. Please. Please, Lee. I’m begging you as a human.

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 2: You do.

Lee Rodarte: Like

Detective 2: Just please, Lee. Please. Please don’t make us do this any longer.

Detective 1: For her, for her, for her family. [cross talk] Just tell us where she is. Where did you go?

Detective 2: Can you, can you just tell us? Where did you go with her then?

Detective 1: Where did you go with her? Can you at least tell us that?

Detective 2: Can you at least tell us that part? Where did you go with her afterwards? She didn’t get out of your car and you know that obviously

Detective 1: Yeah [inaudible] that’s why we are here. Just tell us where. Where did you go with her? Tell us that. At least put us in that direction. I owe her family. We’ve been, no one, we are not saying that you intentionally did anything. Just tell us where you went. Please.

Detective 2: Lee.

Detective 1: You’ve been doing great. You already told us everything we already know.

Detective 2: It’s not right, Lee. This isn’t right for her family or for anybody. No one should have to go through this. I’m just, I’m just human like you are. She’s human. Her family. Everyone has feelings. Please. Now’s, now’s the time to tell us because I don’t think you’re any kind of evil person and I feel like you are going to tell us the truth. I do, I do believe that you’re going to tell us the truth because I believe you do have a conscious. Now’s the time. Please.

Detective 1: [inaudible] Where’d you guys go? I think you’re a good man, I think you want to do the right thing.

Detective 2: When you all left out of there you went down Clair lane and made a left on San Jose back to 295 and you get up on 295. Okay. Where else did you go before you went home? I mean I know you eventually went home.

Lee Rodarte: I didn’t go anywhere. I went straight home.

Detective 2: Okay, so what did you all do when you got home? Savannah was with you. She was with you. And that’s okay at that point but I know that, here does she go from there? Is she still at your house?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 2: Okay. Is she still in your car?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 2: Okay. Well then, where is she?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know where she is.

Detective 2: Okay. Where did you last drop her off at?

Lee Rodarte: I didn’t drop her off.

Detective 2: Okay, tell me.

Detective 1: Where did you guys go?

Lee Rodarte: We went to my house, we did some drugs, hung out for a little. Then she said she was going to catch an Uber home.

Detective 2: Okay, and did she call Uber?

Lee Rodarte: She pulled her phone out, looked like she was using it, I wasn’t hoovering over her. I was pretty high. I wasn’t, she told me she was leaving. She walked out the door.

Detective 2: What was going on in the back seat? What was going on in the back seat for the doors to be kicked open? She kicked open that door three times, Lee. She kicked it. We saw it. And you know I’m not making it up because I wouldn’t know this, because I wasn’t there, I would not know this, unless we had video or it. Correct? Yes. Okay, I’m not trying to trick you. I’m just a fact finder.

Detective 1: We’re to going to lie to you.

Detective 2: That door was kicked open three times. Obviously, something went wrong in that back seat. [inaudible] tell me about that. What happened in the back seat, did she get mad at you?

[edited]

Lee Rodarte: We got in arguments plenty of times where she said doesn’t care what happens or anything like that.

Detective 2: Let’s be honest, no one’s going to go with some man willingly after all that. No one’s going to do it. Please tell me where Savannah is.

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 2: You do know and right now is the time. You’re so close and I know, I know you’re going to tell me. I know you are because I just, I just know you are ‘cause I know you want to do the right thing. You’re scared to do the right thing. I get it.

Lee Rodarte: Yeah

Detective 2: I do. I’m not…

Lee Rodarte: Can you just tell me what I’m being charged with, please?

Detective 2: Yes.

Detective 1: I want, I want to find her.

Detective 2: I don’t know that yet but at least I do know that your, [inaudible] for your arrest for the DWLS

Lee Rodarte: For what?

Detective 2: For the DWLS. [cross talk] Where, where is Savannah?

Lee Rodarte: So, what am I being charged with now? Driving with a suspended license?

Detective 2: I don’t know yet. I got to talk to the attorney that’s sitting out there watching this interview. Where’s Savannah?

Lee Rodarte: I don’t know.

Detective 2: You do know. So you’re going to make me, and our team, and this whole entire sheriff’s office and every person in this community to get out there after, you know, we, after they know the truth of who she left with and see’s the struggle in the back seat of your car? And you’re going to make all of us go and search Jacksonville for her when you could easily tell me where she is? Is that what we’re going to put everybody through?

Detective 1: Think about it. Alright. Sometimes people do wrong things. Alright? Sometimes people make mistakes. It’s what you do afterwards. We got a family that needs closure. They’re now coming to the reality that she’s no longer with us. I need closure for them. When stuff gets out that you guys left together and all that type of stuff, do you want people to remember you as the guy who said “okay, look, I’m going to do the right thing”? Or do you want your family and everybody else to think that you’re some evil, heartless person who won’t tell us where she is? Why would you put your family through all of that? I don’t think you’re that kind of guy. I don’t think you’re evil. Something got out of hand, I get it. What you do after that? Here’s what you do, you do the right thing now. Just tell us where she is. Closure for her family.

Detective 2: Lee, we understand. Listen, we understand.

Detective 1: We’re not trying to hit you on anything. I’m telling you we are thinking of this girl and her family and your family.

Lee Rodarte: She was…

Detective 1: Please tell me where to go find her. That’s how people will remember you.

[Edited]

Detective 1: We can work with that. You got to do the right thing now. You can do this. You can do the right thing.

[20 minutes edited out]

[Both detectives leave]

[Detective 1 Returns]

Detective 1: I just want to clarify something with you real quick? Okay, um when you [inaudible] I appreciate you being honest about everything.

[Edited]

Detective 1: Um, Have a seat over here. You want some more water or anything?

Lee Rodarte: No.

Detective 1: Give me a few minutes to finish go talking to her.

[Detective 1 exits]

Lee Rodarte: [crying]

[Officer enters]

Officer: Excuse me. Let me get a few more photographs of your hands. [Police radio] Just your hands. I want you to stand over here. Oh yes, hold them like that.

[Police radio]

[Six photo snaps]

Turn them to the other side.

[police radio]

[Six photo snaps]

[Officer exits]

[Rodarte knocks on door]

Staff 1: Yes sir.

Lee Rodarte: Uh, I just have a question.

Staff 1: Yes sir.

Lee Rodarte: One, am I going to be able to get a phone call at some time.

Staff 1: Well yes sir. We’ll, we’ll take you over to the jail and you’ll be able to make a call over there. Yes sir. What’s your other question?

Lee Rodarte: Uh, never mind. The other question is really… ridiculous.

Staff 1: Oh, okay. Alright. Well if you need anything just knock again and I’ll, we’ll try to..

Lee Rodarte: You guys don’t smoke in here, no?

Staff 1: No sir, unfortunately it’s a no smoking building. So, okay.

[staff 1 closes door]

Lee Rodarte: [inaudible] [crying] Damn it, why are you stupid?

Lee Rodarte: Fuck Chelsea. I should have realized she never loved me [cry]. Ah.

[people in another room]

Lee Rodarte: [sigh and grunts]

Lee Rodarte: [inaudible cries] going to jail. My mom’s going to die when I’m in jail. Can’t believe. Fucking idiot, Lee. Fucking stupid. Why are you here? Go…Jeez.

Lee Rodarte: [paces room then puts head on wall] [inaudible cries: what’s wrong with you?] Stupid. [inaudible] it’s so stupid. I’m fucked. Fucked.

Lee Rodarte: [paces room] [inaudible cries] [drinks water] [cries] I guess [inaudible] never tell the truth. [inaudible] I never [inaudible] I loved you. This was never meant to be. What Chelsea thinks. Fuck Chelsea and what she thinks. Fuck it. You did the right thing. She was s’cold. I’m so sorry Savannah, I’m so sorry. Stop! Fuckin’ get killed in jail.

Lee Rodarte: [getting tissues] [inaudible]

Lee Rodarte: Oh man. Fuck [inaudible], you’re a piece of shit. Savannah was nice to you. But somebody was a bitch to you. How does that make any sense? Somebody that gave two shits about you. [inaudible] nice.

Lee Rodarte: [puts on jacket] Last time you get to wear your chef coat. Fuck me. [getting tissues]

Lee Rodarte: It’s not supposed to be you. It’s not supposed to be you, Lee. [inaudible] fucking life. God damn it, Chelsea.

Lee Rodarte: Everything. Cold places man. Get it through your fucking head. Could have just told her to leave, no. Should have grabbed her back.

[Staff 1 enters]

Staff 1: Alright. Okay Lee. Stay right there.

Detective 1: I want to thank you again for being truthful. Um, and you’re right you did have uh one for the driving [inaudible] um, so the deal from here is, you’ll be booked in tonight. Then you will make a first appearance. Um, tomorrow depending on what time you get in or how full they are. It’ll be first thing in the morning or in the afternoon. Probably the afternoon is what I’m thinking. And then at that point you’ll uh, get to see the judge and then you’ll be assigned an attorney but tonight you should be able to make your phone call. Okay? Um, I was going to ask you but I didn’t want to bug you a minute go. I was out there talking to her. One of the [edited]

Lee Rodarte: Alright

[All exits]

Tags 2017, Bone Fish, Case, Confession, Florida, Homicide, Interrogation, Investigation, Jacksonville, Lee Rodarte, Murder, Restaurant, Savvanah Gold, Transcript, True Crime

Police Interrogations Uncategorized

Bryan Greenwell Interrogation Transcript

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 11, 2019
10 Comments on Bryan Greenwell Interrogation Transcript

On May 13, 2016, Bryan Greenwell (also known as Brian Greenwall) shot and killed Jennifer Cain and critically wounded Derrell Wilson. Greenwell’s fiancé Jodie Cecil was there when the crime happened in a Shelby Park apartment. The living victim, Wilson, was crucial in the investigation. When police showed the couple an interview where Wilson implicates them in the crime while he is in poor condition in the hospital, they both admit their involvement. A summary of the case can be found here.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVHQ1lhr-Fc]

Bryan Greenwell Interrogation Transcript

[door slams]

Investigator: Hey Bryan, what’s happenin’ man?

Bryan Greenwell: What’s happenin’?

Investigator: My name is detective Royce, [inaudible]. Sorry it took me a little while to get over here..

Bryan Greenwell: [inaudible]

Investigator: Talking to Jodie.

Bryan Greenwell: Jodie?

Investigator: Mm-hm.

Bryan Greenwell: How she been doing?

Investigator: She’s a little upset.

Bryan Greenwell: About what?

Investigator: Well, that’s what we’re here to talk about. She’s a little upset, um… I want to tell you that she, I’m trying to remember her exact words but it was more along the lines of “I don’t want to tell him, I don’t want him to be scared, and uh, to talk to us.” Anything else along that. “Cause I want to, I want to go talk to him”, I said “I can’t let you do that, I may be able to let you do a recorded statement or write a note but”

Bryan Greenwell: So she wrote one down?

Investigator: I have a recording. Also, I have another recording that I would like you to review as well but I can’t ask you any questions yet because you’re in custody for something else. I don’t know. I know it’s some kind of dope charge, I know you did some stuff there. So before I actually ask you anything, tell you or show you anything, I have to read you your rights. You’ve had those read before, correct?

Bryan Greenwell: No.

Investigator: You’ve never had your rights read?!

Bryan Greenwell: No. I mean, when I was younger, yeah.

Investigator: Alright so you know what I’m talking about.

Bryan Greenwell: I know what you’re talking about, yeah.

Investigator: Well, I’m going to go through this, and I brought a picture of your kiddos. [places photo of children on table in front of Greenwell] I gave her a picture of them, too. Alright before we ask you any questions you must understand your rights. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court of law. Right to talk to a lawyer prior to questioning or making any statements. Have them present with you while being questioned. Can’t afford to hire a lawyer, one will be appointed by the court to represent you before any questions if you desire one. You may stop the questioning or making statements at any time by refusing to answer further or requesting to consult with an attorney prior to continuing questioning or making statements. Those are your rights. And the second part of this form is just a waiver of your rights and basically says that “I read the statement of rights or had them read to me. I understand what my rights are and I’m willing to make a statement and answer some questions. I don’t want a lawyer at this time and I understand what I am doing. No promises or threats have been made, no pressure or coercion of any kind. You understand what coercion means, correct? [Greenwell nods] Okay, um. And I’m guessing you might have an idea what [Greenwell shakes head “no”] You don’t have an idea of what you might want to talk to me about?

Bryan Greenwell: No.

Investigator: Or what I want to talk to you about? Okay. And it has to do with the apartment you guys used to live at over on Shelby Street.

Bryan Greenwell: Oh, well, yeah….

Investigator: Does that ring a bell? That incident?

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah.

Investigator: What do you know about that incident?

Bryan Greenwell: As far as I know, that was supposed to been us, as far as my understanding. Just the guy, Terry Payne [spelling?] that uh, he was supposed to send somebody over to talk to us or something like that. I don’t know, ‘cause they said, well I know the guy too you know, they said something like that. And I’m not even sure if it’s him, you know what I’m sayin’? I’m just going off of what I’ve heard. That he got ripped off for some dope a few times. He got upset about it and the only reason why he wouldn’t come confront her by herself was because of me. Well, she never ripped him off for no dope anyways. It wasn’t her, it was

Investigator: So this was geared towards Jodie, is what you’re telling me?

Bryan Greenwell: Yes. And as far as I know somebody was supposed to send some people from Chicago, some black dudes. Said it’s not about the money now, it’s not about the dope, it’s about the principle. And he, Terry Payne [spelling?] told me this, and I told him I said “you better go back and tell them [inaudible] got no principle [inaudible] it seems like I’m just fucking around with my fiancée and it pulls me, you know what I’m saying? I’m involved. And he said “sorry, too late [inaudible], the call’s been made and that uh, people from .. what’d he say? New Orleans or something like that, up in luisiana up here looking for her. That’s when I noticed we started getting followed. And I’m like “hold up, you know maybe this shit is true”. I’ve been thinking it’s all, you know how people talkin’ just trying to scare somebody. And I kept noticing people following me and kept noticing people following me. And I’m like “hold the fuck up” you know? So I made a phone call and was like “dude, what the fucks going on?” He said “man” he said “I told you I would try to go talk to them”. I said “dude, you already [inaudible] tried to go talk to them and for the past, I don’t know, month and a half, something like that, everytime I walked out the door I was being followed”. And for the life of me, nobody believed me. And I mean, I told everybody. I said “man, somebody is following us. Somebody is following me or somebody is following you. Somebody.” Then I got locked up.

Investigator: What happened with that, a little.

Bryan Greenwell: That [cross talk]

Investigator: I’m not the dope police [cross talk]

Bryan Greenwell: I mean not one time did nobody ever say “police”, nobody said, I mean the whole time I told everybody I was being followed. I mean, I had people run up on me, I’d take off. Nobody said “cops” you know? So I don’t know if it’s the cops or if it was them or whoever, whatever. You know what I’m saying? I’m like “shit”, so I done what I do. What I know best- protect myself and get the hell out of that situation for a moment. But that situation it was same thing. Two cars whipped up on me, then once I took off, yeah, he hit his lights. I’m like “I got a set of [inaudible] lights, which I do. You know what I’m saying? I got a flashlight that turns. You know what I’m saying? You click it one time and it starts flashing, you know what I mean, red, white, red, blue, them lights. You know what I’m saying? So I’m like “no one’s ever said ‘stop, police, this is the local, feds” whoever. You know what I’m saying? So I didn’t stop. Even when we got back to the house we were staying at, not one time did anybody say “police”, “this is the police”, the whoever, blah blah. They just told me to get the fuck down or they would blow my damn brains out. I’m like “well uh” there’s a chance I got to take. Either they’re the police, and then once they started all coming up on me I noticed it was the police because all the equipment and shit like that. And I was like “well, maybe this is the cops” so I got down.

Investigator: Who all did you get arrested with that night?

Bryan Greenwell: Me, Jodie, Lala, and Chris.

Investigator: Does Lala have a real name? Everybody keeps saying Lala. Cause I’m not the dope police, I’m just curious

Bryan Greenwell: It’s uh, Laura. It’s Laura. I don’t know her last name.

Investigator: And it really doesn’t matter for me. I’m just curious because everyone says “Lala” and I’m like, “last time someone was named ‘LaLa’ was on a kids T.V. show” [laughter] Alright. Let me take you back to that apartment on Shelby. How long did ya’ll stay there?

Bryan Greenwell: Man, I can’t, I just got out of jail. I don’t know if she had that before I went in, or before right before I got out, or what. I think I was only there a couple weeks, maybe? Something like that. Maybe a little longer. I know it was like between two, two weeks. Two to three weeks. Something like that.

Investigator: And you guys never went back to that apartment?

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah, we went back.

Investigator: You did?

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah. We went back and got some of our stuff. I mean, we’ve seen the landlord and nothing was ever said. We’ve seen cops sitting there and nothing was ever said to us. And I was thinking “well, this aint got nothing to do with us, I hope”

Investigator: Did you know those neighbors [inaudible]? Ya’ll never, You ever seen them before?

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah, we’ve seen them in passing.

Investigator: If I showed you a picture of them, would you know who they are?

Bryan Greenwell: Pretty sure I would be.

Investigator: [shows photos]

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah, yeah, that was her. Now the guy?

Investigator: Now this is a little older picture. I think he had probably just got done [inaudible]. His hair may have been a lot longer.

Bryan Greenwell: Hm, yeah. If you put long hair on him it looks like him.

Investigator: So you all didn’t have any interaction with them?

Bryan Greenwell: Nah, other than I mean, passing in the hallways or, it was just, I think it was what? One, two, two [crosstalk] yeah. Because it was the front room, it was like a little storage or something like that. The back room was supposedly where he stored all his stuff for, I guess, the strip clubs that he owned or something. I don’t know.

Investigator: Mm-Hm. It was strip clubs, you’re right. Alright, um, what do you actually know about what happened over there? What have you heard? What do you know?

Bryan Greenwell: I just heard that somebody got shot, somebody got killed or something like that. Then we stayed away for a couple days because that’s when I found out that supposedly they were there for her, and us, you know what I’m saying? It was supposed to be us. I was like, you know, um, we made the decision to stay away for a couple of days because hell, somebody wanted to talk to her they, the landlord knew her phone number, her cell phone number, knew her name, everything else. Nobody ever tried to contact us. At least, as far as I know, nobody ever tried to contact us. Which I mean the house, the apartment wasn’t even, it was her apartment, wasn’t in my name, or nothing like that.

Investigator: Right. Alright. Did you know that there were two victims there? Did you know that?

Bryan Greenwell: No.

Investigator: Both of those two people I showed you.

Bryan Greenwell: No, they told me it was just the.. uh.. lady.

Investigator: Well, both of them were shot. And uh, this is what I want to show you.

[Investigator moves laptop over to Greenwell and moves his chair closer]

Investigator: He didn’t die.

Voice on recording: Do you remember, do you know your neighbors next door? [inaudible] Did you know who they were? If I showed you pictures of your neighbors would you know who they were? Where your neighbors involved in any of this? You recognize her? That Jodie? Your Neighbor?

Investigator: So. That’s just the start of it but

Bryan Greenwell: Okay, well lets finish it.

Investigator: No, I got a, I got a couple follow ups here.

Bryan Greenwell: Okay.

Investigator: When I showed Jodie this, she lost it.

Bryan Greenwell: She lost it like?

Investigator: Bawling crying, broke down.

Bryan Greenwell: Let me guess, said that we done it.

Investigator: She did.

Bryan Greenwell: Well.

Investigator: And before you know, I am going to tell her the same thing I told her, I said “ya’ll have some important things in front of you.” I said, “bad things happen to good people. Sometimes people get put into situations and shit didn’t go as planned.” Um, I believe that’s what happened here. I don’t think there was malicious intent going in. I think things escalated and went bad. I told her I wanted to help her try to get to the good side of this and to not paint her into a negative light on it. And I said, I told her, I said I will give you that same opportunity and tell you the same things that I have told you both the exact same things. And that’s how I want to present it. I don’t bullshit people, I’ll tell you what I’ve got. I mean…

Bryan Greenwell: Fair enough.

Investigator: I mean, I got a living victim that puts you there. I’ve got Jodie who says you were there. Now I want to hear from you, what in the world happened. Like I said, I think something went wrong, I don’t think you got there on

Bryan Greenwell: I want to hear the rest of it. What Jodie had to say.

Investigator: What Jodie had to say? I don’t have Jodie on video.

Bryan Greenwell: I thought you said you had her on

Investigator: I have it on an audio recording. I just did it. I don’t have it on a disk yet. I still have it on an actual recorder.

Bryan Greenwell: Can I hear it?

Investigator: Let me see if I can do that. I don’t even know if I can do that. It’s on this recorder that’s in my pocket right now. The same one I have on right now.

Bryan Greenwell: Well, lets find out if we can do that because, I mean…

Investigator: Is that going to change..

Bryan Greenwell: Nah man, I want to

[cross talk]

Investigator: I’m not going to play it word for word for you so you can hear her story.

Bryan Greenwell: No no no.

Investigator: I’ve been doing this a little longer than that.

Bryan Greenwell: I don’t I don’t expect you to do that either but I would like to know what she’s saying.

Investigator: I can give you the, I can give you the details of, I guess the general of what she’s said. Is that, and he goes on to say that, they were involved in a domestic situation. Then apparently, he may have been getting the best of her, and she came over for help. You guys go back to their apartment, it happened inside their apartment, you guys intervened on the good side of this to start with, trying to help her out. And things went bad from there. Does that sound, is that a fair statement of how things may have occurred?

Bryan Greenwell: No. I mean.

Investigator: It’s not.

Bryan Greenwell: I had no. Yeah, I know these people. I don’t know them personally. You know what I’m saying? I know them from that apartment. And yes, we did go over there. But, that’s it. I mean hell, if you finger print the place you can find my fingerprints on a couple things because where I walked in the room. I kind of picked some stuff up, you know, because it was laying everywhere so I was like [noises from cuffs on table while he demonstrates moving stuff over] I mean, other than that.

Investigator: Alright. I know right now you’re trying to figure out where to go with this. Because I don’t want you to start digging yourself a hole.

Bryan Greenwell: I know what you want me to do is to commit, you know, say

Investigator: Oh, I don’t need you to, I don’t need you to. I got, you know, I’ve got Jodie’s statement. I have enough to walk out of this room right now. What I’m trying to do is try to give you an opportunity to do the same thing she just did which is go at it with the angle “we were trying to help and things just went bad”. That’s a whole lot better then just not making a statement and me just going off him. I mean, you think I put a guy who’s paralyzed from the neck down on a ventilator with an interview like this up to twelve people on a jury that they’re not going to sympathize with him instead of you? I’ll take that all day long, twice on Sunday.

Bryan Greenwell: Well, you know [cross talk] I’m looking at it too, I’m like “yeah as it stands right now, I mean, regardless of what I say right now, I’m fucked in this situation.

Investigator: And I’m trying to say there’s a little bit of an out right here to make it better on you to not make it look like… I don’t believe you’re a cold blooded killer. You know? I don’t believe that at all. Nothing suggests that to me. I think you’re a smart guy that got involved with a situation you probably shouldn’t have. Not saying that you shouldn’t help somebody out but I’m saying shit went bad real quick. And I don’t think anybody should be judged on one thing alone, there should be a whole series of events that happened here that get to basically where we are right now. And I just want you to think about a lot of different things. And I know I’ve thrown a lot at you at one time, you know. And I, I, and I can’t say I understand where you’re at right now because I haven’t been there but I can sympathize with you.

Bryan Greenwell: I do this everytime.

Investigator: What do you mean you do this everytime.

Bryan Greenwell: I always try to protect everybody. You get that recorder off for a minute so I can ask you a question?

Investigator: This? Yeah. [shuts laptop]

Bryan Greenwell: And the one in there.

[turns off recorder in pocket and shows Greenwell]

Bryan Greenwell: Nothing else recording, right?

Investigator: I don’t know about this room, this is the corrections room so I would have to say, well, I don’t know.

Bryan Greenwell: What happens if I go with, I mean ‘cause I know the story here, you know what I’m saying? I know the whole thing, what happened

[electronic beep]

Bryan Greenwell: What was that?

Investigator: I’m guessing I just got an email ‘cause this is my actual work computer.

Bryan Greenwell: Well, look, how do I get Jodie off of all of this?

Investigator: I mean, I think, I think she’s the least copiable of anything that happened. You know, I think she was just there. Um, and what he says and what she says really jive in line with the support, they support each other in their statements. Um, but I mean honestly it’s just going through the story, and I think I know the story. If I tell you the story, would it sound anything like what I started it off as. A domestic thing that you guys got involved in, you end up in a fight, with them with a gun and it goes off, and I can’t tell you any more than that because, you know. By any chance, does that seem like a story that, of what may have happened?

Bryan Greenwell: Yep.

Investigator: You see, we can work with that because the beginning part of it. Because there’s a big difference between you going in and saying “I’m going to f*** kill somebody” and you going in “I’m trying to help somebody” and then shit goes bad. There’s, That’s way different things there that we’re talking about. And one’s a whole lot better than the other. I mean, the end result was that people lost their lives, yes. But it’s a whole lot different when it comes to juries, when talking about charges. You know, those types of things. It’s a night and day situation.

Bryan Greenwell: I would say. Yeah. Like you say, ya’ll would paint me out to be the fucking, wow. I mean, as it stands right now, which is those two saying that shit, you all got enough to convict me on anything.

Investigator: And that’s what I’m saying. I’m not going to bullshit you. I told you that. I got enough right now, I could walk out of the room but that’s not what I want to do because I believe in getting everybody a fair shot at this. Minimum is 18 years. You know, I don’t bullshit when I talk to people. I don’t play that whole mind game or running in circles and we talk for six hours. That’s how you run a guy. I tell you what I got, I tell you how good, I’m not going to lie if I got something that’s weak. I’m gonna be like “Hey, this is what I got, here’s your chances, fifty fifty.” This is not a fifty fifty chance kinda thing right here, I tell you that.

Bryan Greenwell: No it’s a “screwed me all the way around”

Investigator: That’s why I’m trying to give you, I want you to see how I’m trying to let you get out in front of it. Tell your part of the story on it.

Bryan Greenwell: Is there anyway I could smoke a cigarette?

Investigator: I think we could probably make that happen. We let everybody, everybody else smoke one in the basement. When we come back, finish up the story? I think we could do that. Sit back for a minute. See what we could do for you.

Bryan Greenwell: Uh, regardless of what happens you all can’t … nevermind.

Investigator: [inaudible] I think I know what you’re trying to get out and [inaudible] you don’t want anything to happen to Jodie on this. Does that sound about right?

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah.

Investigator: I really think that’s going to depend on a lot about what we talk about, what you tell me on this. I think we can minimize her involvement

Bryan Greenwell: [inaudible]

Investigator: Well, I mean like, she is there. I mean, have you ever heard of about, uh, doing a bank robbery.

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah.

Investigator: You’re the robber, you go in and rob the store. I’m just the driver. We both get in a car chase and get caught down the way. What charge do I get?

Bryan Greenwell: Accessory

Investigator: What charge do you get? It’s a robbery.

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah.

Investigator: I mean, she’s there with you. So she is a complicit, she’s complicit in this. And not including that, there’s nothing done on her behalf to help, or stay, or call or anything. So that’s her little bit of a problem but her involvement is minimal.

Bryan Greenwell: Its, she did try to.

Investigator: What did she try to do?

Bryan Greenwell: Tried to help.

Investigator: After they were shot? What did she try to do? I mean, this helps her.

Bryan Greenwell: We’ll talk, we’ll talk about it all here in a second. Let me calm down.

Investigator: Okay. Okay. I’ll give you some time, you know, get your stuff in order. See if I can set up that cigarette.

Bryan Greenwell: I appreciate it, thanks.

Investigator: Alright.

[Investigator opens door and talking with someone else]

Bryan Greenwell: A glass of water or somethin’, [inaudible]

Investigator: Yeah.

[Investigator returns to room]

Investigator: Alright, we’re gonna,

Bryan Greenwell: Hey, is Jodie still down there?

Investigator: No, they already took her back to CCC.

Other person: Is there like a count or something they need to do at a certain time or something? I don’t know.

Investigator: We’re going to go, soon as he comes back here, we’re going to go down, downstairs. We’re not going to talk about anything we talked about in here. Just going to be for you to smoke, get your thoughts together, okay? then we’ll come back in here and talk some more, some questions.

[Investigator and Greenwell leave room- brief conversation with other person]

[Investigator and Greenwell return]

investigator: Shoot it to me, I want to hear it. You know, I’ve talked to some other people, I know it’s been bothering you. Everybody has said that you have been acting different. It’s really been bothering you. So it’s been noticeable to other people. Take that weight off, throw it on me. Get it off your shoulders, man.

Bryan Greenwell: I mean, ya’ll aren’t going to try to hit me with no fucking death penalty or nothing

Investigator: No, there’s no aggravated circumstances.

Bryan Greenwell: Well, try to get this done as quick as possible. Cause I’ll be honest with ya, I can’t sit in that jail.

Investigator: I understand.

Bryan Greenwell: Jodie didn’t have nothing to do with it. She did try to get help for her, I mean I even did try but … She comes over there and says he’s over there beatin’ on her. So we walked over there. We didn’t even walk in the apartment at first. I was like, you know, “what’s going on?” Jodie didn’t even go over there at first. She was like “you go over there and see what”. Said “yeah”. Dude was over there throwing shit, breaking shit, cussing her. All three of us were standing outside, even the girl was standing outside, you know what I’m saying, and I was like “look, just leave or come over here, something”, you know what I’m saying, “or I’m gonna call the cops”. She went back inside and he grabbed ahold of her or something like that. Jodie was like, you know, “you gotta help her”. Cause I guess her [inaudible] or something like that. So I walked in there and I separated them and this and that. That’s when, to be honest with you, I don’t even, I can’t even remember how the gun came into play, for real. Well, we started, kinda wrestling around and the gun went off. And then it went off again.

Investigator: How many times do you think it went off?

Bryan Greenwell: Honestly man, I don’t even know. I mean, I was… blacked out or something like that. I don’t know. Man, it’s like… I’m guessing two or three times, three. Something like that. I remember hearing three gunshots.

Investigator: Do you remember which one you shot first?

Bryan Greenwell: No, honestly. I don’t. [inaudible] I freaked out. And I was like “man, what the fuck. I came over here to help somebody this shit happens.” I think… I know it went off once. I think she got hit first, I’m not for sure. I mean [inaudible] was still struggling and it went off again. I do remember that. And that’s when he fell on the bed. And I didn’t, I mean, I didn’t know what to do. I mean, I went over there, like you said, there was no intentions of going over there [inaudible] malice intended or nothing like that, you know?

Investigator: You remember about what time, I know this happened Friday the 13^th, is when we were there and it was later in the afternoon when we got there. When do you think this might have happened? Was it on that Friday? If I’m not mistaken she was supposed to start that new job on Friday at noon, does that sound right? Do you know that? Jodie knew that, that’s why

Bryan Greenwell: I don’t know.

Investigator: Okay.

Bryan Greenwell: I mean, after it was all done and everything I might have heard Jodie say something she was supposed to start a job today or something like that. It was like “what the fuck man, now what am I supposed to do?” You know, we were both like that, like “what do we do?” Neither one of us knew what to do. She was like “listen, call the cops” cause like you said we went over there with the intentions of helping not hurting somebody, you know? And she never, Jodie never, was near that apartment, what-so-ever, as far as I know of.

Investigator: She told me that she did. She didn’t go into the room that you guys were in which is the back bedroom. But she said she made it into part of it. You said she tried to help them afterwards, so

Bryan Greenwell: I mean, she was like

Investigator: I mean, it doesn’t matter to me. If she came in [inaudible] If she came in it’s fine. That doesn’t get you in trouble that makes you a normal human being that wants to come in and maybe try to help.

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah, I mean, we was both you know saying, she was like saying, well actually I was [inaudible] standing there then turned around and looked at her at the door and I was like “what do I do?” You know what I’m saying? I didn’t know. And I still, to this day, I still can’t tell you exactly, from start to finish, what happened, you know what I’m saying? I just know that I was the one standing in the room when both of them were laying there. Jordie was like “[inaudible] are they still breathing” whatever, you know what I’m saying. I was like “I don’t know?” I mean what, what, I mean, how do you check if somebody is [cross talk]

Investigator: Never been in that situation before.

Bryan Greenwell: And I do know that, I’m not for sure if the landlord called or if Jodie called the landlord or what, I’m not for sure, but I do remember hearing her say the landlord called or the landlord’s wife or something like that saying about you [inaudible] the cops [inaudible] dope from them or something. [inaudible] look like we went in there to rob them or something which wasn’t the case. Nothing was took, nothing like that. And I was like man, I didn’t know what to do. You know what I mean? I still don’t know what to do. I mean, I don’t know

Investigator: What happened with the gun? What did you do with the gun?

Bryan Greenwell: Destroyed it. Melted it down.

Investigator: Melted it down? How did you do that? That takes a lot of heat.

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah, I know. Well, actually the gun didn’t get melted down it got took apart and [inaudible] got melted down. And I was like, “man, I don’t know” and I gave the gun back to the person that owned it. You know what I’m saying? He just let me borrow it. And I can’t tell you his name because I don’t want to get him…

Investigator: So did you destroy it or did you give it back to the guy?

Bryan Greenwell: No, I took it apart Most of the gun went back.

Investigator: I mean, don’t bullshit me. I mean, it’s not, this is not a, that’s not a big issue there. My big thing honestly is, well, yeah I would like to recover it but I just want to make sure you didn’t just toss it somewhere and some kid got to it, that’s more what I’m worried about.

Bryan Greenwell: No No I made sure, yeah, I made sure there wasn’t no kid or no innocent bystander or nothing like that was gonna [inaudible] pick it up.

Investigator: What model was it? I know what caliber it was, at this point, wondering what model it was.

Bryan Greenwell: A Taurus, I think. Or… uh, yeah I think it was a Taurus. Pretty sure it was a Taurus.

Investigator: And you know, I know it was a 40, you know. I’m just curious.

Bryan Greenwell: I mean, to be honest with you I tried blocking it out but…

Investigator: You can’t block something like that out, man. And if you try to it’s eventually going to come back out and it’s going to eat and eat and eat. I mean, I can tell how upset you are

Bryan Greenwell: [inaudible cry] I never meant for none of this to happen. I mean, I don’t know what else to say besides that it was me.

Investigator: Is there anybody else there with you guys?

Bryan Greenwell: [shakes head “no”]

Investigator: Nobody else, okay. Did you have the gun on you when you first went over there? Was this a “I went back over there and got it” or did you have it on you when you first went over there?

Bryan Greenwell: Nah, I had it on me because the situation that fuckin’ everybody was saying that people was out looking for [inaudible] and this and that [inaudible] so I kept it on me. Just for her protection. I wasn’t going to …

Investigator: I understand. Did you, you said you didn’t take anything from the scene at all.

Bryan Greenwell: No.

Investigator: No. Did ya’ll leave anything by any chance? Lose anything?

Bryan Greenwell: I don’t, honestly I don’t know. I mean, I didn’t even try fuckin’ finding the shells that came out of the gun. I was just like, you know, I was dumbfounded, pretty much.

Investigator: And I know you didn’t, this happened in the back bedroom, where they fighting in the back bedroom and you got into the middle of it or did, you know, did you and him get into a fight in the back bedroom? I just want to be clear about it.

Bryan Greenwell: Well they was fighting. Worse than, we was all standing outside in the hallway..

Investigator: And we’re talking about physical fighting, not arguing

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah, we’re talking about physical fighting. And I was like, you know, that’s when Jodie said “you gotta help her”. That’s when I went in there and everything just happened so fast that … you know the rest. I mean, she did try to help them. I didn’t know what to do to help, I mean, I freaked out. I still freak out.

Investigator: Well, I tell you what. This whole thing, this whole situation, I mean it sucks, I mean I was right. Was I not right from the minute I went in here on the way things went down?

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah.

Investigator: And I still believe bad shit happens to good people all the time but this series of events doesn’t paint you out to be a cold calculated “I don’t give a fuck” killer. I mean, shit happened, yeah. There’s nothing we can do about that now. But the way that we presented it as you coming over to help, and correct me if I’m wrong, would you see there’s a big difference between somebody who doesn’t give a fuck and coming over there and shooting people opposed to somebody who is there for a purpose and I can confirm that purpose because there was a domestic fight going on, and you go over there and shit goes bad.

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah.

Investigator: There’s a big difference there.

Bryan Greenwell: Yeah. There’s a bid difference. I mean, I should have went with my gut and just stayed out of it. But I’m not that type of person. If I see somebody needs help, I try to help.

Investigator: I’m going to let you take this picture with you, too. I don’t know if you have any with your kids with you. Because I think, because I think the way we talked here tonight, that getting to see them is going to come a whole lot sooner than if would have been if you told me “I’m not talking to you, get out of the room”. I mean, I could have happened either way, and [inaudible] that’s why I really.. That’s what I was really worried about. That you wouldn’t understand how important of a chance I was trying to give you to get out. You were in a hole. And you’re still in a hole. It’s definitely not as deep as it was with your story out there. And it goes a long way with prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges and jurors. So we got to look at its a bump in your road. That bump was sitting back at your back side, you hadn’t crossed it yet. Now we’re across it. Now we are going to figure out from here where to go and you’re going to get your life back on track. Does that sound like a good plan, here?

Bryan Greenwell: That’s not what I wanted.

Investigator: No? Nothing but future in front of you now. Don’t get me wrong. We’re going to take a little bit of it here, but it aint all of it. And what you do with the rest of it, is up to you.

Bryan Greenwell: I’ll never see daylight again.

Investigator: See people I’ve talked to heard you say that and I disagree with that. You have to remember where we are. We’re [inaudible] tend to be more lenient, more liberal here.

Bryan Greenwell: I hope so.

Investigator: And you’ve done yourself big time favors here. You’ve done the best you can for yourself with the situation you’re in. I’m going to go out here and talk to the corrections people and make sure they know about everything. Any questions you have for me right now? You have anything? Alright. Sit tight. We’ll be back here in a few minutes.

Tags Brian Greenwell, Bryan Greenwell, Case, Derrell Wilson, Homicide, Interview, Investigation, Jennifer Cain, Jodie Cecil, Kentucky, Murder, Shelby Park, Shooting, Transcript, True Crime

Case Summary Uncategorized

Bryan Greenwell and Jodie Cecil Case Summary

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 10, 2019
No Comments on Bryan Greenwell and Jodie Cecil Case Summary

Bryan Greenwell (also known as Brian Greenwell) and Jodie Cecil have been found guilty of killing a woman and leaving a man severely injured in Shelby Park neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Both defendants were charged with murder, criminal attempted murder, first degree assault, and tampering with physical evidence. Bryan Greenwell and Jodie Cecil were neighbors of Jennifer Cain and Derrell Wilson.

Jennifer

On May 13, 2016, Jennifer Cain was shot several times and died from her injuries. Derrell Wilson survived the attack with life threatening injuries and played a crucial role in the confession of the defendants. While still hospitalized and in poor condition, Derrell Wilson indicated that Bryan Greenwell and Jodie Cecil were involved in the attack. A recording of the interaction between Derrell Wilson and police was recorded and shown to the defendants during interrogation.

After being confronted with the recording of the accusation by the victim, the couple claimed that their neighbors were having a domestic dispute and they went over to assist. Instead of deescalating the situation as they supposedly planned, Bryan Greenwell ended up shooting the couple. Cecil said that a fight broke out over the gun, and Greenwell said he “blacked out” and doesn’t know what happened.

Greenwell

The trial began on May 21, 2018 and ended on May 25, 2018 with both defendants being found guilty of all charges. Greenwell was a habitual felony offender causing the jury to recommend life in prison. A recommendation of 20 years in prison was made for Cecil. She received 10 additional years for trafficking methamphetamines; a charge Greenwell was already in jail for when he was questioned by police.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bTp-Vq7Wv3M]

Despite being shot in the head, Derrell Wilson is making an astonishing recovery. Initially, Derrell Wilson was unresponsive. Against the odds, months later Derrell Wilson is regaining his motor functions.

Tags 2016, Brian Greenwell, Bryan Greenwell, Case, Derrell Wilson, Homicide, Jennifer Cain, Jodie Cecil, Kentucky, Louisville, Murder, Shelby Park, Shooting, Summary, True Crime

Case Summary Uncategorized

George Huguely Case Summary

Post author By Lilith Lee
Post date September 10, 2019
No Comments on George Huguely Case Summary

George Huguely

George Huguely was a University of Virginia student, along with his on – again, off – again girlfriend, Yeardley Love. They both played lacrosse for the school. The couple had a rough relationship where there was intense arguments, domestic violence, and excessive alcohol consumption. A week before the murder, Yeardley Love allegedly sent messages to Huguely expressing that she had intimate relations with another man while away from town. A few days later the two bumped into one other at a bar and Love allegedly later came to Huguely’s apartment angry. She had to be removed by one of Huguely’s roommate’s girlfriends because she was being aggressive. After this point, Love refused any contact with Huguely. This no-contact arrangement was not mutual, and Huguely repeatedly tried to email Love to arrange a time to talk about what had happened. After a day’s worth of drinking on May 2, 2010, Huguely decided to go to Love’s house after leaving a bar.

Love

It is believed that sometime shortly after midnight, Huguely went in through the unlocked front door of Love’s apartment. After finding that Love would not let him into her bedroom, he kicked a hole through the door and reached his arm in to unlock her door. Huguely continued to argue with her about the previous incidents that upset him, while Love tried to get him to leave by screaming to get out and to leave her alone. In the police interrogation, Huguely stated that he shook her as she leaned into the corner, and wrestled with her, trying to pacify her. He claims the last he saw her she was standing with him looking at him, though she had not screamed or said anything after being shaken, and then he tossed her onto the bed and left, saying “go to bed”.

When Love’s roommate came home at 2:15 a.m., she discovered Love’s body and called police. Huguely waived his Miranda rights when brought into the police station and detailed the assault. Half way through the interrogation he is informed that Love died, where he breaks down saying “please tell me she’s not dead… she can’t be dead… there’s no way… I didn’t do anything that could have done that to her.”

Tags 2010, Accident, Case, Domestic Violence, Drunken, George Huguely, Homicide, Intoxicated, Killing, Lacrosse, Murder, Summary, True Crime, University of Virginia, Yeardley Love