01x13 - David

[bunniefuu]

David sheinkopf (narrates):
David messerschmitt

was on the fast track to
the brightest of futures.

A job with a top DC
law firm, a loving family,

a beautiful wife.

This young man
was a rising star.

He had a young wife of three
years, a condo on capitol hill,

and a passion for life.

But he also carried a secret...

Police search the tablet

and find an email account
he had used recently.

That secret would lead
him to a plush hotel room

and a clandestine meeting.

The email responding to David's

posting that night was
from Chris Sanchez.

David told Chris what
hotel to meet him in,

what specific room
and the time to meet.

In the apartment,
investigators find a small knife.

They find black
boots and other items

similar to those seen
on the camera footage,

and they find something else
very unique to the crime scene.

He told his wife that he
would be home in an hour.

But what he didn't know,

is that he had already
met his m*rder*r online.

Washington DC is a city
of politics and secrets.

Where the local
currency is information

and people aren't always
what they seem to be.

David messerschmitt
is a DC lawyer

working for an
international law firm.

On the morning
of February 9, 2015

the thirty-year-old
leaves for work

unaware that it will be the
last day he'll see his wife again.

David goes to work
like any other day.

He tells his wife
that he'll see her later

and might be a little late.

This was unfortunately a lie.

David worked for a
powerful global law firm.

Some of their clients are
fortune 500 enterprises.

Others are emerging companies
with industry changing technologies.

They also consult with
multiple foreign governments.

They are one of the
heavy hitters in DC.

David is young and
relatively new to the firm.

David is young and
relatively new to the firm.

This young man
was a rising star.

He had a young wife of three
years, a condo on capitol hill,

and a passion for life.

A man of many talents,

David was a drum
major in high school,

a college athlete at Ohio state

and graduated near
the top of his class

from Boston university law.

It was in college that
he met his future wife,

Florida native, Kim vuong.

David and Kim were both members
of the Ohio state rowing team.

She described him as dependable,

gentle and kind,
and her best friend.

After dating for seven
years, they wed in 2012

and by all accounts
were very happy.

But David had
secrets of his own.

David messerschmitt
had called his wife

earlier in the day
and seemed fine.

He usually got
home before she did,

but around 7pm on February 9,

he texted her saying that
he will be home in an hour.

That text would be
the last one his wife

that text would be
the last one his wife

ever receives from him.

The next morning,
on February 10, 2015,

hotel staff find David
messerschmitt dead.

The body was found face down
on the floor in a pool of blood.

Several stab wounds
were visible on his back.

When David didn't
come home in an hour like

he had texted, his
wife began to worry.

At 1:50am she files a
missing person report.

At 10am the next
morning his body is found.

So, investigators definitely
had a time frame to work with.

Police comb through
hotel surveillance videos

for any suspicious
looking people entering

or leaving the hotel
between 7pm and 10am.

They find what
they are looking for.

Authorities don't conclusively
say this person who is the k*ller,

they just say they are
a person of interest.

It was the plea so
incredibly tough to deliver,

it was the plea so
incredibly tough to deliver,

but widow Kim vuong is
urging you to help police

find this person of interest,

now determined by
police to be a woman.

Messerschmitt was found
stabbed to death inside room 400

of the Donovan hotel in
north west DC, February 10.

Vuong had reported him
missing early that morning.

The only thing police will say
publicly about the investigation,

is that they want to
question this woman.

Why was David
messerschmitt k*lled

and why didn't his wife
know he was at a hotel?

The hotel was close to
both his work and home.

David worked at pretty big law
firm who has powerful clients.

It wouldn't be the first time in DC a
secret meeting has ended in death.

Was David working on
something that got him k*lled?

When the body was discovered,

he had several visible
stab wounds in the back.

One so hard it actually
fractured a vertebrae.

Being stabbed in the back
may indicate he knew the k*ller,

feeling comfortable enough
to turn his back to the person.

Feeling comfortable enough
to turn his back to the person.

Following a homicide,

every possible scenario

needs to be investigated
thoroughly and accurately.

It maybe a hired hitman,
or a drug deal gone south

or corporate espionage.

In DC, anything is possible.

After finding the body,

investigators search
David's hotel room.

On the floor they find his
wallet with his credit cards.

But they don't find his phone.

The very phone he
used to text his wife

shortly before his death.

The most significant
thing missing

from the items that
authorities find in the room

is David's cell phone.

The wallet and credit
cards were still there.

Maybe there was
something on the phone

that was not to be seen,

uncovered information
not to be revealed.

Police continue to
circulate the picture

of the mysterious
person in the stairwell.

The person looks
directly at the camera.

Shifts their eyes right
as they're passing by.

It's almost as if they
wanted to be seen.

When the person was in the
lobby, they had their head down,

when the person was in the
lobby, they had their head down,

pacing side to side.

More nervous than anything.

But the look in the stairwell
is almost like confidence

in what was about to happen.

30-year-old David messerschmitt
was an up and coming lawyer

in the fast paced world
of Washington DC.

His body was found stabbed
to death in a hotel room.

His cell phone was missing
and other objects found

at the scene
puzzle investigators.

It was February in DC but
police found clothing items

similar to those you might
find in a Florida hotel room.

Flip flops, shorts, etcetera.

But it was other items
that police wouldn't expect

a married man to have with him.

The last few items
the police find indicated

maybe David was meeting
another woman for an affair.

Condoms, lube...

It would explain
why he was at a hotel

without telling his wife.

But what about the mystery
person in the stairwell?

The person didn't look like

they were going to
be staying a while.

No bag, purse, or any
briefcase for that matter.

Authorities wonder if those
items were planted at the scene.

Authorities wonder if those
items were planted at the scene.

Made to look like David
was having an affair.

Without a phone to
comb through investigators

want to get a better
sense of his digital footprint.

David's wife, Kim vuong,

retrieves a tablet
David frequently used

and gives it to authorities.

I'm sure his wife
of only three years

was just trying to help
the police find his k*ller

and get justice for her husband.

She couldn't have known

what secrets that tablet
would ultimately reveal.

This was a bombshell
piece of evidence.

Police search the tablet
and find an email account

he had used recently.

was linked to accounts
registered on hook up sites

like craigslist and grindr.

Grindr is the world's
largest social networking app

for the lgbt+ community.

It uses a GPS position to
connect with user nearby.

David not only had an account

but it appear that he had been
using it for quite some time.

It's possible Kim knew
what was going on

but is more probable that the
news of her husband's sexuality

but is more probable that the
news of her husband's sexuality

came completely
out of left field.

David messerschmitt
had a secret double life.

A happily married
straight man on the outside.

But a closeted g*y
man meeting other men

for one night
stands on the inside.

We'll never know why
David didn't feel comfortable

admitting to the world

that he was at the
very least bi-sexual.

He grew up in the midwest
which might have played a role

in concealing his sexuality.

Or perhaps, he felt pressure
that it might affect him

rising in the ranks
of his profession.

Whatever it was, I
feel for now his wife

who had to deal with not
only the death of her husband,

but also the shocking news of
his other life at the same time.

"Well some of reasons men
might risk living a double life include,

"not really being
clear on who they are,

"especially for a lot
of high achieving men,

"they want to explore a
different part of their lives

"and maybe a different
part of their identity.

"So, sometimes it can be
related to questioning sexuality,

"but in other times, it may
be about living on the edge,

"getting away with things,
or being able to explore

"getting away with things,
or being able to explore

"different kind of sexuality
that maybe not want

"to bring forward
to their partners.

"They've got a lot
of different motives,

"incredibly, you
know interesting cases

"because sometimes,
they're most attracted

"to the taboo of
what they're doing,

"and that's the thing that
really gets them going."

The police now have a
possible motive to run down.

David had been active on grindr
and on the "men seeking men"

section of craigslist.

An affair gone wrong
is certainly a motive

the police customarily
investigate.

They have an email address

and they follow up
on all the postings

and more specifically,
the replies he received.

On the day David was m*rder*d,

he had received a
reply to a recent posting.

David was to meet this
person at the Donovan hotel

between 7:00 to 7:30pm.

The message from David's
email instructed the person

to go to room 400 and
the door would be open.

We don't know how long David
had been meeting men for sex,

but we have to wonder
why he chose to meet

a total stranger in a hotel room

a total stranger in a hotel room

instead of in public
place like the lobby

and then heading up to the room.

The Donovan hotel in DC
is an iconic boutique hotel

and is also considered
"g*y friendly".

It is listed on various g*y
and l*sbian travel sites

The rooftop bar is considered
one of the top bars in the area.

If David was meeting
a male companion

it might have been safer to meet

at the picturesque roof
top bar for a drink first.

Unless he had met
this person before?

David's body has
seven stab wounds

in the front of his body
and several in his back.

Defensive wounds on
his hands and arm indicate

David tried to fight
off his attacker.

His hands have zip
ties hanging off them.

A key piece of evidence.

While police investigate
David's secret life,

Kim, David's grieving widow
makes a passionate plea

for anyone with
knowledge to step forward.

Kim's press conference
is very emotional

and police offer a
reward of $25,000

and police offer a
reward of $25,000

for information leading
to an arrest in the case.

As often happens, the
police are inundated with tips

and while they
follow up the leads,

they solicit help from
craigslist on the identity

behind a reply to one
of David's postings.

Police get an email
address... And a name.

The email responding to
David's posting that night

was from a Chris Sanchez.

David told Chris what
hotel to meet him in,

what specific room,
and the time to meet.

David felt confident this
would be a quick rendezvous.

That's why he texted his wife
he would be home in an hour.

But David never
made it home that night

and police don't
find any evidence

that a man named Chris Sanchez
ever personally met with David.

Investigators probe
the email address

and the craigslist posting further
and find a cell phone associated

with the account,
through PayPal.

They follow the trail even
further and get a name.

And it's not Chris Sanchez.

And it's not Chris Sanchez.

Jamyra gallmon, this
is what she looked like

in surveillance
video on February 9,

the night of the m*rder
at the Donovan hotel.

This is what she
looked like in court today

when she was charged
with first degree m*rder.

The victim, 30-year-old
David messerschmitt,

a lawyer with a
powerhouse firm downtown.

Police trace a cell
number associated

with the Chris
Sanchez email address,

to their surprise, they
discover that the phone number,

doesn't belong to
Chris Sanchez at all,

but to someone else,
named jamyra gallmon.

Jamyra gallmon is
a woman. Not a man.

Police suspected a man was
supposed to meet with David

but the cell number
they retrieved

from the craigslist account
came from a woman.

Was there another
reason David was meeting

an apparent stranger
in his hotel room?

With this new evidence pointing

to jamyra gallmon police
obtain another search warrant.

They head to jamyra's
registered address

they head to jamyra's
registered address

and begin to search her home,

with the evidence
they find there,

they begin to build their case.

In the apartment,
investigator's find a small knife,

not unlike the one
used in David's m*rder.

They find black
boots and other items

similar to those seen
on the camera footage,

and they find something else
very unique to the crime scene.

A packet of rainbow
coloured zip ties.

Authorities arrest
jamyra gallmon

and charge her with
first degree m*rder.

But why was jamyra
there in the first place

and what motive could she
have to k*ll David messerschmitt?

David messerschmitt was
found m*rder*d in a hotel room

just miles from his home.

He thought he was
going to meet another man

for a casual encounter but
instead, he met his m*rder*r.

Police dig into jamyra's
phone and see the emails

she sent using the fake email
address as Chris Sanchez.

But she initially denied any
involvement in the m*rder.

How did this young
21-year-old woman

how did this young
21-year-old woman

get involved with a man
seeking men on the Internet?

Jamyra gallmon is a graduate
of military academy high school

where she played and
excelled in basketball.

She was also a trained guard

and had inspirations
of going into the military.

Before police found jamyra,

there was ongoing speculation
as to the identity of the person

in the camera footage.

Was the person male or female?

Jamyra is a 5'10 girl's high
school basketball player

with short hair.

She easily could pass for a man,

especially with the
baggy coat and pants

the person in the
footage was wearing.

This might have been why it
was so hard to initially find her.

With David's history
on men's hook up sites,

police thought they
were looking for a man.

If her phone number
hadn't been associated

with that fake email address,

police may have never
discovered who she was.

The authorities made
jamyra sweat it out

in the police station.

She originally invoked
her right to remain silent,

she originally invoked
her right to remain silent,

but as time went the
pressure got to her.

Maybe the guilt
built up in her mind,

but she told detectives
she wanted to talk.

And the world got to hear
the other side of the m*rder.

Jamyra tells police it was
her in the video footage.

She was there to meet
with David, but not for sex.

Jamyra says she was there
to Rob David messerschmitt.

She had no
intention of k*lling him

and when she walked
into that hotel room.

She brought the zip ties with
her to tie him down and Rob him.

What better way to Rob someone

then by preying
on their secret life?

Jamyra knew David was
meeting "Chris Sanchez" in secret.

She was going to Rob him

hoping he wouldn't
call the cops afterword

and air his dirty laundry.

Maybe she told David that if
he didn't give her his money,

she would expose him and
his secret life to the public?

If jamyra's story is true,

somewhere along the line the
robbery turned into a m*rder.

Jamyra tells authorities
that her plans fell apart

when David fought back.

Although she only
intended to Rob him,

although she only
intended to Rob him,

the fight triggered a flashback

to when she had been
assaulted years before.

She admitted that
she pulled out her knife

and k*lled David messerschmitt.

She tells detectives
that at some point

during the robbery, David
messerschmitt fought back.

So, she took out a knife.

From the sheer number
of wounds inflicted

on David's corpse
it is clear that

whatever ever
triggered jamyra gallmon

in that hotel room
was a powerful force.

She stabs him seven
times in quick succession.

There are defensive wounds
to his hands and arms,

which really mean,
he try to fight back.

But it wasn't enough.

One of the stab
wounds enters the liver

but the death blow was dealt

when jamyra stabbed
David right through the heart.

Jamyra then tells police that
when he fell to the ground,

she ran over to him

and stabbed him several
more times in the back.

Making sure, he was dead.

And then it was
over just like that.

Two people's lives
instantly changed.

Jamyra didn't stick around
for anyone else to see her.

Jamyra didn't stick around
for anyone else to see her.

She quickly rummaged
through David's possessions

and took the cash
out of his wallet,

his phone and his Metro card

which ended up
having about $170 on it.

$40 in cash.

That's what armed
robbery and m*rder got her.

And the ability to ride
the Metro for a few weeks.

Jamyra gallmon was
arrested on first degree m*rder

and the armed robbery
of David messerschmitt.

It wasn't long until another
was pinned to the crime.

Jamyra had a live-in girlfriend by
the name of dominque Johnson.

She doesn't appear on
video in the hotel at all

but police know of this
relationship and want to know

if Dominique had any
involvement in the crime.

Dominique Johnson

goes to the police
station of her own accord.

Authorities tell her
she is not under arrest

and is free to go at any time.

Dominique tells police

she didn't know anything
about the m*rder.

Then she leaves only to
come back later that day.

Then she leaves only to
come back later that day.

She confesses to what she knows.

Two days after arresting jamyra
for m*rder and armed robbery,

Dominique Johnson is arrested

and booked on conspiracy
to commit robbery.

Everyone wants to know why
this robbery turned so deadly.

Jamyra tells authorities
that when David fought back

and grabbed her arm,
something inside her snapped.

Memories from when
she was brutally assaulted

as a young girl flooded back
and she went a little crazy.

She stabbed wildly at the man
until he didn't move anymore.

According to dominque,

she didn't want jamyra
to commit the robbery

but she is on camera with
jamyra buying the zip ties

that were left in
the hotel room.

So, clearly she knew
an attempted robbery

was going to take place.

After buying the
zip ties with jamyra,

Dominique had
waited for her girlfriend

outside the Donovan hotel.

When jamyra returned
they left together,

although it would take a
while for Dominique to learn

anything about
what had happened.

When she saw jamyra afterwards,
Dominique asked how it went.

When she saw jamyra afterwards,
Dominique asked how it went.

"It went bad" was the response.

Jamyra told her
about the $40 in cash

and the Metro card

and the two took the bus
back to their apartment.

For the next several weeks,
Dominique and jamyra used that

stolen metrocard to
go to and from work.

There would be no trial.

The first degree m*rder
charge would be dismissed

and instead jamyra
gallmon pleaded guilty

to second degree m*rder.

This was because there was
insufficient evidence of planning

and pre-meditation to
support first degree m*rder.

Still, jamyra would be going
to prison for a long time.

Dominique Johnson
also pleaded guilty

to conspiracy to commit robbery.

Months later a
sentencing was held.

David messerschmitt's
friends and family

wrote letters to the
judge in the case.

They submitted over 80
pages of emotional stories

describing the pain the
crime had caused them.

The pain and hole I have
in my heart is so great

and I have come to
realise that the pain

and hole may get smaller,

and hole may get smaller,

but not much, for
the rest of my life...

Each letter asked for
the maximum sentence.

Jamyra got sentenced
to 24 years in prison

for second degree m*rder.

Dominique, was also
charge for her role,

was sentenced to six months.

All for $40.

Because the two
suspects pleaded guilty

there was no need for a trial.

As such, more details about
David messerschmitt's life

didn't need to come to surface.

We'll never know
what the wife knew

or how long David had
been living with this secret.

David must not have felt
he was able to publicly admit

to who he really was.

This was a case

where a l*sbian
woman posed as a man,

so, she could Rob
a closeted g*y man.

Think about that for a minute.

She used his
sexuality against him.

And I think it really
puts a spotlight

on a hidden part of
humanity that we, as a society,

need to devote some energy to.

If his community allowed
him to be who he was,

would he have felt the
need to sneak around?

Unfortunately we'll never know.

Unfortunately we'll never know.

Despite his extra
marital affairs,

David messerschmitt
didn't deserve his ending...

Bleeding to death
alone in a hotel room.

His case and others like it prove
just how deadly the Internet is.

Where people can
be whoever they want,

and that complete stranger
answering a personal ad

might be how one meets
their m*rder*r online.

Police files are filled
with the names of victims

whose only crime was trusting
someone on the Internet.

Sydney loofe, Cody
virgin, tiara poole,

David messerschmitt and so
many others found predators

who took advantage of the
anonymity the Internet provides.

For all the convenience
of the connected world,

these stories remind us
that the same convenience

can come at a price.