[narrator] It's wonderful when a new neighborhood feels like the perfect fit.
I'm your neighbor just to the left with my husband Michael.
Janelle. Nice to meet you.
[Amaya Brown] The people in the neighborhood,
they made sure to always say hi.
[narrator] But when blood boils behind closed doors...
We don't like that kind of music here!
What kind of music?
He didn't even want to look at us.
...it can spill into the street.
[dog barking]
They got off on the wrong foot immediately.
Everyone hates us here.
What may have started out as your typical neighborhood disputes,
very quickly escalated into something else.
-Get out! -Leave me and my family alone!
This was cold, callous murder.
-[gunshots] -[neighbor 1] Good to see you.
[grunting]
[neighbor 2] I know what you did.
-[gunshot] -[neighbor 3] Stay out of my neighborhood!
[neighbor 4] Stay away from my plot!
...on the ground now!
[neighbor screaming]
[gunshot]
[narrator] A quick half-hour drive from the nation's capital
lies the hidden gem of Springfield, Virginia.
Springfield, Virginia, is a relatively quiet, uh,
part of Fairfax County.
[Jerry Lambe] There's a community pool,
decent amount of shared space.
The residents consider it to be quiet.
[Steve Descano] It is incredibly low crime.
It is the safest large community in the entire country.
-Oh, I got it, Mom. -Thanks, Amaya.
[narrator] And that's exactly what draws Janelle Hull, her daughter Amaya Brown,
and their dogs Gizmo and Tink
to a home on Bedstraw Court.
[Amaya] When my mom bought that house,
she felt very accomplished for it.
The neighborhood was very nice and quiet,
so she was excited
'cause we came from somewhere that wasn't too nice.
[narrator] Homeownership is a significant achievement for Janelle,
a single mother working as a government contractor in nearby D.C.
My mom, she is a very strong-willed lady.
She's very outgoing. She's really friendly.
She's very funny.
[neighbor] Hi!
You must be Janelle Hull.
Welcome to the neighborhood.
Thank you so much.
[narrator] Janelle and Amaya find themselves greeted with open arms.
It's just a little something from the neighborhood.
-Thank you. -[neighbor] You're welcome.
We're excited to be here.
This whole part of town is so beautiful.
We do our best to keep it looking beautiful.
And we're sure you will too.
Absolutely.
Good luck getting settled in.
-Nice meeting with you. -Nice to meet you.
[Amaya] The people in the neighborhood,
they were nice when we first met them.
They made sure to always say hi.
[narrator] The newcomers are also welcomed
by one half of their next-door neighbors.
Hi.
I'm Sara Hetle. I'm your neighbor just to the left
with my husband Michael.
Janelle. Nice to meet you.
[Sara] Nice to meet you too.
[Janelle] These look delicious.
They are. [chuckles]
Hi, Michael!
Thanks for the cookies.
[Sara] You'll have to excuse my husband.
He's a little reserved.
No worries. Thank you.
[Amaya] Hetle wasn't a talkative person at all.
The most you would get was a smile from him.
[narrator] Michael Hetle is a federal employee working for NASA.
Sara is an administrator for the local school board.
Michael's son Cayden stays with his father, stepmother,
and their dog every other weekend.
Hey!
[narrator] Sara's enthusiastic welcome
for her new neighbors is not shared by her husband.
Hetle was never formally introduced to Janelle.
Most of their interactions were just passing by early on.
[narrator] The relationship between families is civil and polite.
But neither side has any idea
of the horrors that await them.
-[dog barking] -I'm gonna kick your ass!
[narrator] Michael is a stickler for community standards,
annoyed by even the smallest transgressions.
Mr. Hetle definitely is the type of person
who believes in authority,
believes people should follow the rules
and believes that he can use rules and authority
to his advantage when he wants to.
[sighs]
[narrator] As the weeks pass,
the interactions between the households are consistent.
-Come on, Tink. -[narrator] A wave and a smile from Sara...
-Oh, hi, Mrs. Hetle. -Hi, Amaya.
...while Michael remains aloof.
Hi, Mr. Hetle.
There would be times where you would pass him
and he would be full on, like, having conversations
and laughing with all the different neighbors,
but when it came to us,
he didn't even want to look at us.
[narrator] Despite their neighbor's cold shoulder,
Janelle and Amaya are ecstatic about their new home.
We were really happy to be there.
[hip-hop music playing]
[narrator] Yet things sour one evening
when Michael confronts Janelle directly.
My mom was sitting in her car for a few minutes,
listening to music and, like, the radio.
It wasn't like blaring, blasting loud.
That's when Hetle had came out of his house.
Turn that down!
I said turn that crap down!
We don't like that kind of music here.
What did you just say?
You heard me.
What kind?
What kind of music?
In the moment, when he had called my mom
and the music ghetto, it was instant anger.
He has no right to do that.
I mean, it was just music.
What kind?
[narrator] Even though Janelle is offended,
she doesn't dwell on the incident,
but Michael does.
He now keeps a watchful eye over the people next door.
And the more he sees,
the more aggravated he becomes.
Oh, my God, a rat! A rat right there.
It just went that way. [sighs]
-Oh. -It's disgusting.
How do they live like this?
[narrator] Michael starts documenting
Janelle and Amaya's many infractions.
Mr. Hetle wrote a memo to the HOA
about what he claimed was vermin
in or around his backyard or his home,
including squirrels and mice.
[narrator] Yet his neighbors dispute this claim.
I have never once seen a rat near my house.
That's a lie.
[narrator] Michael urges the local homeowners association,
which enforces community rules
and property regulations, to act.
He claimed that they were a result of the trash at the neighbor's household
not being kept tidy.
The trash that he claimed we left everywhere.
Obviously, that's absurd, so...
[narrator] Janelle is stunned to receive
a formal admonishment
about the supposed state of her yard.
And though she has no proof,
she's fairly certain she knows who's behind it.
Unbelievable.
Mr. Hetle was very active in terms of keeping in touch with the HOA,
filing complaints, whereas Janelle seemed
to not really care that the HOA existed at all.
You're just talking about two diametrically opposed personas clashing.
[narrator] In the weeks that follow,
clash is exactly what these neighbors do.
Tink! Gizmo! Out you go. Come on.
I had been home by myself.
I went to let the dogs out back,
which we always did.
I go back upstairs 'cause I let them, like,
sit out there for a while and, like, soak up the sun.
[dogs barking]
[fence rattling]
[narrator] But in this increasingly dog eat dog world
between households, trouble is inevitable.
[all dogs barking]
[dogs barking]
Mr. Hetle claimed that the dogs came towards him and his dog,
and he was concerned that they would cause his dog some harm.
[narrator] A dispute between neighbors
that began with noise and trash complaints
now focuses on Janelle Hull's pets.
Tink. Gizmo. Come!
[narrator] And police soon become enmeshed in the conflict.
[knocking on door]
Yes?
Ma'am, we received several complaints
from your neighbor about your dogs barking all night long,
defecating on other's properties.
My dogs haven't done anything like that.
When it came to Tink, she was scared of a fly.
There's no way
she would have ran out to even try to do that, no.
Janelle was obviously upset about their neighbors calling the police.
There was no documentation ever
that the dogs ever caused any harm
to Mr. Hetle or his animals.
[narrator] But the lack of evidence doesn't stem
the flow of complaints from the HOA
against Janelle and Amaya.
[Janelle] What?
[Amaya] My mom's reaction throughout all the accusations
were embarrassment, anger.
She just felt like, "This is getting out of control,
and I don't know how to stop this."
[narrator] Janelle now has no doubt who is behind it all.
We just kind of put two and two together.
It was Michael Hetle.
[narrator] Mother and daughter are convinced
Michael is weaponizing both the HOA
and law enforcement against them.
He would call the police and complain that the dogs,
they keep barking and we basically abuse our animals.
[narrator] They insist none of it is true.
And when authorities respond, they don't hear a thing.
Dispatch, I've been listening at Janelle Hull's house.
There's no noise violation.
[Amaya] I felt like that's when the police started to get annoyed themselves.
He's just calling the cops on literally anything.
[narrator] Though police find no issues,
Michael Hetle's complaints
have set the narrative in the community,
and the women next door suffer for it.
One neighbor did describe them
as being the problematic house on the block.
[Amaya] I was walking my dog Gizmo.
Gizmo went to the bathroom.
Are you gonna clean up after that dog?
She yelled, "Make sure you pick your dog [bleep] up.
We all know all the [bleep] in this neighborhood
is from you and your dogs."
Sorry?
I did have a poop bag on me.
I've heard all about you and your mom.
[scoffs]
[narrator] The neighborhood's growing animosity weighs heavily on Amaya.
In her eyes, it's entirely unjustified.
[sobbing]
Amaya? What's wrong?
-What happened? -They all hate us, Mom.
Everyone hates us here.
No, no, no.
It's okay.
My mom just honestly couldn't handle it anymore.
[knocking on door]
She did walk over and knock on his door.
Why are you spreading crap about me and my child to the neighbors?
I don't know what you're talking about.
I know it's you, Michael. You're unhinged!
She did, you know, cuss him out.
You need to mind your damn business.
Quit calling the HOA and the cops on us.
Any one of these encounters could escalate,
could turn into a violent encounter.
[narrator] Janelle refuses to be intimidated by Michael's complaints.
Mike Hetle did not care for Janelle
and did not want them as neighbors.
[narrator] Undeterred, she continues to live her life.
That was really good. Thank you guys for coming.
Right? We should definitely join this. Come on!
[Amaya] My mom would have her best friends over.
We would play, like, card games and board games,
and, like, they would cook.
[laughter]
[narrator] Naturally, Janelle's gatherings infuriate Michael.
Mr. Hetle also complained there were loud parties,
more unruly than what they'd been used to.
[laughter]
It was nothing big. It wasn't a party.
It was just a gathering. When they would come over,
that's when the noise complaints were to happen a lot.
-[all laughing] -Yeah! What?
[indistinct chatter]
[upbeat music playing]
[laughter]
[knocking on gate]
[Janelle] Can I help you, officer?
We received a noise complaint, ma'am.
We're not being loud. This is my house.
I'm allowed to have people over.
[Amaya] We weren't even being loud.
And now they see that the cops are here.
It was embarrassing.
Just keep the noise levels down.
But it was never as he tried to make it seem.
[narrator] Janelle puts on a strong face for her family and friends.
But she can't anticipate
how bad things are about to get.
-[man] Janelle Hull? -Yes.
-You've been served. -[Janelle] What?
[narrator] Due to unresolved complaints filed against her,
the Homeowners Association sues Janelle.
The lawsuit accused us of leaving our dog poop
all over the neighborhood.
Also, the loud music and the yelling.
Janelle did acknowledge that some of the complaints may have had merit,
but said that many of them were misrepresented.
The repeated phone calls, repeated documentation to the HOA,
all appear to me to be someone who is trying to weaponize
those systems against Janelle.
[narrator] Overwhelmed by what she sees as persecution,
Janelle finally lashes back at Michael.
Karma's a bitch, and you're gonna get it!
My mom, she had a lot of anger built up.
She's not going to live her life having to tiptoe around.
[narrator] Michael isn't fazed by his neighbor's threats.
But Janelle is dead serious.
She hires an attorney to fight back,
and determines not to let the stress
of an ongoing lawsuit wear her down.
It gave her some sort of empowerment.
She felt like she was not the bad guy in this situation.
Oh, it's good to see you. Hi!
[upbeat music playing]
[upbeat music playing in distance]
[people chattering in distance]
[narrator] Michael Hetle is not getting the response he was hoping for.
[Sara gasps]
Drive home safe.
[indistinct chatter]
[laughter]
[narrator] As much as Janelle tries to take the high road...
Bye! Drive safe!
...an uncharacteristic bad decision threatens to undo it all.
She just exploded.
What may have started out as your typical neighborly disputes
very quickly escalated to something else.
[glass shattering]
What was that?
[glass shattering]
What the hell are you doing?
[laughs]
[Lambe] She was pelting his car with bottles
that caused some damage of glass breaking on the driveway.
The police came, and Janelle was at this point
charged with destruction of property.
She later pleaded guilty to misdemeanor crime.
And I believe she had to pay about $1,800 in restitution.
My mom, at the time, she felt embarrassed and she was sad about it.
[narrator] Michael Hetle views this as a victory.
While a chastised Janelle Hull
wonders if this fight is even worth it.
There were some thoughts about moving away,
but your life is here and you bought this house.
You deserve it. Don't let anyone try to
tear you away from that.
[narrator] Then, a burgeoning romance
suddenly changes everything.
I got you some cupcakes.
-My favorite. -Open up. Open up.
Whoop.
-Okay. -Stop it.
Okay, okay, okay, okay.
[narrator] Janelle finds herself
head over heels in love
with 21-year-old military man Javon Prather.
[Amaya] Javon was very goofy.
There was never one conversation you had with him,
where he didn't, like, make you laugh
or crack a smile.
[laughs]
I love you, Javon.
I love you, too.
You could tell that he cared a lot about my mom.
He cared a lot about the dogs we had.
[Lambe] At the time he moved in,
Javon worked at a Giant grocery store.
Before that, he was in the Maryland National Guard.
He was a specialist,
and also spent four years as an infantryman.
Seemed to be a fun-loving type of guy,
interested in music,
and got along really well with his family.
[narrator] And soon after Javon enters the picture,
he has his first encounter with Michael Hetle.
Hey, Javon.
I love this song.
Turn it up.
Come on.
Go, Amaya.
Go, Amaya. Go, Amaya.
The first interaction between Hetle and Javon,
Hetle said that he was
in his house looking out of the window
when he saw the two of them dancing in the driveway.
Okay. Okay.
[narrator] Not sensing any ill will,
Javon is quick to introduce himself,
and hopes for a neighborly favor from Michael.
[Javon] Hey, Mr. Hetle.
I'm Javon.
Janelle's boyfriend.
I was wondering, could I use your hose?
I need to wash my car real quick
and the one in the back can't reach.
No.
They got off on the wrong foot, immediately.
[Janelle] Oh.
Here you go, Janelle.
[Janelle] Thank you.
[Javon] No problem.
-Cheers. -Cheers.
[Amaya] My mom and Javon's relationship
-in the beginning... -It's nice.
-...it honestly was... -Yeah.
...blissful.
They were best friends.
I could tell she was honestly happy.
[narrator] But the ongoing feud with Michael
threatens to poison that happiness.
So, I met your neighbor today.
It's best to keep your distance.
He's insane.
I mean, he's not that bad.
He's been out to get us since day one.
I think he's the one who initiated that HOA lawsuit.
He worries me.
Janelle, listen,
no one's gonna hurt you or Amaya
now that I'm around.
Okay?
Okay.
[Amaya] He tried to do whatever he could to keep her safe
and, you know, wasn't gonna let Hetle walk all over her.
[narrator] Janelle and Javon take their own next step.
They marry within a few months,
and Janelle takes her husband's last name.
But the newlywed bliss doesn't last.
The tension in the neighborhood
leaches into their relationship.
[Janelle] I hate you!
-Get out! -[Javon] I'm done with you.
[Amaya] There was a lot of ups and downs to it.
[Janelle] Don't ever come here again.
[Amaya] I'm not gonna lie, there was...
quite a few arguments.
[Javon] What is wrong with you?
[Janelle] Me? What's wrong with you?
-Besides everything? -Oh, please.
[Janelle] I wish I never met you.
[Javon] I wish I'd never met you.
[Janelle] Get out of my house!
Yes, police, I need you to get to my house now.
[Javon and Janelle arguing]
The neighbors are having a house dispute.
[Burnham] The Prathers and the Hetles
were a little like oil and water.
Their relationship strained
the longer they lived next to each other.
[narrator] The police presence at the Prather home ramps up.
[sirens wailing]
Janelle contends it's nothing but harassment.
[Javon and Janelle arguing]
Essentially, they told her that they couldn't really stop
the Hetles from continuing to call law enforcement.
They called the police under the auspice
of being worried about, uh, the neighbors.
[narrator] Eventually,
Michael Hetle's persistence pays off...
[knocks on door]
...to the shock of those next door.
Mrs. Janelle Prather.
What now?
From your neighbor.
[narrator] Janelle finds herself slapped
with a protective order.
[Descano] The protection order
that Mr. Hetle was able to get against Janelle
stipulated that Janelle was not allowed
to speak to Mr. Hetle, Mrs. Hetle,
or Mr. Hetle's son.
[Amaya] She had to stay up ten
to 15 feet away from him.
She couldn't be anywhere near close to him,
even though we were like next-door neighbors.
She was just very shook.
[sighs in exasperation]
[narrator] According to the Prathers,
Michael steps up his antagonistic behavior.
once the order is in place.
How do you like that present I left for you?
How's that for karma?
[Amaya] Hetle would try to, like, taunt my mom
and, like, talk to her
to kind of get a reaction out of her.
I see you.
You keep looking at me.
[narrator] Janelle knows
that if she breaks the order's terms,
she risks being thrown in jail.
You got something to say, huh?
Do you?
At one point, Janelle did actually report Hetle to the police
for trying to get her to violate the protective order.
The police basically said
there's nothing we can do about it.
You just have to ignore him.
[narrator] With no other option,
Janelle keeps her distance,
but someone has other plans.
[Burnham] At that time,
there was bad blood between the neighbors,
the Hetles and the Prathers.
[ominous music playing]
Michael!
I saw Javon loitering by the car last night.
He did this to get back at me.
I'm calling the cops.
[Burnham] When the police responded,
they did document what looked...
appeared to be ranch dressing
on the Hetles' vehicle.
Yeah. Okay, fine.
But this is really just crossing the line for us.
[chuckles dryly] Here's the vandal now.
Vandal?
What's going on?
Do you know anything about this, sir?
No. Why would I? Are you saying it was me?
I'm just trying to figure out what happened here.
Well, it wasn't me. But if you wanna be helpful,
you can tell this jerk
to leave me and my family alone.
You don't like us, then leave.
You're the one that showed up out of nowhere.
You're the one that no one in the neighborhood likes.
You're the one that had the cops called on you again.
Stay away from my property.
Stay away from us.
-I'm gonna kick your ass! -That's enough.
There were a lot of
angry words exchanged on both sides,
the Prathers and the Hetles.
[narrator] No charges are laid in the ranch dressing incident,
which Javon insists he had no part in.
Yet now, he too wonders
if his family should move out of the neighborhood
for their own protection.
And on the other side of the property line,
Michael seeks protection of his own.
[Lambe] After this incident,
where there were no witnesses to what happened with the car,
Hetle had security cameras installed.
It was our view that he installed those cameras
to try to catch Javon committing the misdeeds
that Mr. Hetle claimed were occurring.
[Amaya] He had directed his cameras
exactly at my front door.
It's like he bought the cameras just for us.
[narrator] Unlike Janelle, no protective order
stops Javon from speaking to Michael.
[Javon] You're pathetic. You know that?
And you don't belong in this neighborhood.
-Get out! -Your neighborhood, huh?
You're the boss now.
-Get out! -You're the boss of no one.
You're just a fat ass. [speaking indistinctly]
-Look at the camera. -[Burnham] There were instances
that were documented on the camera,
where Mr. Hetle would...
curse out Javon Prather,
and Javon Prather would call him names.
[thunder rumbles]
[narrator] The raging storm between these neighbors
is now primed to become a full-blown catastrophe.
March 3rd, 2020, is a special day
for now 24-year-old Javon.
It's his first time voting
in the presidential primary election.
[Amaya] When they came back from going to vote,
Javon had taken a selfie
with his voting sticker in the car,
and was like, very proud of it,
and, you know, had to the radio playing.
[narrator] The mood is quickly soured
when the couple sees Michael Hetle watching them.
Nice day for a drive.
Find a new home while you were out?
Shut the hell up!
Keep talking, I'll have you arrested.
Why don't you and I have a conversation?
Stay off my property.
[dramatic music playing]
[phone beeps]
Yes. Police?
It's Michael Hetle.
[sighs]
Hmm.
[breathes heavily]
I can't do this anymore.
No. I'm done, Javon!
[Javon] You're right.
Since now.
[sobs]
[Descano] I don't think that anybody thinks
something like that is going to happen
in their neighborhood.
[gunshots]
[sirens wailing]
[Burnham] This was cold, callous murder.
[narrator] An ongoing petty dispute
takes a fatal turn
when Javon Prather is gunned down
by next door neighbor Michael Hetle.
He tells police his version of events
in which Javon was acting aggressively.
[Burnham] Mike Hetle believed Javon was under the influence
and decided to call 911 to report that.
When Javon and Janelle returned home that day,
Javon was sitting in his vehicle.
Mr. Hetle called towards Javon Prather
and told Javon that the police
were going to come and speak with him.
Yo! Yo, yo.
Cops are coming.
We literally just got home.
What could you possibly be calling them about?
You jerk!
You really are the world's biggest loser.
At first it looked like Javon was just gonna be
waiting for the police outside,
but then, suddenly,
Javon went back inside to his own house.
[narrator] Michael tells authorities
he was afraid of what might come next.
[Burnham] Mr. Hetle was going to be servicing his gun that day,
so he had it in his living room.
That's where it was when he claimed the banging
that shook his walls of his home happened.
[dramatic music playing]
[doorbell rings]
[loud knocking at door]
[doorbell rings]
Hetle said that he was terrified at this point.
He believed that Javon was coming over
-to do something violent. - [gun cocks]
[doorbell rings]
He saw just pure rage on Javon Prather's face.
He was scared that Javon was going to attack him.
-[doorbell rings] -[Michael] Get back!
[narrator] In that moment,
Michael claims to have seen Javon reaching for a weapon.
He was in fear for his life.
[narrator] So he opens fire.
[gunshots]
Javon died at the scene.
He didn't even make it to the hospital.
[narrator] Police now look to Janelle to corroborate,
but she tells a completely different story.
My mom had been in the house at the time,
but then she had heard it.
[gunshots]
[narrator] Janelle runs outside,
but it's too late.
Javon is dead.
And Michael is waiting for her.
You want it, too?
I'm here to get my husband.
Get away!
[Janelle crying] No.
[Janelle crying]
Now, come on.
Come on, come on, come on.
Come on, get up. Get up, get up.
You killed him!
[Janelle crying]
Oh, come on.
Oh, come, please. Get up. Please.
[Burnham] Mr. Hetle claimed that he was concerned
that Janelle had a knife
when she came and
tried to drag Javon's body,
Janelle may somehow cause him harm.
[sobbing] Get up, please.
There was no documentation that Janelle Prather had any weapons
when the police arrived.
You killed him!
He shot him in cold blood.
He hated him!
He murdered him.
Oh, my God.
I'm sorry about your loss, ma'am.
[narrator] With statements from both parties,
police now search for evidence
to find out which version of events is the truth.
When the police responded to the shooting,
they executed a variety of search warrants
for documentation and electronic evidence.
In recorded phone calls to the jail,
Mr. Hetle called his wife Sara
and asked what all was taken by the police
when they arrived.
What really happened in the case is as plain as day
when you take a look at the Ring camera video.
[narrator] The camera Michael set up
to keep an eye on his neighbors
reveals the cold-blooded reality
of Javon's murder.
[door opens, gunshots]
[Janelle] I just want to get my husband!
[Janelle crying]
Come on.
There was no loud banging on the door,
there was no angry faces.
As a matter of fact, the Ring doorbell shows that
he took steps back
to give space.
There was no interaction...
-[gunshots] -...when the door opened.
And instead of taking the defensive posture
that Mr. Hetle claimed that he was taking,
he actually followed Javon out onto the landing,
continued to fire,
followed him down the steps.
What happened at the end of the day is,
Javon Prather knocked on his neighbor's door,
and his neighbor, Mr. Hetle,
answered with seven shots in six seconds.
[gunshots]
[Burnham] The video footage shows
that there was absolutely nothing Javon did
that warranted being shot and killed in that manner.
[narrator] Javon Prather's murder
leaves his wife, Janelle, devastated.
She stayed to herself and cried a lot.
A lot.
[narrator] During the trial,
details of Michael Hetle's past are revealed.
[Lambe] While he was an officer
with the Bellevue Police Department,
there were three particular incidents involving Hetle
that were of note.
In two of the instances,
he shot and killed someone.
[gunshots]
He was cleared of wrongdoing in both of them.
[narrator] However, a third event
speaks to the root of the animosity
between Michael and the Prathers.
[Lambe] Another incident with possible
racist motives for Hetle, it was a traffic stop,
he stopped an Ethiopian woman.
He received a written reprimand
for racially profiling
a Ethiopian member of the community.
[Burnham] According to his written complaint,
it was stated that he had made several comments
and was going to call immigration in regards to her.
Hetle resigned in 2003.
[narrator] At trial, in a shocking twist,
Michael's son, Cayden,
confirms the terrible truth about his father.
[Descano] Mr. Hetle's son very, very clearly
and explicitly testified that Mr. Hetle
regularly used racially derogatory language
towards Javon Prather.
It definitely seemed like
he was motivated by racial animus.
[narrator] Cayden's testimony
is almost enough to convince the jury,
but one final piece of evidence seals the deal.
Mr. Hetle, the morning of the incident,
sent an email to the HOA.
[Descano] He told the HOA that this situation
could "result in tragedy."
And, of course, we saw that tragedy play out
just a few hours later
when he shot Mr. Prather seven times.
[gunshots]
[narrator] On January 8th, 2022,
Michael Hetle is sentenced to life in prison.
He did try to get that forgiveness
back from everyone and the judge.
My mom knew everything he said was wrong.
[narrator] Shortly after the tragedy,
both families move away from Bedstraw Court.
The Homeowners Association and Janelle reach an agreement
and their lawsuit is dropped.
But it does nothing to soothe her heartbreak.
After the passing of Javon,
she just lost herself for a long time.
She was really heartbroken.
[narrator] Janelle and Amaya
continue to honor Javon's memory.
The one thing that if anyone could remember him by,
would be music. He loved it.
And to, like, express that to everyone else.
He did create a lot of friends and people he called family.
He was just very humble
and down to earth.