05x05 - I'd k*ll to be You

[bunniefuu]

Narrator: a community leader, devoted son

And beloved brother...

For the many people who know me, love me,

Much respect and love back to you.

Everything he touched turned to gold.

Narrator: ...brutally gunned down.

If that doesn't say execution, then I don't know what does.

Narrator: there's little to go on.

We had absolutely no clues.

Narrator: investigators desperately search for answers.

It's like a puzzle and all these pieces are scattered.

Surveillance footage will unlock the mystery...

Benton: okay, we're close.

We're close to figuring out who did this.

-Marshals! -Police!

Narrator: ...and put a face to the crime.

You're watching a cold-blooded m*rder*r.

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

Captions paid for by discovery communications

♪♪

♪♪

Atlanta, georgia 2012.



Is a wealthy, ambitious, all-american entrepreneur,

A self-made success story.

Terry was a witty guy, you know, so he liked to have fun.

But he also wanted to excel.

Whatever he did, it was going to be to the nth degree.

He worked at waffle house through college.

But after college he got into real estate.

Buy some properties, flip properties.

Bias: he was always looking for the next thing to do

To earn some kind of income,

So that way he can help the family and help people.

And mostly everything that he did,

You know, it did turn to gold.

Narrator: at 6-foot-7, terry is a big man...

-Hey. -Hey, brother, how are you?

...with a big personality.

All right, man. How's everything?

-Everything is good. -He was just a giver.

Porter: that's why he had so many people that was friends,

So many people that love him, because he would have gave

His shirt to anyone on the start if they asked for it.

Good morning, how's everything?

Good, good.

Bias: around 2003, 2004 he got into the assisted

Living business taking care of the elderly.

That was one of his callings.

Let me just take you through what's been happening.

Narrator: it's a family affair with older brother levi

Helping to run the homes.

So we've had...

I knew who the boss was.

He was like a role model, mentor.

He's going to live with his eldest daughter in miami.

He ended up owning a facility.

Michael!

And it turned into two, and then three,

And then four, and then five, and finally we was like,

"Hey, guy, okay, now you might want to slow down."

Porter: he took the mind-set of, "I'm going to give the people

Who are staying at these residences"...

Robert!

..."The lifestyle as if it was me in these homes."

You look really good. How's the back?

Deep down in his heart,

He really wanted people to feel good.

Let me know. All right.

-Take care, huh? -All right. Take care.

Narrator: success begets success.

Terry joins a marketing company called 5linx.

Porter: the 5linx organization that terry was involved in

Was like a multi-level marketing company.

A lot of it has to do with mentorship, inspiring others,

And terry had that gift to do that.

Narrator: 5linx celebrates success like no other company,

And when terry gets promoted, it's like a super bowl.

When he hit the position of senior vice president,

That was a joy for him because now out of all

The success he had already had in the personal care homes,

The real estate, the mortgages,

He felt like this time he actually made it.

What's up, 5linx?

You better believe it!

Wow, this is amazing.

I only got a few minutes, so I better get started.

First and foremost, I like to thank god

For helping me accomplish this goal.

It felt as if this was

What he had been working all his life for.

Please repeat with me, "I am stronger."

Crowd: I am stronger.

"I am wiser."

I am wiser.

"I am better."

I am better.

"I am much better."

I am much better.

"I made it."

♪♪

Narrator: monday, november 12, 2012.

Terry porter has returned home in the early hours

From a 5linx event in texas.



Mama, I'm going.

A neighbor's daughter is getting ready to go to work.

See y'all later!

Narrator: but today would be no ordinary commute.

♪♪

♪♪

The body is that of local businessman terry porter.

[ Police radio chatter ]

Detective summer benton from atlanta pd's homicide unit

Responds to the call.

Benton: every time I get that phone call,

You never know what type of case you're going to get.

So I'm trying to calm myself down, get myself in the zone.

I don't want anything to distract me from the job

That I need to do.

Narrator: atlanta pd have the crime scene secured.

Benton: I did a walk-through, and the victim was lying facedown.

Narrator: detective benton examines the body.

Benton: based on the exit wound, it was a straight

Through-and-through shot, straight in the back of the head

And the exit wound was through the front.

Narrator: which means either the k*ller was 6-foot-7,

Just like terry...

So the perp was here.

So he was kneeling.

...or more likely something worse.

You have a male that you're putting on their knees,

And you're sh**ting them in the back of the head.

If that doesn't say execution, then I don't know what does.

Narrator: there are no spent casings or b*llet fragments,

But one clue points to a possible motive.

Benton: the pockets were turned out,

Which told us that this was possibly a robbery.

Narrator: detective benton approaches

A group of highly distressed onlookers.

My brother, man, I love him.

I can't believe it.

Are you family? I'm his brother.

Benton: I met with his brother and sister.

I'm so sorry.

And I told them that their loved one was m*rder*d,

And I remember levi, his brother,

Did not want to believe that his brother was k*lled.

He kept saying, "he's going to come outside at any time.

He's still inside the house."

He's in the house. He's coming out.

He's coming out any second. I know it.

He's coming out.

That's one of the worst parts of the job.

I'm sorry.

Because I'm meeting them at the worst time of their life.

I love him so much.

Listen, I do need to ask you a few questions, okay?

Everyone loved him. Who would do this?

Narrator: the conversation kicks up a lead.

You know, he has a black range rover,

And I just noticed that it's gone.

We let detective benton know that vehicle was not

In the driveway where he normally parks it at.

And we needed to find that car.

I'll be in touch, okay?

Okay, okay.

Narrator: a bolo is issued on the vehicle.

Detective benton also subpoenas

The victim's credit card records.

Meantime, officers canvass the neighborhood,

Hopeful that someone saw or heard something.

Benton: we still didn't know what time this happened,

And a time line in a homicide

Investigation is extremely crucial.

Narrator: there are no eyewitnesses, but several neighbors

Say they heard what sounded like a g*nsh*t around 2:30 a.m.

Now I know that he was most likely

Shot around 2:30 in the morning.

Narrator: as detective benton surveys the scene once again,

Something catches her eye.

A cctv camera on a neighboring property

Is pointing directly at the crime scene.

Benton: sometimes because of the shock,

A witness may not remember everything,

But that video surveillance is going to catch it.

Narrator: it could be the key to catching a cold-blooded k*ller.

Benton: I was so excited, I thought,

"Okay, we're going to have this entire homicide on video.

Narrator: the cold-blooded execution of 38-year-old

Terry porter has investigators perplexed.

But detective summer benton has discovered

A surveillance camera on the house next-door.

I was extremely excited because that camera was facing

Right where the m*rder happened.

Narrator: it could just be the break she needs.

Hello, police.

No one is home.

So atlanta pd searched for the resident.

We learned that it was an investigator

With actually our district attorney's office.

We immediately contacted him,

And he rushed over to allow us access into his home.

-Hi, sorry to make you wait. -No problem.

-I came as fast as I could. -No, thank you.

Benton: he had not yet moved into the home.

He had just actually rented it from the victim,

Who also owned that home as well.

Just in here.

Narrator: they locate the cctv recorder.

Look at this.

Benton: the camera was actually just a deterrent

And wasn't hooked up and actually working.

I was like, "ugh, really? Okay."

And then you got to pick yourself back up,

Go back outside and work the case.

Narrator: tuesday, november 13th.

Terry porter's credit card records arrive at atlanta pd,

Show a series of transactions in the hours

Immediately after his m*rder.

Detective benton focuses on an atm withdrawal

From the night of the m*rder.

A first transaction that was completed was november 12th,

At 2:36 in the morning.

Narrator: that's just 6 minutes after neighbors heard a g*nsh*t.

The person who may be responsible for his death

Was actively using his credit cards,

His bank information.

Now we have a potential lead.

He's across town getting money out.

I was excited because everyone knows banks

Have surveillance cameras all over the place.

It doesn't matter what bank it is,

Those cameras are there.

I knew there was going to be some type of either photograph

Or surveillance video available for me

To see who was using mr. Porter's stolen credit card.

Narrator: they contact the bank and request the cctv.

When I found out that he was utilizing the bank cards,

And he had been driving his vehicle,

You know, I kind of...

It was -- it was a bit of anger.

It was a lot of anger.

Narrator: the following day, investigators appealed to the public for help.

He was gunned down the morning of november 12th.

The decision was made to do a huge media push.

Narrator: with terry porter's m*rder all over the news,

Detective benton waits for the atm footage to arrive.

Benton: I was extremely anxious and just --

I couldn't sit still waiting for this e-mail to come in

With the still photos from the bank.

There you go.

Narrator: she opens the first image.

♪♪

Benton: and you see a black range rover.

Narrator: detective benton zooms in on the license plate.

♪♪

Benton: in this particular surveillance video,

You can't see the tag.

But if you put everything together

And look at the whole picture that is the victim's credit card

Being used within 6 to 8 minutes of the victim being k*lled

And the same vehicle that was stolen from him

Is right there at that bank.

You can reasonably conclude that that was mr. Porter's



Narrator: eager for a closer look at her suspect,

Detective benton opens the next image.

It shows a chilling figure.

♪♪

He knows that there's cameras at an atm machine.

He obviously has just done something

That he's not supposed to have done,

And he doesn't want to get caught,

And that's why he's covered his face.

You can tell that this particular person

Is a light-skinned african american male.

Is that a baseball cap back-to-front?

Look at the wristwatch.

Gallow: the watch was the only thing

That really gave us any further clues

As to the identity of this particular person

Because everything else was blurred out.

Benton: now I know that I've got a light-skinned black male

That has probably k*lled mr. Porter.

From this view of the banking footage,

You can see that there's nobody else in the car with him.

He is alone, and that was big.

Narrator: the masked figure

Is now detective benton's prime suspect.

But without a solid lead, catching him will be tough.

However, atlanta pd's media campaign

Is about to give her the break she needs.

Hello, yeah.

An anonymous caller had called in to 911

And stated they found mr. Porter's vehicle.

Narrator: a unit is quickly dispatched

To the darlington apartment building in north atlanta.

Whether or not it is his car, at this point, we don't know.

Narrator: the license plate and vin number are a match.

Detective benton has a fresh crime scene to investigate.

I was like, "please, I just need some evidence here."

Open the door, and, boom,

We found a receipt.

Narrator: it's from a texaco gas station,

Time stamped 4:46 a.m., November 13th.

Benton: mr. Porter was k*lled on the 12th,

So this is a good 26 hours after his homicide.

I thought, "okay, where's this texaco?"

And then I look at the address and I realize,

"It's across the street."

Narrator: seeking their next lead,

The detectives head to the gas station.

It's equipped with multiple security cameras.

Benton: now I'm starting to get really excited.

We're close.

We're close to figuring out who did this.

Narrator: detective benton knows that these cctv cameras

Could hold the key to catching a k*ller.

Narrator: atlanta, georgia.

A masked m*rder*r is on the loose.

He's wanted for the brutal k*lling of local businessman,

Terry porter.

For the many people who know me, love me,

Much respect and love back to you.

Narrator: thursday, november 15, 2012.

Terry's grieving family is still in shock.

My baby's gone. [ Sobbing ]

It was still not real.

I was kind of begging for terry to give me a sign to tell me

If we doing the right thing, or are we going the right way.

Narrator: terry's m*rder is all over the news,

But his k*ller is still at-large.

Bias: just knowing that he was still out there

Somewhere kind of put some fear, because we didn't know

If that person was going to come back a second time.

Narrator: determined to get this monster off the streets,

Detective benton follows up on a texaco gas station purchase

Made 26 hours after the m*rder.

This texaco gas station just happened

To have phenomenal surveillance.

We were able to pull two good-quality camera angles.

This particular camera is facing the front of the store.

♪♪

Narrator: they queue the footage to 2:54 p.m.,

A few minutes before the transaction on terry's card.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Hold it. Can we back it up a little?

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: something catches detective benton's eye.

A vehicle is just visible as it pulls up.

If you really look at the video, you can see the front end

And tell it's a range rover.

Narrator: she focuses on the driver.

Benton: he gets out of the driver's side,

And then he enters the store.

♪♪

Narrator: is this the same man that was photoed

Using the victim's card at the atm?

Hold it. Can you bring that back?

Benton: you see a lighter-skinned black male,

Black t-shirt on blue jeans, white tennis shoes,

And a hat turned around backwards.

Narrator: they look again at the atm surveillance photo.

♪♪

There are clear similarities.

Detective benton zeroes in on something else.

Can you make this section bigger?

He's wearing a distinctive black wristwatch like the one

Worn by the masked figure.

Yeah, same watch.

♪♪

They play on.

Benton: he does a little nod, and he turns left,

And he goes to the back of the left side of the store.

♪♪

Narrator: they switch to the second camera.

♪♪

It offers another clear shot of the suspect's face.

So I was excited to finally see this footage

And be able to see someone's face,

But I can't jump to a conclusion at this point.

♪♪

He then grabs some stuff. He goes up to the counter.

He pays for the items, and then he leaves,

Gets back in the driver side of the range rover

And pulls out and leaves the gas station.

Narrator: crucially, the credit card used belongs to terry porter.

Benton: he appears to be very calm, but at this point,

This is 24 hours after my homicide.

I don't know if he's the k*ller.

I don't know if he was handed the car keys

And the victim's credit card by the actual k*ller.

We don't know.

I needed more information.

Narrator: still it's a huge step forward.

Detective benton has the first clear images of a suspect.

The following evening,

The investigation takes an unexpected turn.

[ Telephone rings ]

Detective benton.

Narrator: detective benton gets a call from the apartment complex

Where terry porter's range rover was found.

Well, I received a call from the darlington management

Stating that chamblee police detectives had actually been

At the darlington on that same day.

They were in the parking lot

Looking for another stolen vehicle.

Narrator: chamblee police located a vehicle

That had been carjacked at gunpoint prior

To terry porter's m*rder.

Benton: and I was thinking, "I now have two stolen vehicles

That were recovered at the darlington.

I wonder if they're connected."

So I contacted the sergeant of chamblee,

And I learned that the carjacking in chamblee

Occurred 3 days prior to the homicide of mr. Porter.

That vehicle belonged to a female,

And a suspect walked up to that female,

Put a g*n to her.

[ Speaks indistinctly ] okay, okay.

That a light-skinned black male was involved.

He demanded her pin number,

And then the suspect eventually ended up using that card.

Narrator: detective benton inquires

If there's any atm surveillance footage from chamblee.

It turns out, they have a photo.

Yeah, please send that over,

And I can compare it to our suspect.

♪♪

I pulled that still photo up.

♪♪

I pulled a still of the video surveillance up

From the texaco gas station.

Narrator: as they scrutinize both images,

A startling realization sinks in.

The body features?

Same build.

The watch?

Benton: we all just sat there and looked at both of them,

And we all agreed this is the same person.

So at that point I knew that the person

That used the credit card in chamblee

Was the same person that was in mr. Porter's black range rover

That had walked into the texaco gas station



Narrator: it's an alarming discovery.

Their suspect seems to be on a violent spree.

They release the surveillance images and appeal again

To the public for help.

Woman: levi bias is still waiting for answers.

What the family is hoping for is that the u.s. Marshall

Will be able to bring this person into custody

Before he goes any other city, any other state.

Woman: atlanta police release this surveillance video

From a texaco right after the local businessman

Was shot and k*lled.

Bias: they look at those pictures,

And they think that they might know this person,

Actually do speak out to the authorities.

Narrator: the images grab the attention of an already reliable source.

Darlington apartments.

Yeah, I saw the guy you're looking for.

We received another phone call from the management

Of the darlington apartments who gave the nickname,

And that nickname was santana.

I don't know if that's his...

The manager stated that santana's girlfriend

Lived at the darlington.

Now I need to go and speak to this girlfriend.

Maybe she can give me his real name,

Nor tell me where he is,

Or tell me where he was on november 12th.

Narrator: santana's girlfriend is at home.

Benton: is that santana?

Yeah, that's him.

Narrator: detectives show her the image of a suspect.

And santana is a nickname, right?

What's his real name?

I call him santana,

But his legal name is fredo, tana frito.

Narrator: on searching the premises, some items are located

The detectives suspect came from terry porter's car.

Benton: when I saw that screen projector...

Whose is this?

...i knew that was something

He would probably use in his company.

These, they yours?

No, I've never seen them before.

Narrator: santana's girlfriend claims

She doesn't know where they came from.

Detective benton is now positive

That santana, aka tana fredo, is the k*ller.

Great, thank you so much.

Narrator: now she has to find him.

Bye.

I ran the name santana.

I ran the name fredo.

I ran the name tana fredo all through police databases

And there was no hits.

When you don't get a hit,

Most likely you know it's a fake name.

Narrator: the investigation has hit a brick wall.

But the hunt for terry porter's k*ller must continue.

Benton: if I get angry that nothing's going my way,

I'm not doing my job.

I've got to stay calm and go, "yeah, this sucked.

But you've got all this other stuff to work at,

Let's keep going."

And that's what I did.

Narrator: with a cold, violent k*ller on a crime spree,

Detective benton will have to work fast

Before he strikes again.

Narrator: homicide investigators suspect tana fredo,

Aka santana, for the m*rder of terry porter.

They have him driving the victim's car

And using his credit card.

But they can't confirm that he's the masked man at the atm

On the night of the k*lling,

And his real name remains a mystery.

It's like a puzzle, and all these pieces are scattered.

I want to take all these pieces and put them back together,

So I can figure out who committed this heinous crime.

Narrator: november 20, 8 days since terry porter's m*rder.

Detective benton is waiting for more surveillance footage

From a drugstore on the night of the sh**ting.

Benton: on the 12th of november,

At a little bit after 3:00 in the morning,

Someone was using a credit card

At the store that just happened to be right near

The darlington apartments, texaco gas station

And also the bank 6 to 8 minutes after the homicide.

Narrator: this footage could reveal the face of terry's k*ller.

The following evening, the porter family hold a vigil.

We wanted to just all unite in one family,

One voice and say prayers

And hold a vigil in terry's name.

Narrator: terry's brother, levi, appeals to the press for help.

We're begging you. We need to crack this case.

I pushed so much for the news to come to see the family,

To have me to say something on behalf of terry,

So that way we can get the message out.

Everyone loved him.

That's the type of person he was.

He brought a smile to everyone's face.

Porter: the importance of the vigils

Was really to keep the story out in the public,

Because the crime was not yet solved.

Please contact the atlanta police department

If you know anything at all, please.

The victim's brother is hopeful.

We talked to him not too long ago

Right outside of one of his brother's businesses over here,

And he says that the family is optimistic

About this m*rder investigation.

Narrator: at atlanta pd,

The pharmacy surveillance footage has arrived.

The first camera points directly at the front entrance.

♪♪

♪♪

There it is.

The black range rover pulls up.

Gallow: it has a very distinctive front grille area,

Has a very distinctive headlight setup.

This looks to be like the matching description

Of terry porter's range rover.

Narrator: detective benton is eager to see who is driving the vehicle.

♪♪

♪♪

Benton: doors open, he comes in:

♪♪

The exact same male from the texaco gas station.

He's wearing a long-sleeve white t-shirt.

He's got a hat.

Narrator: and there's something else.

That watch.

That watch was extremely distinctive in those

Wells fargo still photos.

And he's wearing the same thing.

Narrator: it's tana fredo, less than an hour

After the m*rder of terry porter.

But detectives need one more piece of the puzzle.

They swap cameras.

Benton: you see him walking past the cashier stand,

And eventually he comes up to the cashier.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

Narrator: he attempts to pay with terry porter's credit card.

♪♪

♪♪

Benton: he accidentally presses the debit button and realizes,

"I probably don't have the pin."

So he tells the cashier, "I didn't mean to press debit.

I meant to press credit."

That transaction is denied.

He then does it on a credit.

Narrator: the cashier asks to see some identification.

♪♪

♪♪

He's using terry's id.

He hands over the victim's wallet to show the victim's id

So that he can use the victim's credit card.

♪♪

Your watching a cold-blooded m*rder*r

Use the victim's credit card

In less than an hour after he's k*lled the victim.

Narrator: the suspect then calmly leaves.

Detectives are now convinced that tana fredo,

Alias santana, is the k*ller.

But without his real name,

He'll be impossible to apprehend.

♪♪

However, detectives are about to get the break

They so desperately need.

[ Telephone ringing ]

Homicide.

We then received another crime stoppers tip.

Narrator: an anonymous caller puts a new name

To the man captured in the cctv images.

♪♪

That person's name was ladarius hardy.

Gallow: it's a big moment.

We run the name of ladarius hardy through our databases.

Got our suspect's last known name and address.

Narrator: detectives race to the apartment listed.

So ladarius is your boyfriend?

The occupant confirms that hardy is her ex-boyfriend,

But she hasn't heard from him in 10 months.

Okay, have you seen him since then?

-No. -No?

Benton: she was shown a photographic lineup,

And she positively identified ladarius hardy as the person

That we had been looking at in all these video surveillances.

The net is certainly closing in.

We now have a confirmed suspect.

Although we don't know where he is at this point,

At least we know who we're looking for.

Narrator: atlanta pd mount a full-scale manhunt to catch a k*ller.

Narrator: one month has passed since terry porter's m*rder.

Investigators have identified ladarius hardy as the k*ller.

December 11, 2012.

U.s. Marshals get an anonymous tip

On ladarius hardy's whereabouts.

-U.s. Marshals! -U.s. Marshals!

There may be an active sh**t-out,

And we have people ready to engage

In whatever means necessary to take this person down.

He was presumed to be armed and dangerous.

U.s. Marshals!

U.s. Marshals were able to locate ladarius hardy.

Show us your hands!

Narrator: ladarius hardy is arrested on charges of armed robbery,

Felony m*rder and three counts of credit card fraud.

Officer: against the wall, hands against the wall!

♪♪

Benton: during the time frame of the interview,

He changed his story at least three times.

Numerous stories that he kept saying,

But he never would fully admit

That he was the one that committed the crime.

We reach a point where we have him

But yet we don't have the true story at this point.

Narrator: detective benton turns up the heat.

Narrator: meantime, hardy's phone records arrive,

And they reveal a chilling secret.

It turns out ladarius hardy and terry porter

Actually knew each other.

Ladarius, what do you want?

We conclusively linked communication

Between the two on the day that terry porter was k*lled.

I'm trying to help you, okay?

That's what I'm trying to do!

Narrator: the records clearly show numerous calls

Between the two men in the hours leading up to the m*rder.

All right. All right.

Okay, I'll be there in 10 minutes.

Narrator: terry had offered to help hardy through the 5linx organization.

Mr. Porter had been introduced to mr. Hardy weeks prior.

He was trying to get mr. Hardy a job at his company,

And all mr. Porter was doing was trying to help him.

And if he had asked mr. Porter for something,

Mr. Porter would have given it to him.

Huh, huh!

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Walk.

Walk! Get on your knees!

-But instead... -Get on your knees. Hurry up!

He puts him on his knees, and he takes his money.

Your pockets, I want wallets. I want keys.

I want everything. Hurry it up!

He executes him in the back of the head.

[ g*nsh*t ]

He takes his car, and then within minutes,

Within less than an hour he's just bebopping around

Using mr. Porter's credit card and his wallet.

Ladarius hardy wanted to have the lifestyle

That terry porter had,

And he was going to do whatever he needed to do to get that.

I remember having a weight lifted off of my shoulders

Because he was finally caught, and I was able to call wayne

And say, "we got him. We got him.

He's not going to be able to do this to anyone else."

Narrator: on november 25, 2015, 3 years after k*lling terry porter,

Ladarius hardy pleads guilty to m*rder.

He's given two life sentences

Without the possibility of parole.

With a conviction secured,

The da doesn't pursue the lesser charge

For the chamblee carjacking, although police remain convinced

That hardy is the man caught on camera

Using the carjack victim's car.

Hardy's girlfriend wasn't charged.

Detectives believe that she was not aware

Of her boyfriend's real name

Or that the items found in her apartment

Belonged to terry porter.

Benton: I'm very thankful the amount of video surveillance

That I was able to obtain in this case,

And if it wasn't for that,

I wouldn't have been able to solve it.

Bias: that footage was really key to go back

And look at that suspect

And see the whole snapshot of that person

That was there at that time, at that moment.

To me that was amazing.

Narrator: seven years after his death,

Terry porter's family is still struggling to accept their loss.

Porter: I miss talking to him.

I miss just hearing his voice.

It's still tough not having him here.

Bias: terry was definitely a very strong person.

He was gifted in so many great talents.

Everything he touched turned to gold,

And the icing on the cake was to be lifted up in a chair

In front of thousands of people and share his story.

-I am stronger. -I am stronger!

-I am wiser. -I am wiser!

I made it!