01x03 - Things You Can't Unsee

[bunniefuu]

I hope you slept good and
that we can talk soon.

All you have is the lifeless
body of a 22-year-old.

Why does someone do this?

The most gut-wrenching part

was seeing Heather's hand
still grasping the sheet.

I just remember screaming,

"Somebody's k*lled
my daughter!"

You have to look at these videos

and hopefully gain
something from it.

I think everybody was
crushing on Heather.

Who do you tell your secrets to?

Now, you tell your secrets
to your cell phone.

It was one of the
most shocking videos

I have ever seen in my career.

I was watching the final moments

of the life of
Heather Nicole Maples.

narrator: 22-year-old aspiring
college student Heather Maples

is preparing to leave
her hometown in Texas

to pursue her
dreams in Tennessee.

She loved the idea of
moving to Tennessee.

She just wanted to start over
and do something different.

My name is Jenna Holt Gomez,

and Heather will always
be my best friend.

She knew what words to say
to make you feel better.

Literally, 5 minutes
talking with Heather,

and you would forget that
you're even sad about anything,

and Heather was really
good at helping people.

And I am really sorry
that I didn't send you

anything yesterday,

and I hope you slept good
and that we can talk soon.

Narrator: Heather
Nicole Maples

is born August 23, 1992,

in Ocala, Florida, on the
eve of a record storm.

My name is Jennifer Hunter,

and I am Heather Maples' mother.

Hurricane Andrew
was just hours away,

but I had baby during
a hurricane, basically.

So she was known as
my hurricane baby.

I met Heather at my
elementary school

in Dallas, Texas.

I was actually a really shy,
quiet, introverted girl.

I was afraid to speak to people.

Heather just completely
brought me out of my shell.

We both tried out
for cheerleading.

We were so excited
and so scared,

but Heather wasn't afraid
of anything, and we made it.

Narrator: In 2004, when Heather
is in the seventh grade,

her mom gives birth to
a second child, Ryan.

When he's diagnosed with
a developmental disorder,

Heather's focus
turns to her family.

All of Heather's high school
years were spent with Ryan,

helping Ryan learn how to
talk, learn how to walk.

She just immersed herself
with helping to raise

and take care of Ryan.

Narrator: When she's
not caring for Ryan,

Heather lives the life
of a typical teenager.

We spent a lot of time
talking about boys.

We talked a lot about what we
wanted to do with our future.

Heather had wanted
to go to college.

She was interested
in pursuing a career.

She had decided that she
was gonna be a counselor.

She had always been that friend.

She was that listening ear

because she was such a
compassionate person.

Narrator: After graduating
from high school,

a friend of Heather's named
Chaz unexpectedly calls

and suggests she join
him in Tennessee.

He told her that he
was in Murfreesboro

and that it was a
great little town.

It was also a college town,

and that would give her
a better opportunity

to be able to go to
school in a local place.

I remember she packed
up her entire car,

and I was so depressed
that she was leaving,

but I understood, and
I admired her courage.

Narrator: In January 2015,

Heather arrives in Murfreesboro,

moves in with Chaz, and
embarks on a new adventure.

It was a friend
situation when she went,

but I think it turned quickly
into a boyfriend situation.

When Heather first moved in
with Chaz, everything was okay,

and so this was just
a fresh start for her.

My name is Kelsey Price,

and I was Heather's best friend
in the state of Tennessee.

My first impression
of Heather was, "Wow."

I mean, I was in awe.

She just gave off this
vibe, this light about her,

and I said to myself,

"This girl is gonna
be my best friend."

narrator: Kelsey helps Heather
land a job in the offices

at the Cove Apartment
Complex where they both live.

We worked hard, but we
also had a lot of fun.

We would go barhopping,
go to the mall,

go shopping, get manicures,
just the typical girly stuff.

Narrator: While Heather is
thriving with work and friends,

in April, her relationship
with Chaz begins to crumble.

Heather and her
boyfriend, they split up,

and he moved out,

and she was able to
keep her apartment,

so she didn't have
to move again.

Narrator: And in early August,

she phones her mother
with exciting news.

She was on the phone with me,
and all she kept saying was,

"Oh, my gosh,
Mom. Oh, my gosh."

I was like, "What?"
And she said,

"I was accepted to college.
I'm going to college."

And I was like,
"You're doing what?"

She was so excited, and
I was so happy for her,

'cause that was something
that she did on her own.

It was her proud moment.

Narrator: A week
later, Kelsey Price

opens the rental office at
the Cove Apartment Complex

and notices Heather
is late for her shift.

She had a tendency to,
you know, sleep in,

and so there were
a lot of mornings

where I would have to call her.

About 9:15, I'm like,
"Okay, Heather's not here,"

so I call a couple times.

I don't get any answer.

I remember her saying,

"If I don't answer my
phone, just come get me."

So when I open the door,
I see her mattress,

and I see her laying there,
and I'm calling out to her.

I'm like, "Heather. Heather?"

I walk over to her, and I notice

that she has a top
on but nothing else,

and I'm like, "Gosh, she
really got on one last night,"

so I look at her foot.

I tap it. I'm like, "Heather?"

And when I tap it, I
realize it's dead cold.

I slowly start to back
out of the apartment.

I was, like, just breathing and
thinking, like, "What the...

You know, what the
hell is going on?"

I called 911, and they say,
"What's your emergency?"

And I say, "I think there's
been a homicide here."

I'm Detective
Sergeant Tommy Massey

with the Murfreesboro
Police Department.

I made my way over to
the apartment complex.

I met with Kelsey Price,

who was her friend and
also a coworker of hers.

When I arrived on the scene,
they had already established

a crime scene, had it roped off.

I could see the body of
Miss Maples across the bed.

Obviously, she was
partially nude.

You could tell there was

some visible trauma
to her person.

I immediately met
with Detective Maples,

the first detective from
our unit to respond.

My name is Detective
Larry Maples.

I was a detective that assisted
on the Heather Maples case.

There was clear evidence
of a sexual as*ault

with semen, with hair, blood.

Her hair was fairly
blood-soaked.

We were able to note that
there was some cast-off blood

on the wall behind the mattress.

Obviously, she had
been struck on the bed,

and then whatever object
was used to strike her

had, you know, delivered
blood to the wall.

The most gut-wrenching part

was seeing Heather's hand
still grasping the sheet,

where you could tell as she died

that she died a
pretty horrific death.

Why does someone do this?

As the lead investigator,

it's very imperative to
gain as much information

as quickly as you can.

'Cause, at that time,
we know nothing.

All we have is the lifeless
body of a 22-year-old girl.

Narrator: Detectives
search for clues

in Heather's final moments.

With a crime of this nature,

it was very conceivable
that this was gonna be

a little more on
Heather's private life.

Narrator: Friends
become suspects.

There was no forced
entry to the door,

so it didn't appear
to be a random act.

Narrator: And a window
opens to a horrifying world.

It was one of the
most shocking videos

I have ever seen in my career.

Narrator: When
investigators discover

22-year-old Heather Maples

m*rder*d in her own apartment,

they begin processing the scene.

There were several
identifiers on Heather's body

that were significant to us.

There was, you know, semen.

There was the presence of hair

we believe was not
Heather's hair.

narrator: As forensics
begins processing evidence

for DNA testing,

investigators make
another discovery.

To the right of Miss
Maples, there was

a bloody fingerprint
at the top of the bed

that was pristine.

You could not have taken ink

and rolled that fingerprint
and had a better print.

There was nothing consistent
with that fingerprint

to lead us to believe
that it was Heather's,

nor was there any
conceivable way

that her hands would've
been placed there.

Narrator: Investigators
process the print to compare

to potential subjects

and to submit to a national
fingerprint database.

And soon, they make
another discovery.

We were able to recover

Miss Maples' cell
phone at the scene.

Narrator: Without a
passcode, however,

they can't open the device.

As they set out to gain
access to the phone,

they observe something else.

We also noted that the
windows were closed.

They're locked,

so the only way in was
through that one front door,

so no one forced
their way inside.

So it didn't appear to be
a random act at that point.

Narrator: Heather's
body is transferred

to the coroner's office
for further examination.

With the support of Heather's
best friend, Kelsey,

Detective Massey then
embarks on a harrowing task.

One of the most
difficult things to do

is the death notification

to someone's family that
their loved one is deceased.

I wanted to be the
one to tell her.

I wanted it to be from
somebody who loved Heather

and cared about her.

I called, and I just said,

"Jennifer, are
you sitting down?"

I remember her just telling
me that Heather's gone,

and I was like,
"Where is Heather?"

Because I knew Heather was
supposed to be at work,

and then she said,
"Heather is dead."

I just remember screaming, "No!

Somebody's k*lled my daughter!"

But it wasn't real.

It didn't seem real.

Narrator: In his
conversation with Jennifer,

Detective Massey learns
that the last time

she saw her daughter
was 6 days ago,

when they spent the
afternoon together in Texas.

She just called about
a week or two before

and said, "Hey,
I've got tickets.

I'm coming home
for this weekend."

It was great to see her.

Heather and I were together.

I dropped her off at
her friend's house,

and I gave her a hug and a kiss

and told her I loved her.

I had no idea that that
was gonna be the last time

I was ever going to
hold my daughter.

Narrator: Back at the crime
scene, Massey speaks to Kelsey

about Heather's living
situation and discovers

that her relationship with
her ex-boyfriend, Chaz,

has been tumultuous.

There had been
allegations of abuse.

I would hear her telling me

about how he's got anger
issues and he was abusing her.

It was a pretty scary thing
because she called me.

She was really upset, and
she didn't know what to do.

I told her to leave
and come back home,

but she was determined
to really make

something of herself.

There were often times when
I thought, "Oh, my gosh.

Am I gonna have to go
over here and intervene?"

But I helped her get
a restraining order.

I pretty much just
took her under my wing

from there on out.

He became somebody we wanted
to have a conversation with

about her death.

Did something trigger him?

Was this an act of aggression?

Those were some things
we wanted to know.

Narrator: Before police
can track down Chaz,

something unexpected
happens at the crime scene.

A young man came

just about bursting
through the crime scene.

His name was Michael,

and he was very determined to
either get inside that tape,

get inside that scene.

It's not uncommon in some cases

that you will have suspects
come back to the scene

and interject themselves
into the investigation.

narrator: Michael also shares

an alarming piece
of information.

The interesting part was
that he had Heather's keys.

No one forced themselves
into her apartment,

and she's dead, so certainly,

that's somebody we want to
have a conversation with,

and we got him back to
our offices pretty quick.

He seemed pretty
upset and despondent

over the fact that his
friend was deceased.

Okay.

Michael may have had
a little crush on her,

but at the same time,
he had a girlfriend,

and I don't know if he ever
acted on any of his feelings.

narrator: Michael then reveals

that before Heather
was m*rder*d,

he spent much of the
evening with her.

Narrator: According to Michael,
after dinner, he went home

while Heather went to a
local bar with friends,

but later that evening,
she reached out for help.

We learned from Michael
in the interview,

there was a situation

where she was being,
if you want to call it,

harassed by the young man
by the name of Artavio.

Michael has some concern
about because he felt like

he was being a
little too, I guess,

pushy with Miss Maples
that night in the bar

by trying to maybe have
some advances toward her.

Narrator: Shortly
after the incident,

Michael suggested
taking Heather home.

He estimated that time to
be approximately 2:30 a.m.

the morning of August 7th

and that that was the
last that he saw of her.

Narrator: Investigators
take Michael's fingerprints

and a DNA sample and
set out to determine

if he's truthful about
his evening with Heather.

We had ideas where
she was, but again,

knowing where she was and
knowing what she's doing

while she's there are
very different things.

We wanted to retrieve the video

from Handlebars; they'd
been out there to eat,

and that was their last stop
before he drove her home.

Narrator: The investigators
pull the footage in question

for insight into what may
be Heather's final moments.

We watch it in real time,
just like you would a movie.

You have to look at these videos

and hopefully gain
something from it.

Narrator: Investigators are
reviewing security footage

of Heather Maples and
her friend Michael

from the early morning hours
of the night she was m*rder*d.

We were able to piece
together through that evidence

that she had been with Michael.

We were interested

to see what would happen next.

While Michael seems comfortable

showing Heather affection,
the pair's time at the diner

seems to match his
account to police.

But what happens after they
leave remains a mystery.

Because Michael was the
last person that we knew of

to see Heather
Nicole Maples alive,

he was someone that the police
were very interested in.

Narrator: After reviewing the
footage, investigators turn

to the medical examiner's
report for additional clues.

They had ruled that the
death was a homicide...

And that the cause of
death was strangulation

and blunt-force
trauma to the head.

A r*pe kit provided
them with a DNA sample.

That DNA sample was forwarded
to the Tennessee Bureau

of Investigation Crime
Laboratory for analysis.

When we did get the
return of the fingerprint

and we got the
return of the DNA,

Michael was determined
not to be a match

to any of the identifiers
that were at the scene.

Narrator: With Michael
cleared as a suspect,

detectives begin
looking into the man

he described from the
bar that night, Artavio.

But then they uncover
new information

about Heather's
ex-boyfriend, Chaz,

who she filed a
restraining order against

a few months back.

We learned that he had moved
but that he was actually back

in town the night of her m*rder,

which piqued our
interest even more.

We just went in and
conducted the interview.

Narrator: While he
acknowledges his relationship

with Heather was rocky,

Chaz denies having anything
to do with her m*rder.

He said he hadn't been to
her apartment in months.

He gave us key details,

like where he had been
throughout the night.

We were able to verify
the alibi he provided us,

and the time frame
just didn't really fit

what it would have required
to commit the crime.

At the end of the interview,
we asked him to consent to DNA.

He agreed to do that.

With that interview, you know,

we were able to determine
that he was not there,

that they really had
not had any contact,

and was later cleared
when the DNA came back.

Narrator: Later that day,

with two potential
suspects quickly cleared,

investigators turned back to
Heather's best friend, Kelsey.

I felt like a suspect

because I was the
one who found her.

Okay.

They wanted to get as
much information about her

and her life as they could.

They wanted to know
about sex lives.

I mean, everything.

Narrator: According to Kelsey,
after splitting up with Chaz,

Heather's social world expanded.

She immediately was
so happy, so free.

She could really spread her
wings and fly at this point.

She was just very charismatic.

I think everybody was
crushing on Heather.

I mean, literally, she
was like a boy magnet.

She had men around
her all the time,

you know, staring and wanting.

narrator: Kelsey begins
listing off anyone of note

that Heather has been talking
to over the last few weeks.

I told them about Brandon.

She just met him and
his roommate one night

not too long before that.

She introduced me to them,

and that was the only
time I had ever met them,

and I never thought
about it again, really.

Through the interview process,

we knew we had a Brandon

that she was hanging out with,

but with a question mark

because no one even
really knew who he was.

He stayed on our radar.

I'm in Texas, and I don't
know any of these people,

so we're kind of stunned.

Did Heather make friends with
somebody who would k*ll her?

We had no idea.

narrator: Investigators
then turn their questioning

to the night of
Heather's m*rder.

I woke up and got a drink
of water or something,

and I saw that she had
sent me a Snapchat,

and the Snapchat was a picture
of her and Artavio at the bar.

They both look, you know,
like they've been having fun,

and so I just... I
went back to bed.

That was the last thing that
I ever received from Heather.

Yeah. That was it.

One of the concerns to us
was the Artavio gentleman

because he had been
with her night.

There had been a
photograph of that.

Like...

It's conceivable
that her suspect

could likely be in her phone.

Who do you tell your secrets to?

Now you tell your secrets
to your cell phone.

Narrator: Having not yet gained
access to Heather's device,

detectives turn to
Kelsey for help.

The detectives said,
"We've tried everybody.

"We've tried Heather's
mom to get her passcode.

Do you know it?"

And I said, "Yeah,
actually. I do."

I was the only person who
knew it, so they were elated.

When we went through
Heather's phone,

we were able to start
piecing together

a timeline of her
last few minutes.

Around the same time Michael
claims he dropped her off,

Heather sent a message

to a name that
investigators recognize.

She did have a text message
in the late morning hours

that she had reached out
to that gentleman, Artavio,

asking him to come
over to the apartment.

Did he drive over and k*ll her?

Narrator: When investigators
examine Heather Maples' phone,

they discover she texted
her friend Artavio,

inviting him to her apartment

hours before she
was found m*rder*d.

It was one of the last
ones she sent out.

At least we know she
was alive at this time

because she reached out to him,

that he could've been
the last person with her.

We wanted to talk to him
in case he was involved.

Artavio did know Heather.

I don't know the depth
of that relationship.

We knew that he had been with
Heather throughout the night.

Oh, okay. All right.

We pulled him in
to interview him.

We realized that he didn't
know that she had died,

and so we used it to
our advantage to see if,

is it gonna change his
answers to the questions?

narrator: Massey then asks

about Heather's late-night text.

Sometimes a lie is just
as good as the truth.

If you provide me with certain
names of people you were with

or locations you were at
and we can't verify that,

then why would be dishonest or
untruthful in a case like this?

Once the interview
had concluded,

we asked him if he would
submit to a DNA test.

He provided the, you know,
buccal swabs that we collected.

Narrator: As detectives
wait for the lab results,

they investigate Artavio's
version of events.

We say everybody's a
suspect until they're not,

but we were able to determine
that he did not respond

because he had actually
been with someone else,

which made it easier to
corroborate his story,

so we had to mark
him off the list

as a suspect at that time,

but at the same
token, you're like...

It's kind of bad, 'cause now
we're back to square one again.

Narrator: Over the next few
days, detectives circle back

to Heather's list of friends
in search of new leads,

and one name keeps coming up.

You got the mysterious
Brandon guy from the bar.

You know, could he have
something to do with it,

and could he have
known where she lived?

Could he be involved?

And it was interesting
looking at everyone's notes

where Brandon was written down
or Brandon that was circled,

and then later, Brandon
was circled twice.

Narrator: But something
puzzles investigators.

With all the accounts
of that night,

Brandon has never been
placed with Heather.

We didn't feel like we
were at a total dead end,

but we worked pretty
much for 7 straight days

nonstop on this case,

hadn't taken very many
breaks, hadn't slept a lot.

Every day, we had calls
with the detective.

He was very good at
keeping us up to date,

but it almost feels like you're
living one of those TV shows.

I was angry.

I was sad. I was frustrated.

It's amazing how
that relationship

with the victim's
family can drive you

when you're tired,
fatigued, frustrated.

We worked for Jennifer
at that point,

and we wanted to
make sure that we did

everything that we
could to make sure that,

at some point, she
could find peace.

Narrator: On the 8th day
of the investigation,

as Detective Massey prepares
to leave the office,

his plans are interrupted.

That afternoon, I
got a phone call

from one of the directors
down at the TBI crime lab.

We had received a hit
on the fingerprint

that was submitted from the bed.

It belonged to the
mysterious Brandon.

His fingerprints had
been previously submitted

into the AFIS system

by a company that he was
seeking employment with,

and they had had a match
to the one we had submitted

from the bloody
fingerprint on the bed.

Once we got that fingerprint
back, no all of a sudden,

this Brandon came
into full focus

and became the center
of the investigation.

Where does he work?
Does he go to school?

Narrator: Eight days after
finding Heather Maples' body,

police discover that a
man named Brandon Bowling

left a critical clue
on Heather's bed.

So at that point,
we knew we were

on to at least somebody
that was there,

so we spent that
afternoon researching,

who was Brandon Bowling?

Where does Brandon Bowling live?

How do we find Brandon Bowling?

We were able to ascertain that
he was employed as a driver

at one of the local
food establishments,

that he was actually
working that night.

I met him in the parking lot,

told him we were
working on a homicide

of Miss Heather Maples.

We asked him if he'd
be willing to come

to the police department
and talk to us.

- Uh, what is the date?
- The 14th.

There are different ways to
interview different people.

Sometimes you have to be
gentle with them, you know?

I tried every technique
you could, you know,

to be his friend almost,

to give him opportunity to have
an out as to why it happened.

At that point, we
knew, obviously,

he wasn't telling the truth,

because there's no way
his bloody fingerprint

gets there on that
bedsheet that night

if he's not been
there in 2 months,

and it was still wet when we
actually got on the scene.

Once we confronted him
with physical evidence,

you could see his
demeanor change,

his shoulders drop, head drops.

It seemed like he was
starting to gather,

collect the fact that, you know,

he's had, that we
know it, we've got it.

I thought several times
throughout my interview

with him, like, he was on
the verge of confessing.

But he never would; he
never would come off

of anything other than
he'd not been there.

At the end of the interview,
we asked him to consent to DNA

because we told him he
could clear the case

if he wasn't truly there.

Narrator: While investigators
await the results of the test,

based on the strength of
the fingerprint evidence,

they make their move.

After he basically
would not tell us

anything that we
needed to know...

He was subsequently charged

with first-degree
m*rder that night.

Narrator: To build their
case, police file a subpoena

to access Brandon's phone.

Detective Massey
then makes a call.

It was uplifting calling
Miss Hunter and telling her

I just booked the man into jail

that may have m*rder*d
your daughter,

because at least, at some point,

maybe she found comfort in that.

Detective Massey called
me to let me know

that he had caught someone,

and it was a sigh of relief,

but again, we had no idea who
he was or why did he do it?

I mean, that's the one question
that I still have, is why?

I still don't know.

Narrator: When
investigators gain access

to Brandon's phone, however,

they gain chilling
insight into his motive.

This is a perfect example of
the things you can't unsee.

What was in that
phone will be with us

for the rest of our lives.

Narrator: As investigators
scan through the phone

of their chief suspect,
Brandon Bowling,

they make a
horrifying discovery.

The video from the cell phone
of Brandon Richmond Bowling

was one of the most
shocking videos

I have ever seen in my career.

You could see the room
of Heather Nicole Maples.

You could see the bed.

You could see Heather
Nicole Maples being r*ped,

and you knew that at
this time, she was alive.

It was obvious she had been
beaten, and she was suffering.

The thing that
struck me the most

was that I was watching
the final moments

of the life of
Heather Nicole Maples.

As parents, you want to know
what happened to your child,

so you have to ask the question,

"How did she die?"

Be careful what you ask for,

because the answer
you get is horrifying.

It's awful.

I think about how lucky we were

to get a bloody
fingerprint on a bed.

Had we not got the fingerprint
back, I don't know.

Maybe we would've caught
him. Maybe we wouldn't have.

I don't know.

There's always the possibility
that we wouldn't have,

and maybe somewhere
down the line,

continued to do what he did.

Narrator: In February 2018,
Brandon Bowling pleads guilty

to the m*rder and r*pe
of Heather Maples.

He is sentenced to
40 years in prison

without the
possibility of parole.

The day that the
plea deal was signed,

I read a victim
impact statement.

I viewed that statement
as the last time

that I would be able
to speak for my child

and what her loss meant to us.

I forgive Brandon Bowling
for k*lling my daughter.

From that day forward, I learned

don't worry about anything
and pray about everything.

It, in no way, meant that
I forgot what he had done.

I'm supposed to forgive,
and so that's what I did.

I'll tell you, there
was hardly a dry eye

in that courtroom.

Once the hearing was over,

we went out into the hallway,

and his mother
walked over to me.

She was heartbroken.

I was heartbroken, and
I just gave her a hug.

We both lost our kids that day.

I wanted her to know that
I understood her pain.

Narrator: Years later,
Jennifer remembers

her daughter's last trip back
to Texas and her final moments.

So it was great to see her,
that her accomplishments

that she had been working
on were coming to fruition.

She was happy.

You know, I can
look through videos,

and I can look through
pictures, and she's smiling.

You know, there was always a
light there for her, for me.

She was an amazing person,

a contagiously beautifully
incredible person.

Our last time together
was at the office at work.

The night that she went out,
we got off at about 5:00.

We walked home together,
and that walk home

was the last walk home
I ever got with her.

She's definitely forever
in my heart and in my mind,

all day, all the time.

I can never forget her.

She's literally one of the best
friends that I've ever had.

If you love somebody, you
gotta hold them tight,

because you never know when
your last day with them is.