[narrator] This is the story of an alternative couple.
He was like a rock star and she was like a drug.
[narrator] Whose approach to life is a little unusual.
They're just a different couple, you know, like that was their thing.
[man speaking]
[narrator] it starts with undying love.
[woman speaking]
[Cyndi] It's now not all about you.
[woman speaking]
It's about this baby.
[narrator] ... but ends in venomous hate.
[Amber speaking]
[woman speaking]
[narrator] destroying all in its path.
There was a human torso inside the cage, it was just shocking.
It was writhing in pain on the floor.
[theme music playing]
[narrator] It's June, 1991 at San Diego International Airport.
[man speaking]
[narrator] and the Wear family are eagerly awaiting the arrival
of a very special visitor.
[boy speaking]
[narrator] 10-year-old Brandon Duran.
[woman speaking]
[narrator] Mom, Cyndi and brother Garrett rush over to greet him.
[Garrett speaking]
[Brandon speaking]
[narrator] while stepdad Dane films the reunion.
[Dane speaking]
[Cyndi] When Brandon would come home and we'd meet him at the airport.
We just picked up where we left off.
It was exhilarating.
[narrator] When Brandon's mom Cyndi, and father Mark,
separated in 1983, they agreed on joint custody.
Brandon splits his time between his dad in New Mexico
and his mom, brother and step dad in San Diego.
[Dane speaking]
[Brandon speaking]
[Garrett] Brandon is my half-brother,
but that doesn't make any difference. We're brothers.
I was always really excited for Brandon to come out.
[Dane speaking]
[narrator] Despite their physical distance throughout the year,
Brandon and Garrett quickly reconnect
with a good old fashioned shoot out.
[boys argue]
[Cyndi speaking]
[Garrett] My mom was always filming.
That thing was always hanging on her shoulder.
If it wasn't on her's, it was on my dad's.
[Dane speaking]
[Cyndi] They are five years apart. So Garrett, sometimes
could be like a little puppy on his brother.
And they played a lot together.
[Cyndi speaking]
And once in a while they'd get into a little tiff.
[Garrett speaking]
I mean, we would get in our usual quarrels.
But other than that, like we cared about each other pretty hard.
[Brandon speaking]
[Cyndi speaking]
[narrator] No visit home for the summer would be complete
without a trip to the zoo.
[Brandon speaking]
Yeah, it was fun going to places like the zoo.
[Cyndi speaking]
[Garrett] One time there was this monkey
that was just going crazy in the cage.
[all laughing]
[Cyndi speaking]
We laughed very hard that...
[Cyndi speaking]
[all laughing]
[Garrett] You can hear it in the video how hard we're laughing.
[Cindy] Garrett was pretty gregarious and Brandon was more laid back.
Garrett is very good at impersonations
and making people laugh.
[Garrett mimics bleating]
[Goat bleats]
[Cindy] And, Brandon...
It was sort of hanging back and sort of be Garrett's manager.
- [Garrett mimics bleating] - [Goat bleating]
[Cindy speaking]
[Narrator] At the end of the summer, Brandon returns home to his dad Mark in New Mexico.
[Garrett] It was hard watching Brandon get on a plane.
I just knew I was going to miss hanging out with my brother.
[Cindy] Brandon was very much into snowboarding,
and his dad living in New Mexico
was a good place for Brown and to go to hone his skills.
[Garrett] Brandon looked up to his dad the way that I look up to Brandon
and I remember him telling me he was loving, but like tough.
[indistinct chatter]
[Narrator] Three months later, Brandon is back in San Diego
to celebrate Christmas with his family.
[man speaking]
The tradition is leaving out the cookies.
[Garrett speaking]
[Cindy speaking]
Sometimes we would leave carrots
for the reindeers.
[Cindy speaking]
[man speaking]
[Cindy] On Christmas morning, Dane sort of made the kids wait a little bit
until they could tear into their presents,
which sort of drove them crazy.
And then it was, every man for himself
[Brandon exclaims]
[Cindy laughing]
[Cindy speaking]
[Narrator] As the years passed and Brandon and Garrett grow up...
[Brandon speaking]
The age difference begins to show.
[Cindy speaking]
Brandon definitely helped steer me
in the right direction, as far as
honing in on what being an individual meant
as opposed to being such a pest.
[Cindy singing]
[Garrett] He was a cool kid.
I looked up to him a lot.
Brandon was always more extreme and, like
dare devilish than I was.
[Garrett laughing]
[Brandon screaming]
[Narrator] In 1998, when Brandon is eighteen,
he moves back to California to pursue his true passion.
[Garrett] Brandon knew that he was a good snowboarder,
so his dream was, I need to get back California
so I could become a professional snowboarder.
[Narrator] And his determination pays off.
[Garrett] He was sponsored by, like, five different companies.
He was like a rock star of snowboarding.
He had his own style and he wanted to show that off.
[Narrator] But in April 2005, his dreams come crashing down...
when his dad, Mark, dies of a blood disease.
Brandon was real close with his dad, and he missed him so much.
[Garrett] My brother's reaction was just total depression
because that was that was his guy that he looked up to.
[Narrator] That summer, Branded decides to move to Las Vegas...
to be closer to his dad's motorcycle friends, the Bandidos.
[Cindy] That was the next best thing in his mind and his heart,
be close to the people who loved his dad.
NARRATOR: Brandon swaps a snowboard for a motorcycle,
and takes a job in construction.
Using his metal work skills, Brandon makes his dad's urn,
which takes pride of place in his new home.
In his downtime, Brandon hangs out,
with his dad's friends,
attending motorcycle rallies.
It's there, a special lady catches his eye.
Twenty three year old tattoo artist, Amber Andrews.
CYNDI: She had black hair,
and beautiful eyes.
Brandon thought she was striking.
GARRETT: He was pretty stoked.
I remember him saying something about,
how he felt like his dad sent her to him.
Like through the cosmos, to watch over him.
CYNDI: He seemed very in love,
he was happy.
NARRATOR: It's 2006 in Las Vegas.
And 24 year olds Amber Andrews and Brandon Duran,
are very much in love.
In April, after dating for just under a year,
Brandon receives some surprising news.
Amber is expecting.
Brandon was over the moon,
about finding out he was going to be a dad.
CYNDI: He was a man that looked to the future.
So, it was then that they had decided to get married.
NARRATOR: One month later, on June sixth 2006,
also known as the devil's day,
the wedding of the year begins.
Oh, cool, nice to meet you man, right on.
NARRATOR: There's Brandon and his dad's motorcycle friends,
the Bandidos,
having some drinks before the big ceremony.
Love you brother.
Brando, your thoughts?
- No thoughts. - [indistinct shouting]
JOEY: Brandon appeared to be excited to be getting married.
He invited all his friends to Las Vegas,
we all came out.
- I don't have any thoughts. - Yeah, you do.
I was happy for him, you know, he seemed to be happy.
NARRATOR: There's best man Garrett, all grown up.
Your older brother is getting married, dude.
-Alright -What do you think?
I don't know. I better not say it on camera.
What are you gonna say?
Huh?
NARRATOR: At the wedding chapel in downtown, Las Vegas.
Amber arrives with her black parade.
GARRETT: She just wanted the opposite of a traditional wedding.
So, she made her own dress.
It was black. She looked like a black widow.
I think he was accommodating to the fact,
that the wedding is more about the bride's day,
and what the bride wants the wedding to be like.
So, being the gentleman romantic,
he was like, yeah, sure, that's fine.
Like, as long as we're in love and we're getting married,
you know, do whatever you want.
PASTOR: Can we all stand for the bride please.
GUESTS: Oh, ok.
NARRATOR: This dark themed wedding may not be to everyone's taste,
but it sums up Brandon and Andrew's unique alternative style.
JOEY: They're just a different couple, you know,
like that was them, they're getting married, on six, six, six,
That was their thing.
Some people look at it and go, oh, that's, you know,
horrible. Why would they do that and this and that but,
everybody who was there at the wedding.
They understood that this is just them.
PASTOR: And I promise to love and cherish you, Amber.
BRANDON: And I promise to love and cherish you, Amber.
For all eternity.
PASTOR: And I promise to love and cherish you, Brandon.
AMBER: And I promise to love and cherish you, Brandon.
For all eternity.
PASTOR: Brandon, you may now kiss your beautiful bride.
Congratulations...
It is my honor and privilege to announce for the first time
Mr. and Mrs. Brandon and Amber Duran.
-Congrats -Oh, thanks.
NARRATOR: Six months later, on December 15th,
Brandon and Garrett get the call,
that Amber is gone into labor.
It was, like, maybe 3:00 or 4:00 in the morning.
He got the call.
So we hauled ass.
My brother was like, "I'm not going to miss the birth."
[narrator] Brandon arrives at the hospital, with time to spare,
and begins to film the momentous occasion.
[narrator] There's wife, Amber with her mom, Charity.
[woman] We've got to show the baby you.
[Amber speaks]
[Garrett] He just wanted a family.
But, you know, if you get a son, cool.
[woman speaks]
[narrator] In the background, Brandon's mom, Cyndi, excitedly waits.
[Cyndi] I was just so thankful that I was in there.
That I could see my grandchild being born.
She was in a good mood.
Of course, everybody's in a good mood.
She was wearing red lipstick.
You know...
We were just all so elated.
[women speaking]
[all cheering]
[women continue speaking]
[Cyndi] Brandon and Amber were so happy with each other.
They just had a child.
It was affecting everybody in that room.
It's a ripple effect of happiness.
All thanks to this little new being.
[women speaking]
[indistinct conversation]
[woman speaking]
[Garrett] I could see every emotion hit on his face.
That's when reality sets in.
It's like, okay, this is really happening.
So it was like watching him change.
I was like, "Damn, my brother's a dad now."
[woman speaks]
[Garrett] They decided to call their son,
Brando Marcos Duran, after his dad.
[narrator] Over his shoulder,
Brandon's late father, Mark, proudly watches on.
I think my brother was the happiest I'd ever seen him.
[narrator] The family is overjoyed
to welcome little Brando into the world.
And even after a long night in labor,
Amber still has a sense of humor.
[Amber speaks]
[all laughing]
[woman speaks]
[narrator] After a few checks, the family are allowed to go home.
[man speaks]
[Brandon speaks]
[narrator] Nine days later, on Christmas Eve,
Little Brando carries on his father's childhood tradition,
leaving out cookies for Santa.
[Amber speaks]
[Cyndi] To have a newborn at Christmas is just...
It's like the icing on the cake.
You start those beautiful, wonderful traditions.
So magical.
[Amber speaking]
[Brandon speaks]
[woman speaks]
[Brandon speaks]
[Cyndi] There were several to choose from
and he happened to put his little hand on,
on the one that his daddy loves the most.
You put that baby to bed that night,
and that's all that matters.
[narrator] As Christmas 2006 ends,
and the new year begins,
the challenging reality of parenthood dawns.
[Cyndi] There's lots of things to learn,
and I think the first thing is, is that it's now not all about you.
It's about this baby,
who can't do anything for themselves.
With Amber giving up work to look after Baby Brando,
dad Brandon has to step up.
Brandon had a lot of responsibilities.
He made sure the rent was paid
and there was food in the refrigerator
and the bills were paid.
But for Amber, motherhood is a tough transition.
You know, having a new baby
and probably wanting to get back out
and party a little bit, hang out with friends...
I think that weighed on them
and probably lead to a lot of their arguments and fights.
As Amber starts to stray from home,
cracks begin to form.
It made my brother uncomfortable.
And he wanted to talk about it.
Not argue about it.
She didn't like that he was questioning her
about where she had been,
and what she had been doing.
And so she picked up Brandon's dad's urn...
and she threw it in the yard.
Somebody he cared for did something
that was pretty disrespectful
towards his father and his memory.
And I think she knew that
that was probably something that would hurt him.
Despite Amber's actions,
Brandon always finds a way to forgive.
Brandon said that she was like a drug.
He couldn't quit her.
He loved her too much.
There was something about her
that he kept going back to.
He certainly didn't want his son
to have a broken home.
I don't think he wanted what he went through as a kid.
As the years pass,
Amber and Brandon continue to struggle.
In February 2010, they file for divorce
and agreed to share custody
of now three-year-old Brando.
She moved back to Oklahoma,
and there were times
when Brandon would have to give Brando over.
But then, when it was time for Brandon
to get Brando back, he couldn't reach her.
It upset my brother a lot.
All of this unnecessary drama is going on
when she could just be a decent person.
Brandon decides enough is enough.
He hires a lawyer to win full custody of Brando.
My brother had all of his ducks in a row,
everything he needed to show
to be the sufficient caretaker,
and he wanted custody.
In 2011, Brandon moves back
to San Diego with son, Brando,
to start afresh
and to be closer to his family.
He was getting ready to go snowboarding again.
He was all excited about his life.
She hadn't been in touch.
So he was able to move on a little,
and it felt okay.
One year later, in 2012,
Brandon gets a call.
One day, out of nowhere,
Amber calls Brandon and is like,
"Hey, do you think we could give this one more try?"
And he's like, "I'm gonna do what I need to do."
My son needs a mom,
and I love her.
People I've dated since the split,
great people.
But they just weren't Amber.
In July, Amber turns up in San Diego,
keen to reconnect with Brandon and her son.
Hi, guys.
[Cyndi] Amber had told Brandon, "Let's take Brando back"
"to visit with my family in Oklahoma for a week."
And they loaded up his motorcycle in his truck.
They were gonna go, and Brando was gonna visit her family,
and they were gonna come back and live happily ever after.
That didn't happen.
[narrator] August 8th, 2012,
in Garvin County, Oklahoma,
- Larry Rhodes is at home when his phone rings. - [phone ringing]
[Rhodes] The call that I received that Wednesday evening
reported to me that a person had come forward,
uh, who had witnessed and been asked to help dispose of a body.
The call was a surprise to me as things like this
are not supposed to happen in rural Southern Oklahoma.
[narrator] The witness is a man named Van Emblom.
In exchange for immunity, he agrees to tell law enforcement
what happened on the evening of August 7th.
[Rhodes] Van's friend had contacted him,
requesting assistance in cleaning up a crime scene
and disposing of a person that he had killed.
[narrator] Van received the call around 9:00 p.m. and thought it was a joke.
Until he saw buckets covered in blood stains.
According to Van, he freaked out,
and after initially loading some concrete buckets
onto a bed of a pickup,
he left the crime scene and retained an attorney.
[narrator] Van tells investigators
that the name of his friend is Justin Hammer.
[Rhodes] It was important to locate Justin Hammer and interview him.
The quicker the better.
[indistinct radio chatter]
[narrator] Deputies stake out Justin's home in Garvin County,
waiting for any sign of movement.
[indistinct radio chatter]
As we were keeping close surveillance on Justin Hammer's house,
Justin left the house in his pickup.
[police siren blaring]
My deputies made a traffic stop on that vehicle.
And Justin Hammer was detained.
[narrator] At the sheriff's office,
detectives asked Justin about the allegation.
He tells them, on the night of August 7th,
that he shot an intruder in self-defense.
[gun cocks and fires]
[narrator] And disposed of the body in a pond behind his house.
As detectives pressed Justin for more details,
police begin their search of the pond.
But first, it must be drained.
[Rhodes] As the recovery efforts were taking place,
I saw a dog cage removed from the pond.
And once on the land, it was easily identifiable
that there was a human torso inside the cage.
It was really disturbing to see a, a human being
in that state of dismemberment.
[narrator] Five large plastic containers
filled with concrete were also retrieved.
[Rhodes] Inside the concrete buckets were body parts.
Limbs, legs, and the head.
It was determined that the victim
was actually cut into 25 pieces.
It was just shocking.
[narrator] Back at the station,
Justin Hammer reveals t he identity of the victim.
Thirty-two-year-old Brandon Duran.
Police decide to speak to Brandon's family
to confirm the identity of the body.
[Garrett] Getting the call, like,
"Yeah, okay, we have recovered a body,"
"and the tattoos you've described"
"match the ones on the body."
And that's just when we all lost it.
It's something you can never believe right off the bat.
But it's believable enough to cry
extremely hard.
[Cyndi] I couldn't believe it.
And I flipped out.
I was breaking things.
I was writhing in pain on the floor.
[sniffles] That my son was gone.
[narrator] Ex-wife, Amber, is also grief-stricken.
The father of her child had been murdered
and she was very devastated when she spoke with the police.
[narrator] Investigators questioned her
to find out why Brandon turned up at Justin Hammer's house,
and how they are connected.
[cries]
[narrator] They discover that Amber and Justin used to date,
but were no longer together.
Amber explains that on August 7th,
she and Brandon were en route to an appointment
when she decided to bring up her ex in conversation.
[Jennifer Austin] She said that they had got in a fight.
The argument was over
Brandon Duran wanting to go to Justin Hammer's house and confront him.
He got out of the vehicle and took his motorcycle
out of the back of the truck and drove off on the motorcycle.
That is the last time that anyone saw Brandon Duran alive.
[narrator] Meantime, back at the station,
- detectives push Justin for more details. - I was scared.
I thought he was gonna kill me.
He tells law enforcement that the front door was kicked open
and Brandon Duran was in his living room.
[narrator] He says he felt threatened
as Brandon began shouting at him.
Telling him to stay away from Amber
as they were getting back together.
He said he was able to grab a shotgun
and fired one time.
[gunshot]
[Austin] And when Brandon Duran
then fell to the ground, he didn't know what to do.
So, he decided to dispose of the body.
[narrator] Justin admits to shooting Brandon,
but he insists it was in self-defense as he feared for his life.
Prosecutors don't agree.
On August 9th, Justin Hammer is charged with first-degree murder.
Two years later, in July 2014,
his trial begins.
[Austin] Justin Hammer proceeded to trial
and maintained the self-defense story
that he had told investigators.
[narrator] The prosecutors add more to the story.
At Justin's home, inside a locked safe,
detectives find an unusual list.
[Austin] As you look at that list,
it is a list for how to dispose of a body.
Bleach, saws, tarps, ammonia, buckets...
[Greg Mashburn] Clearly, this was a list
on how to get away with murder.
[narrator] Police recover surveillance video
from the local hardware store on August 6th,
the day before the murder.
And see Justin Hammer buying items on the list.
This was a premeditated, well-thought-out, planned homicide.
[narrator] On October 6th,
Justin Hammer is found guilty of first-degree murder.
And he is sentenced to life without parole.
But investigators think there is more to the story.
[Austin] At the conclusion of Justin's case,
we knew that we weren't finished.
When the medical examiner examined Brandon Duran's head,
he did have a shotgun wound to his face.
However, he also had three bullet wounds to the back of his head
that Justin Hammer had not told law enforcement about.
[Mashburn] So, that gets to thinking,
"Okay, if it's just one person,
why are there two different guns used?"
We suspected that someone else was involved.
[narrator] Despite Justin Hammer's conviction
for the murder of Brandon Duran,
law enforcement is convinced there must be someone else involved.
In October, 2014, detectives re-examine the deadly shopping list.
[Austin] It was very neat and orderly and thought-out.
A very cool, calculated list.
And it was immediately apparent
that it was a female's handwriting.
[narrator] The list is analyzed by a handwriting expert.
[Rhodes] It is believed by investigators
the list was written by Amber Andrews.
[narrator] With the spotlight turned on Amber,
investigators begin to dissect her alibi.
[indistinct radio chatter]
[narrator] They speak to Amber's friend, Erin,
who was with the couple and their son that afternoon.
Erin says Amber asked her to look after Brando
while she and Brandon went to an appointment in Garvin County.
[Austin] They left in his pickup truck
with his motorcycle tied down in the back of the truck.
[sighs]
[Austin] After they had left the house,
Erin discovered that Amber had taken her phone,
and so she had Amber's phone.
[narrator] Erin uses Amber's cell to inform her
that she has taken the wrong phone by mistake.
But gets no reply.
When Amber arrived back that night,
uh, Brandon was not with her and she looked upset.
[narrator] When Erin asks about Brandon's whereabouts,
Amber tells her the same story she told detectives.
That they got into a fight and he rode off on his motorcycle.
[Austin] We know from multiple witnesses that we talked to
that is not accurate,
that he rode off on that motorcycle
because it wasn't operational.
[narrator] Amber's alibi is falling apart.
Police subpoena Erin's cell phone records.
Cell tower analysis reveals
that once Amber reached Garvin County,
where Justin lived,
she switched the phone off.
[Austin] The last data point shown on the phone was 4:51 p.m.
And was not turned back on until 9:51 p.m.
And during that time period,
we know that Brandon Duran was shot and dismembered
and placed into those buckets.
[narrator] Furthermore, it's discovered
that Amber and Justin hadn't actually broken up,
and were still together at the time of the murder.
[Austin] She was telling Brandon
that she wanted to get back together with him.
It was a ruse to trick Brandon Duran
into coming to Oklahoma so that they could kill him.
[narrator] In April, 2015, Amber Andrews is arrested
for the first-degree murder of her ex-husband, Brandon Duran.
Two years later, in April, 2017,
the trial begins.
[Austin] Based on the evidence that was presented at trial,
the most plausible explanation for what happened that night
to Brandon Duran
was that Amber Andrews drove him to Garvin County
down to Justin Hammer's house.
Once they arrived there...
she shot him in the back of the head.
[gunshot]
And Justin Hammer shot him in the face.
They then dismembered the body together.
Placed his body into the buckets with the concrete,
and then Amber Andrews left.
[narrator] When Amber leaves the scene,
Justin seeks help from his friend, Van Emblom.
But when Van realizes what's taken place,
he quickly bales and tells law enforcement.
[Austin] When Van wouldn't help him,
he had to improvise and put the body in his own pond.
[narrator] Justin then burns Brandon's clothes,
and takes apart his motorcycle, selling it for scrap.
[Austin] Amber and Brandon had had a very heated custody battle
going on for some years.
We believe that this homicide took place because she wanted Brando.
[Mashburn] Amber Andrews is clearly a black widow.
The webs of lies that she spun to make this happen
just to get custody of her child.
[narrator] It takes the jury just five hours to reach its verdict.
[head juror reading]
[narrator] She's sentenced to life without parole,
plus 17 years for conspiracy to commit a felony
and desecration of a human corpse.
[Cyndi] She never looked around.
She didn't say anything.
She just stood up and they handcuffed her.
Thank God.
[Garrett] Amber's really toxic, really evil.
I'm glad she's where she's at.
[Rhodes] Brando is now without his father, who is deceased,
and without his mother, who is serving a life sentence in prison.
It is sad.
[narrator] After a three-year legal battle,
Cindy now has custody of her grandson, Brando.
[Cyndi] Brando has such good memories of his daddy.
He thinks the pink in the sunset is Daddy.
He loves his daddy.
[narrator] For Garrett and Cyndi,
watching old home movies is bittersweet.
- [young Brandon] Whee! - [monkey chatters]
[Garrett] There is no future with my brother.
All I have left are memories.
[Cyndi] I haven't watched these films in so long.
Since my son was murdered, because they hurt.
They just completely tear out what's left of my heart.
My baby. [cries]