[female narrator] in the heart of the bible belt,
A tip leads to a horrific discovery.
I'm thinking, "how terrible of a crime do I have here
"in garvin county?"
They take off one of the lids and they see body parts.
[narrator] police land on a suspect
With a harrowing account.
He said they broke into his home.
He just, you know, blew the door open.
He said he was this biker guy that was dangerous
And just a bad dude.
[narrator] but with time, investigators uncover
The dark truth behind this gruesome vendetta.
More and more evil and more evil and evil things
Started coming up.
She could approach a man and be very sultry.
She'd get quick results.
She had him wrapped around her little finger.
He'll do anything that she asked.
She just waited and waited until it was her time to strike.
[music]
[narrator] a little south of oklahoma city,
Garvin county is the kind of place where folks take pride
In their small-town values.
Garvin county, oklahoma is the little hole on the belt
Of the buckle of the bible belt.
We do our best to be hardworking, honest,
Handshake agreement, you know, devout and law abiding.
[narrator] but on August 8th, 2012, garvin county sheriff
Larry rhodes gets a phone call from the oklahoma bureau
Of investigation that they have received a disturbing tip
From a local man, 31-year-old van enblum.
Van disclosed that he, um, had seen what he thought
Was the disposing of a murdered body.
[narrator] investigators with the osbi and sheriff rhodes
Convene in an emergency meeting with van the sole focus.
Van tells them that the night before,
His childhood best friend calle him with a chilling request.
[larry] van enblum said that he was called over to help
Dispose of a body.
[tara] he originally thought the friend was joking around
Until he walked into the home and saw the buckets,
And saw blood running down one of the buckets.
He was presented with five five-gallon buckets
And a dog kennel, the dog kennel was covered with a tarp.
[narrator] van tells investigators that
When he realized what he was looking at, he froze.
It was a dismembered body.
[narrator] in a state of shock, van helped load the buckets
And dog crate into his friend's truck.
But once he realized that he wa now an accessory,
He took a stand.
Van finally says, you know, "I can't do this.
"you're just gonna have to take me home,
"you're gonna have to figure this out on your own."
And so he goes home.
[narrator] once home, van couldn't shake
What he had just witnessed.
It was within 24 hours that van went to one of our local
Defense attorneys here in garvin county and said, you know,
"I don't know what to do, but here's what's happened."
Van disclosed that he had seen what he thought was
The disposing of a murdered body.
He made the right decision that he wanted no part of this
And to come forward.
So he was treated as a witness in this case.
[narrator] van names the killer as 30-year-old justin hammer.
Authorities press van for the identity of the victim,
And while he can't be sure, he believes it was a man
Named brandon duran.
[tara] he knew that there was bad blood
Between justin and brandon.
He's like, "well, justin's finally done it,
"he's finally killed brandon."
So that's how it got found out that brandon duran
Was the potential victim.
Brandon duran was not from garvin county,
He was from california.
[narrator] investigators reach out to brandon's friends
And family.
They quickly learn that no one has heard from him
Nor his ex-wife, amber andrews, in five days.
[tara] brandon and amber had gone to oklahoma,
They were at her parents' house.
And so little brando was with them too.
[cynthia] I didn't hear from him on the road
When he went to oklahoma for four or five days,
Which was unusual because my son always had
His phone on him.
[narrator] born in 1980 in san diego, california,
Brandon duran had an adventurou spirit from the start.
[cynthia] brandon loved san diego, there's lots of places
That kids can just be kids.
You know, there's fields and there's horses
And there's places they can skateboard
And ride their bikes.
[narrator] brandon's parents divorced while he was young,
With his mom living in san dieg and his dad in new mexico.
However, they remained dedicate to their son.
We tried to give him the best of both worlds.
[narrator] when brandon was in new mexico, his father shared
His lifelong passion with his son.
[garrett] he started working on motorcycles with his dad
At a young age.
Every time he would see his dad, he would help him
Work on his bike.
His father had been a member of the bandidos motorcycle club.
[garrett] he wanted to be just like his dad.
And he was really successful at that.
[narrator] by the time brandon was 25, he was successful enoug
To make an enduring dream come true.
He got his own custom flyrite chopper.
[alfonso] it was an amazing, beautiful motorcycle.
He had his leather seat with hi name stitched on it.
He had this big trailer he would, you know, cart around
His motorcycle.
He wouldn't leave his motorcycl anywhere.
[narrator] but in April of 2005, tragedy struck
When 25-year-old brandon lost his father.
[garrett] his dad went in for a liver biopsy
And he just didn't make it.
[cynthia] it was very difficult for brandon to lose his father.
They were very close, and it was devastating for him.
[narrator] still reeling and in need of a fresh start,
Brandon loaded up his bike and moved to vegas.
There he started spending time with the local chapter
Of the bandidos.
[man laughing] [man] brando, lift 'em up.
It broke him, definitely, 'cause his dad was his hero.
[garrett] my brother wasn't a member of
The bandidos motorcycle club,
But the club saw how it devastated my brother.
I think that's why they had a soft spot,
Besides the fact that he was a legacy,
That they allowed him to hang out with them.
[narrator] less than a year after his dad's death,
Brandon found a distraction fro his grief when he met
24-year-old tattoo artist amber andrews.
Brandon had met amber on a motorcycle run to red river.
Brandon really was smitten with amber because she was beautiful
She was attractive, tattoos, the way she dressed.
It was just right up brandon's alley.
[narrator] within a few months, the two married in las vegas
And the wedding was fashioned after their own
Rebellious tastes, complete wit the date of June 6th, 2006,
6-6-6.
As a local minister, and the authority given to me
By the state of nevada, it is my honor and privilege
To announce to you as husband and wife.
Brandon, you may now kiss your beautiful bride.
-Congratulations. -[people cheering and clapping]
[narrator] soon after, on December 15th, 2006,
Their son brando was born in th heart of sin city.
[cynthia] brandon got it.
He knew the most important things as to being a father.
[narrator] but four years into their marriage,
It became clear that while brandon embraced family life,
Amber struggled to settle down.
She would go out at all hours of the night
And that ultimately led to thei divorce.
[garrett] brandon is granted full custody.
The reason my brother got custody is because
He was a responsible person.
He had a full-time job, well paid, he had a vehicle,
He had all his ducks in a row.
[narrator] following the divorce, in 2010,
Amber moved back to her hometow of meeker, oklahoma.
Brandon also decided to leave vegas.
And that's when he came back to san diego.
I think he was at first living with cindy, brandon's mom.
[narrator] in the summer of 2012, after being apart
From brando and brandon for a year, amber showed up
In san diego hoping to put the past behind them.
[alfonso] she said, "I want you back.
"I just, I want that life that we initially had."
He loved his wife and he wanted his family unit together.
[narrator] the couple decided to make their fresh start
In san diego, but amber asked for one favor
Before their son started school
She was like, "can we just take brando back to oklahoma
"to see my family before he starts kindergarten?"
[narrator] brandon agreed.
He had this trailer that he pulled his motorcycle in
And loaded up and was on his wa to oklahoma.
They were only supposed to be gone for a week.
And they went, and my son never came back.
[narrator] now, nearly a week after the young family
Left california, a man named van enblem sits before police
Claiming his friend justin hammer may have killed brandon.
Van enblem didn't believe that happened until he saw it
With his own eyes, and that's when he freaked out.
With the passage of time and the potential for someone
To be altering a crime scene, that was very important to us
To act quickly.
[narrator] with such an extraordinarily violent crime
Being reported, investigators prioritize
Finding justin hammer.
[tara] they wanted to get him in custody.
He's obviously a danger to the community.
[narrator] coming up, authorities get one side
Of the story.
He had stated that brandon broke into his home.
[narrator] and learn of a love triangle with a dangerous twist
[tara] he said that brandon had made threats that he would
Essentially have the bandidos take care of him.
[music]
[narrator] August 8th, 2012.
Acting on a tip from van enblem garvin county investigators
Believe 30-year-old justin hammer may have committed
A grisly murder.
Investigators ask van to help them bring justin in.
They had van call him as a ruse to set up a time to get together
So that they could hang out.
And while they were doing that, the police were following him,
And when he got to a stop sign, they surrounded him.
[larry] when we pulled him over that night at 1:30 am
Justin was very quiet.
Strangely enough, you know, it's almost like, I felt like
Justin thought, "I'm caught."
[narrator] under questioning, police press justin
For the name of his victim.
Justin quickly admits it was brandon duran,
Just as van had suspected.
But he says he didn't want to kill brandon, he was forced to.
[narrator] justin says around 6 pm the day before,
Brandon showed up to his house to deliver a message.
[narrator] when detectives ask what motivated brandon's threat
Justin reveals a mutual connection between them.
[larry] brandon duran is the ex-husband of amber andrews.
After their breakup, amber and justin hammer began
A relationship.
He had stated that when brandon broke into his home,
Brandon said, "amber is with me she's gonna be with me,
"we're gonna be a family and,
"you know, you're basically done."
[narrator] justin claims he and amber have seen each other
On and off for the past couple of months,
And brandon was insanely jealous.
Justin said brandon had made threats to him
That if he didn't leave him and amber alone,
That he would essentially have the bandidos motorcycle club
Take care of him.
[music]
[narrator] he says that when brandon showed up threatening
To sic a notorious biker gang on him, he panicked.
[narrator] justin claims once he realized what he had done,
The fear of retribution from th bandidos forced him
To conceal the shooting.
[shannon] the bandidos are a one-percenter gang.
They're considered from the american motorcycle association
The one percent that is the criminal element.
Justin hammer had told the osbi investigator
He feared brandon duran.
Justin said he was using what they call a saws-all blade
To cut his body into pieces and put into the paint buckets
And dog crate.
[narrator] according to justin, van helped him load the remains
Into his truck, but that's when van panicked and left.
Justin then drove to a pond on the backside of his property,
Where he dumped the buckets and dog crate.
He put him in concrete in the buckets, hoping
That the concrete would set up and just completely sink
The buckets to the bottom of th pond.
[narrator] he also got rid of brandon's beloved motorcycle.
He had contacted a family member of his
And asked him if he wanted the parts to a motorcycle.
And the family member came and got the motorcycle.
[narrator] justin is placed in lock-up as a team is dispatched
To his property to recover the remains of brandon duran.
As for the source of the men's rivalry,
Another team of officers find amber andrews and her son
Safe at her mother's house in meeker, oklahoma,
99 miles from where brandon was killed.
Amber is visibly shocked to learn
That the father of her child is dead.
She said that she had, um, been with him,
That they were contemplating getting back together
And that she was upset.
[narrator] amber admits that the reconciliation had been bumpy
Because she hadn't completely cut ties
With her on-and-off boyfriend, justin.
In fact, only a few days into the oklahoma trip with brandon,
Amber claims that they had gotten into a heated argument
About justin.
[tara] the day before, she'd had to go to a doctor's appointment
And she claims that once they got down to garvin county,
He got mad at her, took his motorcycle off the back
Of the truck and just drove off
She claimed that he left in a rage to confront her boyfriend
To tell him to back off.
[narrator] after the argument, amber says she went back
To her mother's house to meet a friend.
Erin smith was a friend of amber's.
She'd gone over to amber's mother's home to have amber
Work on a tattoo.
[narrator] investigators leave amber to grieve
And meet the other team of officers at the home
Of justin hammer.
During the search of the house, they quickly find evidence
That seems to contradict justin's version of events,
Starting with the claim "brando kicked the door in."
They could tell from the way the door had been kicked,
That it had actually been kicked from the inside,
Not from the outside.
[narrator] there is a distinct shoe print on the door.
Sure enough, we find a pair of nike shoes
In justin hammer's home that had that exact same pattern on them.
[narrator] investigators also locate a gun safe.
There was a 4-10 shotgun there.
And justin admitted to using a 4-10 shotgun.
Inside the gun safe, they found the pistol.
That was our first indication that two different weapons
May have been used.
[narrator] then, investigators find something in the safe
That further pokes holes in justin's story.
Right next to that pistol was a list of all of the things
They needed to buy to dismember brandon's body.
The buckets, the saw blades, the materials and cleaners
To clean up the crime scene.
[narrator] between the two guns, the staged break-in,
And now the shopping list, justin's self-defense claim
Is quickly falling apart.
This crime was not perpetrated by someone who,
Who did it on spur of the moment.
[music]
[narrator] investigators collect both guns for dna
And fingerprint testing.
Then they shift their focus to the pond behind justin's house.
Under the cover of night, the team is able to recover
The first bucket.
They take off one of the lids and they see body parts.
[narrator] in total, they pull five sealed buckets
From the pond.
As csi assess the buckets, they find one includes more
Than just body parts.
The blades that were used to dismember brandon were found
In the buckets.
[narrator] they also locate the dog crate and a nearly
Indescribable scene.
The dog crate, we believe, came from hammer's property,
And that was what brandon's torso was in.
A lot more happened at that house than just a tragic act
Of self-defense.
[narrator] back at the station, officers charge justin
With first-degree murder.
The medical examiner's office took the buckets,
Took the dog kennel with the body inside,
So that we could do an autopsy.
[narrator] coming up, the autopsy points to a stunning
New theory.
Someone else may have been involved in the murder.
[narrator] and investigators learn disturbing details
Of a romance gone off the rails
He was telling me that she just goes off and hits him
And hits him and won't stop.
[music]
[narrator] it's been 72 hours since justin hammer shot
His romantic rival brandon dura and dumped his dismembered
Body parts in a pond behind his house.
After investigators recover the remains,
The medical examiner begins the daunting task of an autopsy.
She said that the body was cut up,
I believe, into 25 pieces.
He was using a saws-all blade t do that,
To cut his body.
His head, his arms, his legs, were cut into pieces.
[narrator] the autopsy reveals brandon was gunned down
Not by one weapon, but two.
There were two different calibers, uh, used to kill
Brandon duran.
[tara] they found four bullet holes.
Three of them are from the pistol,
One of them's from a shotgun.
[shannon] according to the medical examiner's office,
The .22 bullets entered the top right of his head
Over in this area.
And then, when he was in a side-recumbent position,
He was already down, and somebody stood over him
Bonnie and clyde style and shot him in the face
With a 4-10 shotgun.
[narrator] investigators find it unlikely that justin
Took the time to switch weapons after the first three shots.
That leaves them with a new working theory.
There was the potential that someone else
May have been involved in the murder of brandon duran.
[narrator] was justin covering for someone?
He'd made it clear that van enblem was not an accomplice.
There was no reason not to believe van enblem
And what he told us that he witnessed.
He gave details that were believable,
But it was still unbelievable that he acted alone.
[narrator] with more questions than answers,
Investigators dig deeper into brandon's personal life.
They start by reaching out to brandon's family in san diego
To deliver the tragic news.
I was writhing on the floor.
I was...
My whole world ended.
My children are my everything.
[garrett] my mom got the call.
She was hysterically saying, "he's dead, they killed him."
And I'm like, "what are you talking about?"
And she had to reiterate, "your brother is dead."
[narrator] investigators ask brandon's family
About his affiliation with the bandidos.
Justin hammer portrayed brandon duran as just a bad dude.
Brandon duran wasn't that.
He was a motorcycle enthusiast.
[garrett] my brother wasn't a member of the bandidos at all.
He was a, he wasn't even a prospect,
He was just a supporter.
The reason he was allowed to hang out with them
Is because he was his dad's legacy.
[narrator] they tell investigators that
The only person brandon had eve had issues with
Was his ex-wife, amber.
According to his family, brandon's relationship
With amber had been marred by violence and infidelity
From the start.
When he was in las vegas, he would call me quite a bit.
And the phone calls were always, "I don't know what to do
"with this woman."
She would purposely start a fight so that she could go
And leave and do what she wanted to do.
When she would come home, she would have smeared makeup
And her hair would be messed up and she'd still be wasted.
He was telling me that "she just goes off and hits me
"and hits me and won't stop."
[narrator] brandon divorced amber in 2010
And was awarded full custody of their son.
Him gaining full custody of brando obviously shows
That he was not the aggressor.
[cynthia] we didn't hear from her for a while
And we were so grateful.
And I kind of was afraid to ask, "have you heard from her?"
'cause I didn't want her to be around.
[narrator] but in July 2012, over a year after their divorce
Was final, relatives say amber came back into brandon's life
Begging for one last chance.
My brother, being the responsible, loving father
And husband that he was, said, "yeah, let's do this.
"I don't want my son to have a broken home."
[narrator] having reconciled, amber wanted to take their son
To oklahoma to visit her family
[cynthia] when they were leaving here in san diego,
He put his motorcycle in the back of his truck
And strapped it down, and that's how it got out there.
[narrator] the family tells police brandon planned
To work on the bike once he got to oklahoma.
It wasn't working, I'm not sure what was wrong with it.
But it wasn't a quick fix kind of thing.
[narrator] to authorities, the fact that brandon's motorcycle
Wasn't running raises an immediate red flag.
[tara] that negated amber's story,
That "oh, the last I knew is that he rode off
"on the motorcycle because he was mad."
It also negates what justin said,
He didn't drive up in the motorcycle to justin's house
If it's not working.
[narrator] if brandon didn't ride off on his motorcycle
To confront justin, what happened to him?
Amber told investigators that after brandon left
She went to a doctor's appointment.
We called the doctor's office and confirmed
That she never made it there.
We now had another party, amber andrews, in this equation.
We knew that she may have been involved.
We felt like there was more to the story.
[narrator] authorities reach out to erin smith,
Amber's alibi for the night of the murder.
Erin tells police that when she arrived
At amber's mother's house that day, both amber and brandon
Were there.
During the tattoo, erin says that amber gets a ding
On her cellphone, gets a text message.
And she goes and looks at the phone.
She goes, "oh, we've got to go.
[narrator] erin agreed to watch the couple's son.
Amber hurried brandon out the door for what she said
Was a doctor's appointment around 3 pm.
Erin realized as soon as the couple left,
That amber took erin's phone by mistake and left her own phone
At her mom's with erin.
Erin was calling her own phone with amber's phone
And the phone itself was completely turned off.
It was not normal that her phone would be off
And not be active for, you know eight to nine hours.
[narrator] coming up, erin's interview leads
To a disturbing conclusion.
[tara] erin said that she looked disheveled,
She looked exhausted, that her hair was all messed up.
She really had no alibi when the homicide was taking place.
[music]
[narrator] authorities in garvin county, oklahoma are honing in
On amber andrews as a possible accomplice in the murder
Of her ex-husband.
Amber's alibi for the night, he friend erin,
Says amber showed back up at her mother's house
Around 11 pm after leaving erin to babysit her son
For nearly eight hours with no explanation.
[larry] it just struck me odd that she shows back up at home
In the pickup, absent brandon, and absent the motorcycle.
[tara] erin said that she looked disheveled.
And erin inquired, "well where's brandon?"
And she said, "well, we got into a fight
"and he got on his motorcycle and left."
[narrator] then amber made a strange request.
[tara] she's like, "oh, by the way, do you have a receipt?
"did you go out tonight?"
She goes, "I'm really needing a receipt to show
"that I was up here."
She just thought, "well no, I don't have a receipt.
"why in the world do you need a receipt
"if you haven't done anything that you need to conceal?"
[narrator] police secure phone records for both erin
And amber's phones.
It's clear from the records tha amber turned erin's phone off
When she left her mom's house a around 3 pm,
And it wasn't turned back on until an hour before
She returned.
So amber had a period that she really had no alibi for.
And we know now that that's whe the homicide was taking place.
[narrator] on amber's phone, investigators find
A single text message from justin at 3 pm, the exact time
Amber rushed brandon out the door
For the alleged doctor's appointment.
The text message was a text message from justin hammer
That said "the ink is ready".
We think that was code for "everything's ready
"get brandon down here so we ca murder him."
[narrator] while erin's statement and the text message
All point to amber's involvement, authorities still
Can't place her at the crime scene.
And calls to amber's friends reveal that her reconciliation
With brandon was fake.
It was in fact a ruse and not to get her family back together,
But so that they could kill him
One thing that the friends that were interviewed had always sai
Is amber would work up justin and really badmouth brandon
And it would get him fired up.
And he'd start saying, you know "I'm gonna kill that mf'er."
And then amber would chime in, "yeah, we're gonna kill him."
You know, and he even said, "I'm gonna shoot that [bleep]
In the face."
[larry] we knew that she may have been involved,
But we did not have any evidence to, uh, to make an arrest
Of amber in this case.
[narrator] investigators revisit the evidence
Collected during the search of justin's home.
They hone in on the macabre shopping list
Found in the gun safe.
Investigators compare the handwriting
To a signed document amber had left in justin's home.
[shannon] they did handwriting analysis.
They compared and they were similar.
And it was her handwriting on both.
[narrator] further proof comes when investigators contact
The local hardware store. They find justin hammer
On surveillance footage the night before the murder
Purchasing the items from amber's list.
Justin hammer was on video buying the buckets,
Buying reciprocating saw blades of several kinds.
[larry] he was driving his pickup,
And that evidence at ace hardware
And the video at ace hardware really solidified
This was a very deliberate and planned murder of brandon duran.
[narrator] with only circumstantial evidence
Against amber, prosecutors firs focus on justin's trial
And conviction.
[tara] he really wanted us to focus on justin's trial
And to get justin hammer's case through
The criminal justice process so that we can then focus
Solely on amber.
[narrator] for two years, prosecutors prepare
For justin's trial while amber remains a free woman.
The department of human services had taken custody of brando
When this happened, because whe it happened, of course,
His father's murdered and his mother was being questioned
By police.
[narrator] in July of 2014, justin hammer's trial
Gets underway.
Even though a mountain of evidence says otherwise,
Justin takes the stand and continues to claim
That he acted alone and out of self-defense.
Justin, um, never ever threw amber under the bus.
Never implicated amber at all.
[narrator] he attempts to explain the two different guns
Used to kill brandon.
Justin hammer did say that he had used two weapons,
One in each hand.
Kind of strange that, you know, someone acting in self-defense
Would get two different type weapons, that was odd in itself
[narrator] when confronted with the footprint evidence,
Justin has a new explanation fo what happened.
He tried to then say that brandon forced the door open
With his shoulder.
[narrator] justin also claims that the items on the list,
Written by amber, were intended for a home improvement project,
Not to cover up a murder.
He just so happens to buy these things right before
He kills brandon.
We didn't think that that was very credible.
[narrator] in the end, the jury agrees.
They find him guilty of murder in the first degree.
He was sentenced to life imprisonment
Without the possibility of parole.
We really felt like justice was served with that sentence.
[narrator] but investigators and brandon's family worry
That justice won't be served when it comes to amber.
[cynthia] I was very worried that she would get off.
A lot of times women do 'cause they just don't believe
That a woman could be capable of this kind of thing.
But I was not gonna stop.
[narrator] coming up, investigators and prosecutors
Fight for the chance to see amber in court.
She orchestrated this whole thing.
She was very good at manipulating men--
A master of it, in fact.
I don't think there was any stopping amber andrews.
[music]
[narrator] October, 2014.
After justin hammer is convicte of the 2012 murder
And dismembering of brandon duran, authorities remain
Determined to see his alleged co-conspirator amber andrews
Behind bars.
There's no physical evidence against amber,
We didn't know if that would happen.
[narrator] prosecutors take amber's case to a multi-county
Grand jury.
[tara] that grand jury heard the evidence against her
And rendered an indictment for murder in the first degree,
Felony desecration of a corpse, and felony conspiracy.
[narrator] in April of 2015, nearly three years
After brandon's murder, amber I arrested at her mother's home.
[music]
[shannon] after they arrested her, prosecutors spent
Almost two years building this case.
They were able to basically, very patiently,
Cross all their t's and dot their I's to make sure
They had the goods on her.
[narrator] in the spring of 2017, amber's trial
Is finally underway.
[tara] she pled not guilty.
The defense was simply that she was not there,
She did not do it, and she had no prior knowledge
That it was going to occur.
That justin hammer acted of his own volition.
[narrator] prosecutors counter by painting amber not only
As an accomplice, but the mastermind.
[tara] amber is a woman who was very good
At manipulating men to get what she wants--
A master of it in fact.
She just used this justin hammer guy
To do her dirty work for her.
[narrator] it was amber, prosecutors allege,
Who lured brandon to his death on August 7th, 2012.
I believe amber andrews convinced brandon to
"go to justin hammer's with me, I'm done with him.
"I have belongings there, let's go get my belongings."
And I think that's how she lure brandon to justin's,
Where actually justin was lying in wait for brandon
To murder him.
Where he's then shot by, we believe, justin,
With amber shooting him as well
And then they together helped dismember the body.
[narrator] the fact that amber's fingerprints weren't on the gun
Doesn't diminish her guilt in the eyes of the law.
[shannon] they never proved whether amber's the one
That fired the .22 pistol or th shotgun.
They didn't have to place her a one of the gunmen.
If you aid and abet in premeditated homicide
With malice and forethought, in the commission of a crime
With a firearm, it's first-degree murder.
[narrator] when it comes to amber's motive,
Prosecutors allege it's nothing less than pure evil.
I think she was resentful that brandon was a better parent
Then she was, he was more stable, provided a better life
For little brando.
And I think she wanted brando a all costs.
[alfonso] she killed him because he had full custody.
She couldn't win anymore through the courts or any other way,
So she killed him to get brando
She wanted to have him, a possession.
"I win, I get brando, you lose."
I don't think there was any stopping amber andrews.
[narrator] in the end, the jury sides with the prosecution.
[cynthia] I was very pleased that she was found guilty
And they saw past all the charade that she was putting up.
[tara] on murder in the first degree, she got
A life without parole sentence, on desecration of a corpse,
She got seven years, on conspiracy, she got 10 years.
So amber will die in prison.
[narrator] while amber's conviction was a long-awaited
Victory for brandon's family, the real triumph lies
In how they've chosen to move forward.
She might have taken my best friend,
But he lives through brando every single day.
And this kid is amazing.
[cynthia] he's so much like his dad.
He has this quiet confidence, that humility.
He, um, is always looking out for the other guy.
He is a leader beyond compare.
[alfonso] I try to live as good a life as I can.
Live my life for him.
I know his family does the same
[music]