[dramatic music]
♪ ♪
- Hi, everyone, I'm Dan Abrams, and this is "Court Cam."
- You should be ashamed of yourself.
- I want dude off my case. [spits]
♪ ♪
- Got a runner.
[people yelling]
- Get out!
- This is not TV court. This is for real.
♪ ♪
- First up, we take you to Dallas, Texas,
for a sentencing hearing.
♪ ♪
37-year-old Kendrell Lyles has pled guilty to murder.
Four years earlier, Lyles picked up
22-year-old Muhlaysia Booker,
a transgender sex worker.
Investigators say Lyles shot Muhlaysia three times
in the head and neck
and then dumped her face down in the street.
Police found her lifeless body after responding
to reports of shots fired.
They had few leads,
until a witness gave cops a description of a vehicle
they say Muhlaysia got into during what the witness called
one of Lyles' frequent visits to the area.
The description helped them ID Lyles' car.
Then, using cell phone data
from Lyles' and Muhlaysia's phones,
police were able to place them
in the same spot at the time of the killing.
Lyles was officially charged with murder.
He initially pled not guilty.
But on the day jury selection was set to begin,
he took a deal, pleading guilty,
avoiding the possibility of the death penalty.
Today, Lyles appears at sentencing in front
of Muhlaysia's family, who, after four years,
are given a chance to speak directly to her killer.
First is Stephanie Houston, Muhlaysia's mother,
who does not hold back her feelings.
♪ ♪
- Next to speak is La'Quincia Taylor,
Muhlaysia's sister.
- I wanted to get up here and ask you why you did it.
But I know why you did it, 'cause you a coward.
You know you not nobody.
That gun made you feel like you had power,
but you don't got no power.
I serve a good god.
And you will reap what you sow.
I hope your days in jail are a living hell, you bastard!
♪ ♪
- Lyles was sentenced to 48 years in a state prison.
He'll have no chance of parole.
Lyles has also been charged in the unrelated deaths
of two other individuals in the Dallas area.
Those cases are pending.
♪ ♪
Next, we head to Traverse City, Michigan,
for a civil hearing.
30-year-old Jacob Nutter has filed a suit
against his ex-girlfriend, 29-year-old Courtney Saxton.
The couple, who have two children together,
are arguing over items they shared while living together.
The judge is Geno Salomone.
- So, Mr. Nutter, I have a list here
of 19 items you're claiming.
Is that right?
- Yes, sir.
- I've got two TVs. You bought 'em in 2018.
You two were living together.
- Yes, we weren't at the time,
'cause we had a no-contact order.
- Yes, we were.
- I understand you got back together, correct?
- If you look at the legal time I bought those TVs,
we were not living together.
- I need--Mr. Nutter, listen.
I need you to answer my questions.
That's actually gonna make this a lot easier.
- Okay.
- Now, you bought these TVs in 2018.
- Yes, sir. - After that time,
you two lived together again, is that true?
- Yes, sir. - Thank you.
Okay, is there anything you wanna get back to me?
- I mean, he can have his air conditioner
that he submitted the receipt for.
Everything else was given to us
as far as, like, birthday presents goes
for our children, or I would also say
given to us for, like,
our baby shower and things like that.
- What was given to you for a baby shower?
- Baby shower was given the, um,
Chicco car seat,
the Evenflo car seat, the camo kids' wagon.
- All of our--
- All right, stop. Here's what we have.
Mr. Nutter, you're done.
If you interrupt me again, I will dismiss your case.
Am I clear?
- Yes, sir.
- What about the MacBook Air? Tell me about that.
- I purchased that and I said she could use it for college.
And if we ever split up, then I wanted it back.
And that's the end of that.
- I have the MacBook Air.
I also submitted a text message
that he told me it was a gift for starting school.
- Let me see where that's at.
- Mr. Nutter, just be quiet. - Sorry.
- I'm trying to figure out where is this text.
- Saxton, who works at the courthouse,
hand-delivers a copy of the text message to the judge.
- "This is for your schooling. You're gonna need this."
And then the next page if you go over,
it says, "You deserve it."
- Yeah. It does say that, Mr. Nutter.
- I'm sorry, I was never given those text messages.
- After listening to both sides,
Judge Salomone is ready to make his ruling.
- This is a situation where it's not
crystal clear all the time.
And in this case, you had children together,
and people were giving you gifts.
So Mr. Nutter is entitled to the 65-inch TV,
the roof racks, the AC units.
I'm giving the Mac-- I'm gonna let--
based on the texts that I've seen--
Courtney keep the Mac and everything else.
The other things were donated by--
were given by people or they're too old.
They don't have value.
- They were not given by her family.
They were given by my family and friends.
It's not okay.
- And your family and friends gave them to her.
She has 'em. - I'm getting screwed on this.
♪ ♪
Your Honor, she is getting away with robbery with this.
This is not okay.
- Mr. Nutter, I just need you to be quiet.
♪ ♪
- I feel ignored.
Can I ask you a question, Your Honor?
- What do you wanna ask?
- Her family bought none of those things.
Why does she get more than I do?
It makes no sense. - I think I just ruled
that people have given you those--have given things--
just 'cause her family didn't buy it,
your family did-- there's children.
They've been in the house where she lives at
for several years.
The court's ruling against you.
I know you don't like it,
but that's the court's ruling.
- She has no proof of these assets.
Why am I getting screwed here?
- Mr. Nutter, if you continue arguing with the court,
I'm just gonna dismiss your case and you get nothing.
I'm not gonna warn you again.
- The judge ruled that Saxton must either return the items
awarded to her ex
or pay him the total value of the items,
which is $800.
The case is now closed.
- Next, we're in Des Moines, Washington,
for an arraignment.
59-year-old London Lee has been charged
with two counts of driving with a suspended license
and operating a vehicle
without an ignition interlock device.
♪ ♪
After allegedly committing
her second driving-suspended offense
in two years,
Lee was arrested and taken into custody...
- Here's my car. - Okay.
Let's walk over here by it.
- On a warrant for failing to appear
in court for her first driving-suspended charge.
Today, she appears from jail before Judge Lisa Leone
to find out if she'll make bond.
- Good morning, Ms. Lee.
- Good morning.
- She's represented by public defender Maxim Poudrier-Tudan.
- Your Honor, I went over my client's rights
as well as her charges.
She indicated to me she had no further questions.
So I'll ask to enter a plea of not guilty.
- Mm-hmm. - Um--
- So what is your decision, Your Honor?
- Well, we're gonna get to that.
Let me hear first from the city.
- Your Honor, the city recommends that Ms. Lee be held
on $5,000 bail on both cases and that she be ordered
to abide by standard driving conditions.
- So you are doing both of my cases here
when I've got one in Des Moines and one in Auburn?
And, I mean-- - You have--no.
- We're gonna get rid of both of these today.
Don't play with me.
- Lee is trying to discuss an unrelated case.
- Ms. Lee, the Auburn, we can't hear today.
That's not part of my jurisdiction.
So what we're hearing today--
- So that's what he's saying, though.
- You may have another case. - Let's get our facts straight.
We will not be driving, and I'm pleading guilty.
- Well, you're entering a plea of not guilty.
- I'm entering a plea of guilty.
- Um. - Mr. Poudrier-Tudan.
- I had--I had borderline--
- That's what he advised. - I--okay.
- I'm entering a plea of guilty today!
- All right.
- And that's all I'm gonna tell you.
♪ ♪
- No.
- [talking indistinctly]
- Poudrier-Tudan has concerns
that Lee may not be competent to stand trial.
- Okay, Ms. Lee. - Okay.
Are you gonna--
- You slow down if you wanna talk to me
because I know just what the hell is going on with me.
I'm not gon' play your [indistinct]
and dungeon bull[bleep],
like they're flying off somewhere.
You listen, lady.
- Judge Leone remains calm
as she reviews the defendant's cases.
- I don't see a case out of Auburn
in the criminal history that--
- Your Honor? - Yeah.
- Um, he pled not guilty.
So I'm gonna go with what he said
and set this matter over. - Okay.
- And then that should be settled, okay?
Let's don't dig around into something
that you don't know what you're talking about.
'Cause I'ma tell you right now,
you better get your [bleep] together up in here.
- Okay. Ms. Lee, I don't wanna have to mute you,
but I need you to--
- No, Ms. Lee, don't talk like that.
- Let me tell you something, don't play me.
Don't play me, lady.
I've been in front of you before.
- That's right, you have.
- Ms. Lee, I am going to order
that you have an evaluation there in custody.
I've signed the order.
- What kind of order did you just sign into--
- An order for you to be evaluated
by a mental health evaluator.
- Okay.
- Lee was returned to jail,
and, after completing an evaluation,
was deemed competent.
She then took a deal, pleading guilty to one
of the suspended license charges,
as well as operating a vehicle without
an ignition interlock device,
in exchange for her having
her most recent suspended license charge dismissed.
The judge sentenced her to 26 days in jail
with 26 days credit for time served.
- Next, we're in San Antonio, Texas,
for a sentencing hearing.
19-year-old Dominick Brinkley has pled no contest
to aggravated robbery.
A year and a half earlier,
police say Brinkley was riding in a stolen car
with his 16-year-old brother, Isaiah Brinkley,
when they spotted a couple removing Christmas presents
from their vehicle.
When the couple stepped away for a moment,
the brothers allegedly stole some of the presents.
But then, as they tried to flee the scene,
one of the victims chased after them.
As he grabbed a hold of Dominick,
Isaiah allegedly fired multiple shots,
hitting both the victim and Dominick in the arms.
The victim made a full recovery,
and for several months, the case went unsolved.
Eventually, when DNA samples found inside the victim's car
were a match for Isaiah, it led police to Dominick,
who'd recently been arrested on an unrelated charge.
He admitted that he was at the scene the day of the incident
and was officially charged.
Today, Dominick, who's recovered
from his gunshot wounds,
appears with his attorney before Judge Stephanie Boyd.
- According to the plea bargain agreement,
punishment is to be assessed
at a cap of eight years in the prison.
And there's to be restitution to the complainant.
- The defense calls Amber Asher,
the defendant's mother, who asks the judge for leniency.
- Before he was arrested on this charge,
there was, like, tremendous maturity happening.
And he made some really bad choices in that time frame.
My dad had just passed away, like, two months before that.
[somber music]
And then he felt like the one person
who was always there for him was gone.
He's very responsible. He's a great dad.
♪ ♪
He made a horrible choice, and he knows that.
And we just ask for mercy, that's all.
- When she's finished, the defendant speaks directly
to Judge Boyd.
- Your Honor, um, I really just wanna ask for forgiveness.
I just can't imagine how traumatized
that his family and he is.
And if I had the opportunity to apologize, I would do so.
I just please ask you that you give me
a little bit of leniency and push for the probation
instead of prison time, so that way I can be there
around my daughter while she grows up,
and she doesn't have to grow up without a father like I did.
- Before the judge imposes sentence,
the prosecutor has a few questions.
- So after it happened, what did y'all do?
- I went straight home, and I rinsed my arm off.
That's what I did, and I wrapped it up.
- Um...
- Yes, sir. - Thank you.
No further questions, Your Honor.
- Next, Judge Boyd has a few questions of her own
for the defendant.
- All right, you know that that day,
you ruined somebody's Christmas.
- And you understand that the complainant was shot.
- So I understand your upbringing was bad.
I understand that you have a baby
that you want to be there for, right?
- Yes, Your Honor. - But I have to balance things
and look at both things.
Sentencing is about one of the things.
It's for rehabilitation, right?
But it's also for punishment.
And in your case, if I send you to prison,
it's punishment and rehabilitation.
This case is going to be a prison case.
I know that you are young.
You will still have time to live your life.
I'm gonna find you guilty,
sentence you to eight years in the prison, $1,500 fine.
- In addition to the eight years in prison
and the fine, Brinkley must also pay restitution
of $24,630.40 to the victims.
He'll be eligible for parole in 2027.
He'll be 23 years old.
As for his minor brother, Isaiah Brinkley,
he's in custody and his case is pending.
- Next, we're in Ann Arbor, Michigan,
for a probation violation hearing.
♪ ♪
37-year-old Chaddick Gembel has been convicted
of armed robbery.
♪ ♪
Three years earlier, according to police reports,
Gembel entered a party store armed with a knife
and demanded money from the register.
After he left with an undisclosed amount of cash,
investigators say Gembel fled in a gray vehicle.
Police released surveillance images of the car
and from inside the store,
which led to Gembel's arrest two days later.
He was charged, pled guilty, and sentenced to probation.
As part of his probation agreement,
Gembel was ordered to undergo regular drug testing.
Today, he appears with his attorney, Zachary Ward,
before Judge Arianne Slay, because earlier that morning,
Gembel tested positive for methamphetamine.
- Mr. Gembel's case was called
in the earlier docket this morning.
He had an appointment at CMH, which I understand--
did you keep your appointment?
- Okay, you went to your appointment,
came back, and tested positive.
- And that was very concerning to me.
So I did ask that you come back up in front of the court.
- The judge explains the situation
to prosecutor Lou Danner.
- Mr. Danner, the alleged violation right now
is that he tested positive for meth.
Do you have a motion? - Yes, Your Honor.
The people are gonna make a motion
for a remand in this case.
♪ ♪
- Mr. Ward?
- Your Honor, I'd ask the court not to remand Gembel.
He has reached out to his sponsor.
He has sober living lined up and that he's working towards--
- And he's scared that incarceration
will take that off the table.
And he admitted, Your Honor.
He didn't hide this, so.
- So, Mr. Gembel, my concern is, you were here this morning.
I asked if you were okay, and you knew I had concerns
because I sent you down to text.
You knew when you were here this morning
that you had used yesterday.
That wasn't any part of the conversation.
You were in a room full of treatment folks
to be of assistance to you.
And it was more concerning for you to leave
and to not say anything.
And I told you if you needed the CCMH in the jail,
I would set that up for you.
- But I'm conc--
- I did.
But maybe you weren't listening.
I'm remanding you today.
We'll do your formal arraignment
tomorrow morning at 9:30.
- Gembel seems unhappy with the outcome
and brings up a previous judge from the case.
- As the State Court Administrator's Office,
as I'm the backup Sobriety Court judge.
Either way, this is the ruling of the day.
That's it. Officer McNeely.
- As the officer tries to take Gembel into custody,
he continues to plead his case.
- I just wanna tell you, you know,
addiction is hard, you know?
- It is.
- She said-- - Sir.
Please go with the officer now.
- You'll have your chance-- - Your hearing is not today.
- I wanna give a chance for her--
[indistinct speech]
♪ ♪
- Gembel is taken to jail.
The next day, he's ordered held without bond.
His sentence for probation violation is pending.
♪ ♪
That's it for this edition of "Court Cam."
I'm Dan Abrams.
Thanks for watching.
[static humming]
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