05x08 - Stalking Carl

[bunniefuu]

♪♪

[ Siren wailing ]

I'm on raven's wood road with suspect vehicle.

Narrator: dangerous suspects on the loose.

I need backup now.

These suspects needed to be taken off

The street immediately.

Narrator: a loving son shot down in cold blood.

Pop, pop, pop, pop.

I could not get it out of my head.

Who would do this to him?

It's the worst feeling, as if I was dying, too.

Narrator: surveillance cameras reveal a merciless pursuit.

This is the predator stalking the prey.

Narrator: but will the trail of cctv lead to justice?

Come on. Let's go.

Wait!

It's like watching a horror movie,

Only you know what happens in the end.

♪♪

♪♪

--Captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com

Captions paid for by discovery communications

♪♪

Narrator: august 18, 2015 --

Vista cove condos, st. Augustine, florida.

It's after 11.

James withrow and his dog, rolo, have the complex to themselves.

Come on, rolo.

[ Dog whimpering ]

♪♪

[ Dialing ]

[ Dog whimpers ]

I think he's gone.

[ Siren wailing ]

Narrator: lead detective michal ochkie is dispatched

To the vista cove scene.

[ Siren wailing ]

Ochkie: vista cove is a gated community.

It's a lot of older, retired citizens.

Not much crime is reported there.

It's definitely a safe place to live.

Narrator: tonight, though, is different.

♪♪

[ Indistinct radio chatter ]

Ochkie: I noticed a male victim laying on his back.

He had short-cut hair.

He was wearing shorts and a white t-shirt,

Both of which were covered in blood.

Narrator: first responders found no i.d. On the body.

The first thing that you want to do

Is be able to identify your victim

Because with that identification comes a lot more information.

Who is this person? What's his story?

♪♪

Then I saw what appeared to be a b*llet hole in his chest.

♪♪

Narrator: and nearby, some shell casings.

Ochkie: shell casings are always very important.

The casing were consistent with a .40 caliber handgun,

But no handgun was recovered from the scene.

♪♪

Did you know the victim, sir?

Narrator: also on the scene, detective jennifer trotzke

Is canvassing residents, starting with the 911 caller.

I don't know his name, but I do recognize him.

Did you see or hear anything?

Well, I was in the dining room reading,

And at 9:20, I heard three loud bangs.

Narrator: though no one can identify the deceased,

Several neighbors say they heard loud bangs around 9:20 p.m.

That was definitely important to the investigation.

It gave us a time we believed the m*rder happened.

♪♪

Narrator: but the victim is still a john doe.

Detective ochkie searches his pockets.

Ochkie: he didn't have a wallet.

He didn't have a cellphone.

Narrator: luckily, there is one potential clue.

We found a walmart receipt for earlier that evening.

There was a coke that was purchased

And car wax pads.

And that matched what we found next to the victim.

The time stamp says 9:05.

The receipt gives us when the victim had still been alive.

It also gives us our first lead,

And that is the video surveillance at walmart.

Narrator: investigators know that walmart

Has extensive surveillance coverage.

Go down to walmart. Look into that.

-Okay, I'm on my way. -Thanks.

Narrator: while trotzke goes to check

Walmart's surveillance cameras,

Ochkie takes one more look over the crime scene

And picks up on something.

♪♪

[ Car beeps ]

Narrator: the fob unlocks a white kia soul.

This could be the key to identifying the victim.

Police run the plates.

Ochkie: the registration came back to carl starke,

Who was a 36-year-old white male.

Narrator: they've identified their victim,

And his mother's address is just yards from the crime scene.

♪♪

Making a death notification to a family member

Is probably one of the hardest things

That law enforcement have to do.

♪♪

I'm sorry to bother you, ma'am. Is this the home of carl starke?

[ Mouths word ]

♪♪

You know, your mother's instinct that you knew

There was something wrong.

You just were trying to avoid it for as long as you can.

♪♪

I am so sorry to have to tell you that carl has died.

♪♪

When the sergeant told me that carl had been shot...

♪♪

I don't even really remember that much.

It's, um, it's unbelievable.

It's, um...

It's the worst feeling to feel like your life

Is draining out of you,

As if I was dying, too, I suppose.

♪♪

♪♪

I had a special bond with carl.

I don't think that my special bond with him

Was due to his autism.

Can I help with that, mom?

Yeah, take those.

He was this kind, gentle, caring man,

And he was loved by many.

Are you gonna come watch the game?

Yes, I am, in a minute.

Narrator: carl's younger sister

Chanel would watch football with him on weekends.

When was the last time the dolphins beat them?

November 2, 2014.

It was a home game, 37-0.

Lockwood: my brother, carl, was really good with numbers.

He could remember any phone number.

He could remember anyone's age, anyone's birth date.

One great thing about my brother is he always loved to smile.

He was never -- he never had an enemy.

He was always everyone's friend.

Narrator: carl was also an uncle to his sister carli's kids.

Hey, you guys!

He loved being around the kids,

Especially when they were little,

And it was precious to see.

It was so precious.

Here we go. Hold on! Hold on! Here we go!

Whoo! Where are you guys?

Where are -- there you are! [ Laughs ] let's go.

The way he looked at the world was very different

And very trusting of people.

♪♪

Anita...

Can you recall the events of last night?

Usually every night after work and after dinner,

Carl would go out in his car.

He liked to shop.

Mom, I'm leaving!

Home depot, gamestop, and walmart,

That was his routine.

-Be careful. -Okay, I will.

Okay, see you later.

I would never have dreamed in a million years that

That'd be the last time I saw carl.

♪♪

Narrator: thanks to the walmart receipt,

Detective trotzke knows carl was at the store at 9:05.

We had no eyewitnesses to what happened to carl starke,

But at a place like walmart,

You know they have great camera system.

Narrator: and these all-seeing eyes

Could be the only witness they need.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: 36-year-old carl starke

Is shot dead outside his st. Augustine home.

A receipt found on the body

Leads detective trotzke to walmart

Where surveillance cameras

Could provide a lead on the k*ller.

Walmart has a phenomenal camera system.

♪♪

When you're dealing with surveillance cameras

And surveillance footage of an incident,

You're seeing it exactly as it happened.

Can we start with the checkout camera first, please?

Sure.

Narrator: first, trotzke needs to locate carl on the footage.

We know that the checkout transaction occurred at 9:05.

♪♪

Narrator: they play the footage just prior to that time

As another shopper checks out.

♪♪

Trotzke: we see the conveyor belt moving forward...

♪♪

...to show the items of the person

That is behind her in line.

Stop. Zoom in.

♪♪

We noticed there is a bottle of coke

As well as some car wax pads.

♪♪

Those items are what we found at the crime scene

Where carl starke was m*rder*d.

♪♪

Okay. Play on.

♪♪

We are able to see that it's a white male.

He's wearing a white shirt with dark lettering.

This is our victim, carl.

♪♪

That's him.

Seeing carl, it gives you that kind of jolt.

♪♪

There isn't anybody with him or behind him.

Narrator: it appears that carl is alone and not under duress.

So we presume he maybe met somebody inside the store

Or after he left the store.

Narrator: now they've got him on camera,

Trotzke can review carl's shopping trip

From start to finish

And see if he meets his k*ller in the store.

Rewind, please.

♪♪

Narrator: just before 9 p.m., Carl enters the walmart.

Trotzke: we don't see anybody walking with him.

We don't see anybody walking closely behind,

So it appears that he entered the store alone.

Narrator: and carl doesn't seem to be bothering anyone else,

But in less than half an hour, he will be dead.

♪♪

[ Indistinct radio chatter ]

Back at vista cove, ochkie is still with carl's mom, anita.

Does carl have any enemies?

No. Everybody loved him.

You remain in a state of shock for a long time.

You really can't believe that this has happened.

I'm so sorry.

Definitely hard because I'm a mom,

And I understand the love that a mother has for her son.

♪♪

She looked at me. She said, "I will not go home.

I will not do anything until we catch whoever did this to carl,"

And I believed her.

♪♪

Narrator: at the walmart, detective trotzke has gone back

To find carl entering the store.

♪♪

Trotzke: we see carl kind of navigating

His way through the store.

Narrator: carl's white t-shirt and black shorts

Make him easy to spot.

Trotzke: the last few minutes of

This person's life is very important.

♪♪

We want to watch every bit of detail.

We want to see if somebody approached him.

Anything that we see could shed some light

On what happened to carl next.

♪♪

Narrator: carl appears to have no interaction

With other shoppers during his time in the walmart.

♪♪

Trotzke: seeing carl interacting with the cashier,

Just like his mom explained how he was very social,

He would talk to everybody and anybody.

It just really does show how carl was.

♪♪

After carl completes his transaction at the cashier,

We see him in the surveillance leaving.

♪♪

The view from the camera is the clearest view

That we have of carl starke.

It's kind of a little sad watching it.

It's disheartening that we're not closer

To finding out what happened to him.

Narrator: carl exits the store

And walks in the direction of his car.

♪♪

Trotzke: stop.

There is an individual by the entrance of the store.

Rewind, please.

And as carl is walking...

♪♪

It appears as though this individual walks toward carl.

♪♪

But then turns around and goes back to the trash can.

♪♪

Narrator: for now, it seems to be nothing.

At this point, we're looking at every single little detail.

Narrator: detective trotzke continues to watch carl

As he walks back to his car, hoping for a clue.

At 9:12,

We see carl in his vehicle...

Narrator: carl backs out of his parking spot.

Everything appears normal.

Trotzke: ...and pulls out into the parking area

Headed towards the exit.

♪♪

We see him start to approach the traffic signal.

♪♪

Narrator: as carl comes to a stop,

A second vehicle pulls out and stops behind him.

♪♪

There's a reason this is odd.

Trotzke: we notice they have no headlights on...

♪♪

...which is unusual.

It's 9:00 at night. It's dark.

♪♪

Carl's indicating that he's gonna go northbound.

At the same time, this vehicle still has no headlights on

And no indication that it's going to turn south or north.

♪♪

It's very, very suspicious.

♪♪

As the traffic signal turns green,

We see carl turn left towards vista cove.

Narrator: the suspect car moves into the intersection,

Then turns left following carl towards vista cove.

It's just 10 minutes until carl will be shot.

The unlit car has grabbed investigators' attention.

It's a bit like watching a horror movie,

Only you know what happens in the end.

Narrator: if detective trotzke can find who's behind the wheel,

She might be closer to catching carl's k*ller.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: detective trotzke is viewing surveillance video

Of the night 36-year-old carl starke was k*lled.

♪♪

When we don't have an eyewitness,

Surveillance is extremely important.

Narrator: just minutes before carl is gunned down,

His white kia pulls out of walmart

Closely followed by a car with its headlights off.

♪♪

Trotzke replays the video to get a better look at this car.

Trotzke: this vehicle appears to be

A sedan and it is red in color.

And we're able to make the determination

That it is a toyota camry.

Narrator: but trotzke can't make out the license plate.

Can you track it?

Narrator: they scroll back through the parking lot cameras,

Aiming to find when the red toyota arrived

And hopefully i.d. The driver.

♪♪

♪♪

That's it. That's the car.

Approximately five minutes before

Carl leaves the store, we see this red toyota

Enter the parking lot of walmart.

Narrator: they replay the video

But still can't make out the driver or the license plate.

Can you switch to a wider angle?

Narrator: it drives by carl's kia.

The toyota appears to be circling around the lot.

Where is he going?

Narrator: then at 9:06,

While carl is still finishing up inside...

We see the red vehicle park

Sort of behind the victim's vehicle

In the next row of parking spots.

Narrator: and then,

The headlights go off.

But no one appears to get out to go shopping.

There's something up with this vehicle.

A few minutes later, carl exits the store...

Switch to a wider angle.

...and gets into his vehicle.

Narrator: carl is just a few feet

From the suspicious red toyota.

♪♪

Now carl, seemingly unaware of any danger,

Backs out of his parking spot and heads to the exit.

♪♪

Okay, stop. Rewind, please.

♪♪

We then see the suspect vehicle do the same.

Narrator: the toyota's headlights are still off.

Okay, switch to the exit camera.

And we see this vehicle leaving at the very same time.

♪♪

And we see it following him out to the traffic signal,

And then it turns the same direction.

We think this is it.

This is the predator stalking the prey.

♪♪

Narrator: both cars drive out of sight of the walmart cameras

And head towards the crime scene.

Where they go next could be the key to this case.

♪♪

As dawn breaks the next morning, carl's mom is still in shock.

♪♪

Time stood still for some reason.

When someone else

Decides to end another person's life,

That is not natural,

And there are no words to describe that.

You can't explain it to anybody,

And no one can possibly understand.

Mom?

When I got to my mom's house,

I could not get it out of my head.

Who would do this to him?

He doesn't have anyone that hates him.

He doesn't have any enemies.

Who would sh**t him?

[ Crying ]

You take your other children,

The ones you have left,

And you hold them tight

And be glad you have them.

♪♪

Narrator: the investigation is now focused on the red toyota

That followed carl out of the walmart parking lot.

When I heard detective trotzke say she saw a red car following

Carl heading in the direction of the crime scene,

I got excited.

It finally gave us a feeling that we were on track,

That we would find his k*ller and bring justice to him.

Narrator: the detectives need to know if this car followed

Carl all the way home last night.

Detectives trotzke and ochkie meet at the vista cove

Security office.

♪♪

They hope cameras on the condo's gates

Will have captured carl's car returning last night

And if the red toyota was still following him.

What they witness will spark a startling, statewide manhunt.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: august 19th, the day after carl starke

Was shot dead at the vista cove condos

In st. Augustine, florida,

After being followed out of walmart

By a suspicious red toyota.

At the vista cove front gate,

Detectives trotzke and ochkie access the cctv

To see if carl was tailed here.

Walmart is just four miles away,

So carl should be home right around 9:20 p.m.

Can you play that for us?

♪♪

Narrator: right on cue, a car arrives,

But there's a problem.

I don't understand.

Narrator: it doesn't match carl's kia.

Fortunately, there's a second camera

Designed to capture the license plate.

Hold up.

♪♪

That's not our guy.

We discover that it's actually not his vehicle.

Narrator: but there's an explanation.

The maintenance manager determined

That the surveillance time is actually off,

So we have to now adjust where we're looking on the video

To find carl's vehicle coming into the gate.

Narrator: they forward the tape 10 minutes.

♪♪

This time, it's a group of cars entering the gate.

Ochkie: that's his car.

Narrator: the third car is a light-colored,

Boxy hatchback just like carl's.

A quick switch to the license plate cam

Confirms it's his car.

Ochkie: okay, play on.

Narrator: the detectives figure the two cars in front

Are also residents.

♪♪

♪♪

But trailing carl's kia...

That's the toyota.

And what we notice is another vehicle,

Very, very close behind,

Almost piggybacking carl's vehicle

To get through the gate before it starts to close again.

Narrator: the red sedan has followed carl

All the way back to the m*rder scene.

Watching somebody stalk

Carl was just so sinister,

And to watch it actually unfold on camera was just shocking.

Let's do a close-up on the license plate.

♪♪

Narrator: at last, they have a clear view

Of the suspect vehicle's license plate.

Finding out this information was a huge step

In the right direction of finding out who had k*lled

Carl starke.

Narrator: within the next few minutes,

Carl is gunned down in cold blood.

It's sad watching it, knowing what's gonna happen to him

Just feet from the front door of his home.

That brings a sadness, but that also makes me

More determined to identify the suspect.

Okay, back to the exit camera.

Narrator: if the toyota was involved in carl's m*rder,

Detectives expect to see it fleeing the crime scene.

They monitor the camera

That focuses on the plates of vehicles exiting the complex.

♪♪

And just eight minutes later...

Wait! Stop. That's his plate!

♪♪

This person followed carl into the complex,

And eight minutes later is now leaving.

This is not somebody that lives inside the complex.

♪♪

This vehicle is the one.

Whoever's inside of this vehicle

Either did something to carl,

Or they saw what happened to carl.

♪♪

Narrator: at st. Augustine p.d., Detective ochkie issues a bolo

For the red toyota and runs the plates.

The owner of the vehicle was a male subject

By the name of troy butler.

He had previously been convicted

Of a concealed weapon

And had served eight years

And had just recently been released.

Narrator: butler's record raises a red flag,

But he had already reported his car stolen prior to the m*rder.

Troy was ruled out as a suspect early on in the investigation.

He was able to give us an alibi for that evening,

And that alibi checked out.

Narrator: but that wasn't all.

Butler also admitted there was a .40 caliber handgun

In the car when it was stolen.

Hearing the g*n that troy had in his car was a .40 caliber

Sent excitement through the investigation

Because we knew our shell casings were .40 caliber.

Narrator: it's an important piece of the puzzle,

And later that day, the bolo pays off.

♪♪

At 3 p.m., An officer from st. Johns county spots

The stolen red toyota.

[ Siren wailing ]

I'm on raven's wood road with suspect vehicle,

License plate djd a99.

[ Siren wailing ]

These guys aren't stopping. I need backup now.

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: 18 hours after carl starke

Was shot dead, police are in pursuit of the suspect vehicle.

♪♪

Half a mile from the m*rder scene,

The suspects ditch the car and make a run for it.

Detective michal ochkie arrives on the scene.

♪♪

Two suspects had run off into the woods.

Peering into the car, I was able to see a handgun on the seat.

Narrator: it looks like the stolen .40 caliber

They believe in the m*rder weapon.

Ochkie: two suspects were still in the woods.

It was imperative that we get them in custody.

This could be who shot carl.

[ Dog barking ]

Narrator: it's a fast-paced 30-minute chase.

♪♪

Freeze!

Narrator: then the game is up.

Knowing that the suspects were in custody was very exciting.

♪♪

But on the same note,

You're nervous that they're not going to talk to you.

♪♪

Narrator: at the station, the suspects, 17-year-old

Kevin trevon williams

And 16-year-old christopher o'neal,

Are interviewed in separate rooms.

Detectives confront williams with the video evidence.

In the next room, detectives turn up the heat on o'neal.

Ochkie: both boys told detectives

That they had nothing to do with carl's death.

Narrator: so police try a different tactic.

♪♪

Ochkie: we decided to let both boys

Sit in an interview room together.

During that time, christopher confronts kevin.

Narrator: christopher appears to know that kevin, known as tre,

Shot carl and wants him to confess.

Later that evening,

The suspects are separated again.

O'neal finally tells detectives what he knows.

They had been up in jacksonville,

Had stolen the car, had come to st. Augustine.

Narrator: 9 p.m. At the local movie theater,

Williams and o'neal robbed parked cars...

♪♪

But were seen.

They moved on to walmart two miles away.

While they prowl the parking lot looking for unlocked cars,

Carl was inside.

Carl was just being himself, walking through the store.

Narrator: williams and o'neal parked close to the kia soul

And attempted to burglarize carl's car.

♪♪

But there was nothing of value inside,

So they returned to the toyota and observed

Carl coming back to his car.

Yo, that's him right there.

Yeah, he's sweet, all right.

They targeted him because of how he looked,

Of his demeanor.

One of our suspects actually said,

"There's an easy target. It's gonna be like candy."

He just seemed somebody who wouldn't fight back.

♪♪

Carl was stalked from the walmart parking lot

To his home at vista cove.

When carl arrived at his apartment complex...

♪♪

...kevin and chris got out.

They confronted him.

Give me the keys!

No, no, no!

Hey, you ain't going anywhere. Give me the keys!

Now, now! Give me the keys!

No, I'm not gonna give you my keys.

-Keys! -No, this is my car!

-No, no, no! [ g*nshots ]

♪♪

[ Tires squeal ]

♪♪

Narrator: kevin trevon williams has been named as the sh**ter.

Detectives give him one more chance to come clean.

Ballistics match the shell casings

Found at the scene to the g*n found in the toyota.

Williams and o'neal are charged with burglary

Of an unoccupied conveyance,

Attempted carjacking with a firearm,

And the first-degree m*rder of carl starke.

I do believe that carl starke

Was in the wrong place at the wrong time,

And that's what's sad.

♪♪

Without that video surveillance

From vista cove of the tag,

I believe 100% this case would have been a cold case.

Narrator: in court, christopher o'neal

Pleads guilty to all charges

And is sentenced to 37 1/2 years.

Kevin williams pleads no contest to all charges

And receives 50 years.

Kennedy: I was surprised at how young they were.

I was just sad

That they would be doing

Such a thing at such a young age.

I do have compassion

For those two boys' families.

They have lost their sons, too.

♪♪

Narrator: carl's family lobby for more protection

For vulnerable citizens.

In october 2016, carl's law is passed in florida

Bringing harsher penalties for crimes committed

Against people with disabilities.

He was so beautiful,

So it's nice to know that his memory will live on.

♪♪

[ Voice breaking ] the saddest thing about carl's m*rder

Is that such a wonderful person was taken from us.

♪♪

And the world's missing out from his loss.

♪♪