The First 48: Jackpot (S21, E17) | Full Episode | A&E

<i> [dramatic music]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - [barking] <i> [line trilling]</i> [siren wailing] <i> - OK. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> male narrator: For homicide detectives,</i> <i> their chance of solving a murder</i> <i> is cut in half</i> <i> if they don't get a lead</i> <i> within the first 48 hours. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> [suspenseful music]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - It's one weird-ass night to have a killing.

It's snowing, it's cold, he's outside. That's nuts. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> [indistinct chatter over police radio]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> They talk to you, Troy?

- Yes, sir. <i> ♪ ♪</i> This is supposedly Mom and Dad's house. They stay somewhere else.

so he just kind of comes here by himself. She woke up at 5:30 this morning and noticed he still wasn't home, so she decided to come over-- - Over here to check on him? - She drove by here and saw him in the driveway.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - And family's down here? - Yeah, and the wife down here. The scene happens right there, and it looks like he just kind of went down and rolled over, and that's where he ended up.

<i> narrator: 50-year-old Howard Thompson</i> <i> showed his entrepreneurial spirit from an early age. </i> <i> After high school,</i> <i> he started his own lawn service company</i> <i> and later went on to sell cars. </i> <i> Howard was a loving father</i> <i> and a mentor to other children in his community.

</i> - He's got blood all the way down to his socks. <i> narrator: Howard was shot once in the leg. </i> <i> The bullet striking his femoral artery.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - You know what's weird? You come to these, and you're like-- on the way, you're like, "Oh, another murder. " But then you get here, and every time you actually see the victim laying there, it's just like, "Man, this freakin' sucks.

" Just feel sorry for him. <i> ♪ ♪</i> OK. - There's a BB gun in the back of that red pickup truck.

<i> [camera shutter clicks]</i> There's two rooms that have been rifled through. Two bedrooms in the house. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Do you know if this was locked?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> [camera shutter clicking]</i> <i> - Looks like there's a drawer missing from this dresser. </i> <i> [camera shutter clicks]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> So he gets killed out there,</i> <i> and then they just come in here and pillage,</i> <i> looking for money or whatever they're wanting to steal. </i> - Why's there a bullet hole from the inside out here?

<i> narrator: Ritter discovers a bullet was fired</i> <i> from inside the bedroom. </i> <i> - There's no forced entry. </i> <i> So he allows them in the house.

</i> <i> Then they go to rob him, shoot, miss, run,</i> <i> fight in the driveway, shoot. </i> <i> - Maybe? Yeah?

Possible? </i> <i> - We found blood on the actual deadbolt,</i> <i> the front door. [camera shutter clicks]</i> <i> - It's possible that maybe the suspect's cut,</i> <i> and he may have left his blood.

</i> <i> It could be victim's blood. I don't know, man. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> [door closes] <i> [indistinct chatter over police radio]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I want to grab the wife and talk in my car.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> Ma'am, I'm Detective Ryden. You mind sitting back in my car and we'll talk? Thank you, ma'am.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> I'm sorry for your loss. - [sobbing] - We'll take our time. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - [sniffling] - How long have you been together?

Did he live with you? Tell me about last night. Did Howard say what he was gonna do that evening while you were at work?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> Was he supposed to meet anybody? - Mm-mm. - What would be a normal amount for him to take to the casino?

What do you think? Hundreds of dollars? - Mm-hmm.

- Is he one of those people that he does hit the jackpot once in a while? <i> narrator: She says Howard called her from the casino</i> <i> and said he'd hit two jackpots--</i> <i> one for $1,200 and another for $1,500. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I need a little background 'cause there's always a reason why something happens, so-- <i> narrator: She says Howard had been robbed twice</i> <i> in the last few months.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> [car door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> - So what's your vibe on your interview? - He lives at the casino. She said basically he's his own walking bank.

He's been a victim of robbery twice this year. - So everybody in North Tulsa knows that he likes to gamble and has cash. - Right.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - How come you and me get the hard ones? - This is just--oh, come on. Quit your whining.

both: I'm not whining. - I'm just thinking out loud. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: As they wrap up the scene.

. . </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - There's a camera on this house</i> <i> that's kind of pointed at the direction.

</i> <i> Probably wouldn't catch the house</i> <i> but maybe another vehicle coming and going. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> We'll have to circle back to this. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - It's gonna be really hard to prove this.

No witness. It's gonna take the streets to help me. <i> ♪ ♪</i> He didn't report his first robbery, reported the second one, and said they were committed by the same two individuals.

<i> narrator: Ryden pulls Howard's robbery report</i> <i> from four months earlier. </i> - In January, two black males ran up to him and robbed him outside and took his stuff and shot at him. The people that were robbing him in January were kids in the neighborhood.

Maybe they're like, "Hey, that's the Northside Bank. When you need money, you rob him. " And we're gonna go canvass the neighborhood pretty good to document who's there and try to find some kids.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - Oh. Maybe we got lucky! Somebody's here.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> [car door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> [knock at door] Hey, sir. How are you doing? - [distorted voice] All right.

[cell phone rings] - Detective Ryden. <i> narrator: Ryden gets a call from the victim's wife. </i> - OK, I'll be there as soon as I can, and you just stay there, OK?

Thank you. Paul 262, dispatch. <i> - Paul 262.

</i> - And I got a call from the homicide victim's wife. Says that she's at Chamberlain Park, and she's been told the vehicle used in last night's homicide is at the park. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Can you send a patrol officer over there?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - His cameras weren't recording last night. - We got to go to Chamberlain Park. The victim's wife got information that this truck that's at Chamberlain Park was used in last night's murder.

[car door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Maybe you just got a freakin' gift from God dropped on ya. - It'd be nice. <i> narrator: The park where the truck was found</i> <i> is a mile from the crime scene.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> [car door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> - How you doing, sir? Can you kind of give me a lowdown of what led you to this truck? OK.

<i> narrator: He says a few minutes later,</i> <i> his nephew called back. </i> - Your nephew's not here, is he? The blue?

How you doing? <i> ♪ ♪</i> So tell me about your truck. OK.

Who's they? You understand someone got killed last night? His friend.

We'll bring you right back, but I got to take you downtown. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I'm assuming you're gonna want to tow it? - Yeah.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> They got video, Chad? - And there's a camera that points, like, 100% awesome on this truck. - Do you mind waiting?

<i> narrator: While the officer downloads the video,</i> <i> detectives head back to interview</i> <i> the owner of the truck. </i> - He knows who had his truck. We just got to convince him to tell us who.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> OK, last night you went to a party of some sort? I believe you. But you know exactly who borrowed your truck last night, and you know the girl that told you don't be around your truck today.

Those are the names you have to produce in this room. We ain't leaving until you do. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: He says he went</i> <i> to the Morning Star apartment complex this morning</i> <i> looking for his truck.

</i> - Hey, how did you know that your truck was supposed to be at Morning Star? - So Courtney. Courtney a black female?

How old? - Uh. .

. - Is it her apartment in Morning Star? Whose apartment were you visiting at Morning Star this morning?

You didn't go out there just to pick your nose. You have one of two options-- the people told you it was supposed to be at Morning Star, or they live there. You went there for a reason.

Who was supposed to have that truck? You need to step up your game right now 'cause you're gonna get held accountable for someone else's actions really quick. I'm gonna figure it out.

They were stupid and left their [bleep] on video. They're pulling it right now at the park. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - What's his nickname?

<i> narrator: He gives detectives a nickname</i> <i> for the man who borrowed his truck. </i> - Where does he stay? White, black, or Hispanic?

How old? Taller or shorter than me? [sighs] OK.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> [notebook thuds] <i> narrator: Ryden runs the nickname of the man</i> <i> who borrowed the truck. </i> - So, under this nickname, he's not in Facebook. <i> ♪ ♪</i> It doesn't look like he's in our databases either.

I think he's lying his ass off. <i> narrator: Ryden will pull video</i> <i> from the Morning Star apartment complex,</i> <i> hoping to get an image of the man who borrowed the truck. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> While they wait.

. . </i> - An officer from Chamberlain Park sent me some still pictures.

<i> narrator: The officer downloading the video</i> <i> at the park sends stills. </i> - We got a damaged truck that pushed this truck into Chamberlain Park. <i> narrator: According to the officer,</i> <i> at 1:36 a.

m. on the night of the murder,</i> <i> a damaged Chevy pickup</i> <i> pushes the truck with the broken axle into the lot. </i> - So it looks like the murder happened sometime before 1:36 a.

m. on Saturday. - Black male gets out.

There's a sedan that picks up the person getting out of the truck. <i> narrator: After the truck is dumped,</i> <i> the driver gets into the passenger seat</i> <i> of a waiting car. </i> - Looks like a red four-door.

. . maybe an Impala.

When we get the video from the apartment complex, then, obviously, if any of the vehicles show up at the apartment complex, it's after when the truck gets pushed to the park. <i> ♪ ♪</i> [keys clacking] <i> narrator: Ten hours in. .

. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> The team gets the video</i> <i> from the Morning Star apartments. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - This is 3:14, yesterday.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> The bigger guy looks like the owner of the truck. </i> <i> Looks like he's telling the truth</i> <i> about letting someone borrow the truck. </i> <i> narrator: The man borrows the truck</i> <i> 11 hours before it was dumped at the park.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Can't really get a good look at who's borrowing it, though. <i> ♪ ♪</i> Looks like the truck comes and goes a couple times. <i> ♪ ♪</i> What time does the truck leave and we never see it again?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - Around 11:00 p. m. , it leaves and never comes back.

</i> - What time did it get pushed onto Chamberlain Park? So you think the murder happens between 11:00 and 1:30? You see the Chevy that was used to push the truck ever show back at the apartment complex?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> [dramatic music]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - It looks like it's pulling in at 1:44. <i> narrator: Minutes after it dumped the truck</i> <i> with the broken axle into the park,</i> <i> the damaged Chevy arrives at the apartment complex. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - The vehicle pulls in, picks up a girl,</i> <i> and then leaves a short time later.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - Guess who else has come back as the truck leaves? </i> I think that's the car that's at Chamberlain Park <i> that picks up the person getting out of the truck. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - And do they drop them off here?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - Yeah. A black male. Whoever gets out of the sedan is gonna be whoever got out of the truck <i> at the park.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - There's the truck. </i> <i> narrator: An hour later,</i> <i> the damaged Chevy pickup truck comes back. </i> <i> - Looks like he's dropping that same girl off.

</i> The owner of the truck said Courtney told him not to go around his truck. So maybe Courtney's the one that went in the truck that night. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> And we know what building they're going to.

</i> Tomorrow the priority will be getting tenant lists to figure out which-- who's in that building. Got to figure out what apartment our possible suspects are coming to and from. I want to send out those pictures immediately.

And then we get some people we know or persons of interest. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: While officers continue to search</i> <i> for the damaged Chevy. .

. </i> - I just got a list of all the occupants in that building from the manager at the Morning Star apartments. So I've been looking for associates to the owner of that truck that was dumped in the park and found one-- a girl by the name of Alexis.

- She has multiple outstanding warrants for her arrest. - She's home, we'll arrest her, bring her down here, and hopefully she'll be the break we've been looking for that can tell us what happened that night and who did what. <i> ♪ ♪</i> Here we go.

<i> [indistinct chatter over police radio]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> [knock at door] <i> ♪ ♪</i> Tulsa police. Answer the door. [door creaks open] Good Lord, there's a lot of people in here.

How's it going? Where's Alexis at? Come here.

You got warrants. [handcuffs click] <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: Detectives run the names</i> <i> of the other people in the apartment. .

. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> And discover one of them, Lloyd Clemons,</i> <i> has an outstanding warrant for second-degree burglary. </i> <i> They decide to bring him in for questioning.

</i> [cell phone rings] - Hello? Hello? <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: The Warrants Squad</i> <i> just pulled over the damaged Chevy.

</i> - All right, cool. Thanks. <i> narrator: The driver, Dameon Leathers,</i> <i> is being taken to Homicide for questioning.

</i> - All right, let's go downtown. <i> ♪ ♪</i> [keys clacking] <i> narrator: 36-year-old Dameon Leathers</i> <i> was released from prison seven months ago</i> <i> after serving 13 years for second-degree burglary. </i> [door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> The man arrested at Morning Star,</i> <i> 27-year-old Lloyd Clemons,</i> <i> spent seven years in prison</i> <i> for shooting with intent to kill,</i> <i> assault and battery, and second-degree burglary.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I'm gonna go hit Alexis up. [door opens] I'm Detective Ryden. That's Detective Kennedy.

Who do you live with? <i> narrator: Alexis says she's been dating Lloyd</i> <i> for three years. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - OK.

I want to go into some questions about Friday night into Saturday morning. Who's at home? - OK, and what's Courtney's last name?

<i> narrator: She gives Ryden Courtney's last name. </i> - Where does Courtney live? OK, anybody else there <i> narrator: She says she an Lloyd were arguing,</i> <i> so he left and went to his ex-girlfriend's house.

</i> - OK, when did he leave? <i> ♪ ♪</i> OK, that truck. .

. whose is that? <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Whose car is that?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> We have to establish who left your apartment and got in this piece-of-crap truck. Then who left in this truck and who came in this vehicle 'cause they're all going to your apartment. - I know for a fact a girl.

. . got out of that truck and went into your apartment.

- OK, who left and came back? Let's make it simple. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Who did she leave with?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - Who did she leave with? <i> ♪ ♪</i> - All right. Sit tight, OK?

<i> ♪ ♪</i> [door opens] - Hey, Dameon. - How you doing? - All right.

Have a seat for me. I appreciate your patience. - [clears throat] - I'm Detective Ryden.

OK. The car you were pulled over in today, the truck. Is that yours?

- Yeah. - There's a murder that happened yesterday. - Yeah.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - I talked to this man's brother-in-law yesterday. He said he got shot in the leg in a main artery or something. - Were you at the casino at all on Friday?

- Yeah. - What time did you go? OK, did anybody go to the casino with you?

- No. - Did you see--'cause you said you knew Howard-- - I didn't see Howard at the casino. - 'Cause he was there, too.

- I didn't even see him Friday. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - When was the last time you were there? - At about 9:30.

- OK, and then what happened after that? Where you working at? OK, what time did you get to work?

- 11:00. <i> narrator: Dameon says he works the night shift</i> <i> from 11:00 p. m.

to 6:00 a. m. </i> - OK, did anybody use your truck while you're at work?

- No. I left work about 1:30 on my break. I got off right on 56th coming down Hartford, and I seen a girl and a dude pushing a truck.

There was a female in a maroon car, then there was a dude in the truck. <i> narrator: He says the girl was trying to push</i> <i> the broken-down truck with her car. </i> - And they flagged me down.

It was snowing. They flagged me down. - Do you recognize the dude at all?

- After Chamberlain, where'd you go? Where did you pick the female up at? - Morning Star.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - What's her name? - Toya. I don't know her last name.

- Where did you knock it out at? - Went to the Crawford. <i> narrator: He claims he and Toya</i> <i> went to a park to have sex,</i> <i> then he dropped her back off at the apartments.

</i> - What time did you get back to work? - 3:00. - Is it standard for you to get a hour-and-a-half break?

- Yeah. - Here's the problem I do have, Dameon. So you're saying, "I just stumbled on to this-- cars that are broke down.

" But afterwards, you and that car end up at the same apartment. The odds of you giving someone a push to Chamberlain and them being "strangers" and then you guys ended up at the exact same apartment is very, very slim. - I didn't see that car out there.

- The person that you went and had relations with-- - Yeah. Yeah. - You're saying Toya.

The people where she came out of in that apartment complex. . .

- Yeah. - Are the same people that are supposed to be responsible for the murder. - See, I didn't know none of this.

- Are you sure it's Toya? - Yeah, I'm sure. Look at me in my face, man.

- Yes. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I've been locked up 13 years. I'm on federal paper, man-- 36 years old.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - Sit tight. <i> ♪ ♪</i> [door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> I don't think you get an hour-and-a-half break to go knock off a piece of ass. - Chamberlain Park is where, again?

Where you have it, north side? - Uh-huh, Frankfort. - So where does the chick live that he's gonna go hook up with, and where's his job?

Because is he going way out of his way to get there? - The booty call's at Morning Star. He's at an Owasso chicken plant, which, yeah, doesn't make any sense.

- No, it makes no sense. That's way out of the way. - Yeah.

<i> narrator: Chamberlain Park is in a different part of Tulsa</i> <i> than the Morning Star apartments. </i> - I think he knew we had video of him being here and video at Chamberlain. So he had to weave this story of how I left work, <i> but he forgot that the Impala shows up afterwards.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - So who's this little girl he's saying</i> <i> that he hooked up with? </i> - He was at work till 1:30. That I believe.

So I doubt he's the one that pulled the trigger. <i> - I think he knows who's involved. </i> <i> He might've set the robbery up.

</i> - That's what I'm thinking. We know for a fact our guy is at the casino hitting multiple jackpots. Well, he admits, "I was there at the casino that night till 9:30.

" Is there a chance that he saw him hit these jackpots and called someone, and they set up a whole deal? And when it went bad, they called him and said, "Hey, we just [bleep] up the truck that we were using. Come over here and give us a push.

" <i> ♪ ♪</i> - We'll see what Lloyd says. <i> ♪ ♪</i> [door opens] - Hi. [door closes] You doing all right?

We're doing a murder investigation. Did you find out he'd been murdered? - Yeah.

- OK, let's go back Friday. Where were you at Friday? - I was doing a crime.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I stole about two or three TV's that day. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Did you go anywhere other than just stealing [bleep]? - I went to the casino.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - How'd you get there? <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> Dameon Leathers took you? </i> You didn't see the guy that got killed out there?

- I swear to God I didn't. - You sure about that? - Swear to God.

Boom. I said, "You can drop me off. I'm good.

" - So where did he drop you off at? - Morning Star. <i> ♪ ♪</i> I end up leaving.

<i> narrator: Lloyd says he left Alexis's apartment</i> <i> later that night</i> <i> and went to his ex-girlfriend's. </i> - Did she come pick you up? - Yes, sir.

- What time was that? - Um. .

. I really don't know, man. I wasn't paying attention.

I didn't know all this [bleep] I was gonna have to remember. - What's she drive? - She got an Impala.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> She took me straight to the house. She end up leaving, like, 20 minutes later, 30 minutes later. She tell me she was picking up my cousin.

- Where at? - I didn't never ask. - Who's your cousin?

- My cousin. . .

<i> narrator: Lloyd says his cousin goes</i> <i> by the same nickname as the man who borrowed the truck. </i> <i> that was pushed to the park. </i> - I don't know his real name.

- What's his nickname? <i> ♪ ♪</i> - You and Dameon-- because we got cameras at a place called Chamberlain Park. That look like your girl's car?

- Yeah. It probably is, yeah. - OK.

You guys were trying to push a truck with that car. - Oh, no. Hell, no.

- You sure about that? - Yeah. I swear to God.

I ain't never tried to push no truck. - This thing is gonna shake out. It depends on.

. . [chuckles] Where all the fruit falls-- who's gonna get hit on the noggin with it.

- We're gonna get out of here. You're gonna get booked in, OK? - Yes, sir.

- Hang loose. <i> narrator: Lloyd will be taken to jail</i> <i> on his burglary warrant. </i> [door closes] - He goes, "I was at the casino.

I was there with Dameon. " <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I think they're together. They see the hits, they see the jackpots, and they make the plan.

- I think you're right. - But we just don't have enough to prove that right now. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: Without enough evidence to arrest Dameon,</i> <i> they let him go.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> [keys clacking] <i> Ryden looks up Lloyd's cousin,</i> <i> who borrowed the truck that was dumped at the park. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I didn't even think he was a real person until about 30 minutes ago. He borrowed the truck.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: In the first 48,</i> <i> Tulsa Homicide responded to the murder of Howard Thompson,</i> <i> found shot in his driveway,</i> <i> got a tip that a truck used in the murder</i> <i> was dumped in a nearby park,</i> <i> discovered a damaged Chevy pickup</i> <i> and a maroon Impala left the truck in the park,</i> <i> and identified three potential suspects--</i> <i> the owner of the damaged Chevy,</i> <i> Dameon Leathers,</i> <i> his friend, Lloyd Clemons,</i> <i> and Lloyd's cousin,</i> <i> the man who borrowed the truck the night of the murder. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> The next morning. .

. </i> [cell phone ringing] - Hey, Sarge. <i> narrator: Ryden gets word that Lloyd's cousin,</i> <i> who borrowed the truck,</i> <i> just showed up at Homicide.

</i> - OK. I'll be there. Bye.

He definitely wants to get his side of the story. We got lots of things to talk about. <i> ♪ ♪</i> [door opens] [door closes] - This is Detective Ryden.

- Nice to meet you, sir. I appreciate you coming down. - I'll let you guys chat it up.

- Well, OK. How did you realize that I needed to talk to you? <i> narrator: He says word around Morning Star was that</i> <i> his friends were questioned about Howard's murder.

</i> <i> Ryden lays out photos of Dameon, Courtney,</i> <i> Lloyd, and Lloyd's ex-girlfriend. </i> - OK, today's Monday. So go back to Friday.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> narrator: He insists he, Courtney,</i> <i> and Lloyd's ex-girlfriend</i> <i> had nothing to do with the murder. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> He says Lloyd told him the victim shot him in the finger</i> <i> while he and Dameon were trying to rob him. </i> <i> He says after the shooting,</i> <i> he, Courtney, and Lloyd's ex-girlfriend</i> <i> went back to the crime scene with Lloyd,</i> <i> and they stole a drawer filled with coins.

</i> - Looks like there's a drawer missing from this dresser. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - So when did you guys figure out there was a dead guy in the driveway? [door opens] <i> ♪ ♪</i> [door closes] <i> ♪ ♪</i> I need to get Lloyd down here.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> How you doing, man? - All right. [door closes] - So I was hoping we could clarify a couple things.

Let me see it. God, did you lose a fingernail? - Mm-hmm.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> - After three days of investigating this, I know you were there when he got killed. Your finger-- it was shot during the incident. <i> narrator: Ryden tells him his cousin is in the other room.

</i> - I don't kill people. That ain't what I do. All I do is steal.

That's all I do. - Then tell me what happened. - [sighs] All right, listen.

. . He said, "Let's go hit one of these houses.

" I said, "All right. " <i> narrator: He says he and Dameon</i> <i> decided to pull a robbery. </i> <i> He says they drove over to Howard's house</i> <i> in Dameon's car, hid in the bushes,</i> <i> and waited for him to come outside.

</i> - When he walked to the car, he ran up on him with the gun and told him, "Give me all that [bleep]. " He said, "It's in my pocket. " So he let him dig in his pocket.

I was still in the bushes. So, boom, I popped up. I said, "Did you get the money?

" He was like, "Yeah. " I said, "Let's go. " He said, "Hell, no, he's finna take me in this house and give me the stash.

" I didn't want to go in there. I didn't have no gun. I had a BB gun.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> He said, "Come on, [bleep]. " I'm like, "All right. " You know what I'm saying?

<i> narrator: Lloyd says Dameon forced the victim</i> <i> into his bedroom. </i> - He said, "Where the stash at? " He said, "The money right there.

" <i> narrator: He says the victim directed Dameon to a drawer</i> <i> in his dresser. </i> - Pull the drawer out, and he's scrubbing through the money. He's like, "No, this ain't nothing but chump change.

Where the stash at? " <i> narrator: Lloyd says Dameon ransacked</i> <i> the rest of the house</i> <i> while he kept an eye on the victim. </i> - And he raised up from the pillow real fast and [bleep].

- You talking about Howard? - Yeah, he shot. Boom.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> I ran out the room. He shot again. That's when he shot my finger.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> I kept running. I got in the car. I'm still hearing shots.

He was still alive when I left. <i> narrator: He says he drove around</i> <i> until he spotted Dameon a few blocks away. </i> <i> Then they went back to Morning Star.

</i> - And this is before he went to work? - Yeah. I told him to drop me off.

I went in the house, and the call came, saying, "Hey, he went to the hospital. " <i> narrator: He says Dameon called a few minutes later</i> <i> and said that the victim had gone to the hospital. </i> - So he said, "Y'all can go break in the house.

" I said, "All right. " So I told them fools--I'm like, "Hey, y'all want to go break in this house real quick? " - OK.

- "Get some TVs? " And I swear to God, they all said yeah. - Then what happens?

- I was in the car. . .

<i> narrator: He says he and his ex-girlfriend</i> <i> drove over to the house in her Impala,</i> <i> and his cousin and Courtney were in the borrowed truck. </i> - When we got over there, he laying in between the cars. And I said, "[bleep], no.

" <i> ♪ ♪</i> - So then what happens? Did they go in the house and still take some stuff? - A dresser drawer thing.

- OK. So, after the dresser drawer gets taken, who leaves in the car that you're in? - Everybody left with me.

- Oh, 'cause the truck-- - Yeah, the axle broke, literally, right in front of the house. <i> Narrator: Lloyd says the truck broke down</i> <i> when they tried to flee. </i> <i> So they called Dameon to help push it.

</i> - He came on his break. He helped them push the truck. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Give us a second.

We'll be back. [door opens] <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i>- It's the most wild story. </i> They went and did the burglary after the murder.

Dameon calls Lloyd and says, "Hey, coast is clear. " So then him and the whole apartment, they load up in two cars to go burglarize the place. And there's a dead guy in the driveway, but they still burglarize the house anyway.

That's when they took the drawer full of change. - [bleep]! - So then they're loading up the stuff, and the truck breaks down right in front of the house.

Then they called Dameon. So Dameon leaves work, meets them over there, and pushes it out to Chamberlain. - Oh, Max.

I leave you for a minute, look what happens. <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - I really don't think that either one of these guys</i> <i> had any idea that they were gonna shoot</i> <i> and kill somebody that night. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> But when you go over there to do a robbery, <i> if somebody dies, you go for the full ride.

</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> - I didn't even kill nobody. This [bleep] crazy. <i> ♪ ♪</i> Now I got to go to jail for murder.

I ain't even did [bleep]. Some regular-ass stealing. <i> ♪ ♪</i> [sighs] <i> ♪ ♪</i> - If Lloyd and his friends wouldn't have decided to be greedy and go back over to a guy's house they just robbed, <i> then none of this probably would've ever been solved.

</i> <i> So greed kind of got to the bad guys in the end. </i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> [birds chirping] <i> [soft music]</i> <i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> - Howard was the kind of person</i> <i> that would do anything for anybody. </i> It's just.

. . just been hard, just hard, hard.

<i> ♪ ♪</i> <i> I miss my boy. </i> - We had a good time together, I tell you. I really miss him.

He was just a heck of a guy. - Howard was, like, the biggest advocate in my life. Graduation, track meets, always there for me.

- There's just a chunk missing out of my heart right now that will always be missing. <i> ♪ ♪</i> - Here you go. - One, two, three!

all: Love you, Howard!