1 00:00:10,708 --> 00:00:12,375 (NUMBER DIALING) 2 00:00:13,167 --> 00:00:15,458 (DISPATCHER SPEAKING) 3 00:00:15,542 --> 00:00:17,083 (FEMALE CALLER SPEAKING) 4 00:00:17,167 --> 00:00:18,708 (DISPATCHER SPEAKING) 5 00:00:18,833 --> 00:00:21,167 (FEMALE CALLER SPEAKING) 6 00:00:21,250 --> 00:00:23,000 -(DISPATCHER SPEAKING) -(SIREN BLARING) 7 00:00:41,708 --> 00:00:44,333 Now, there's allegations that there was a confrontation. 8 00:00:46,042 --> 00:00:49,250 Brandon was one of over 400 people that night. 9 00:00:49,333 --> 00:00:51,250 They don't have a single eyewitness 10 00:00:51,333 --> 00:00:53,500 that says anything about Brandon having a gun 11 00:00:53,542 --> 00:00:55,083 or shooting anyone. 12 00:00:59,375 --> 00:01:02,125 Brandon's either guilty or he's extremely unlucky. 13 00:01:18,500 --> 00:01:20,292 BRENT HAWKINS: My name is Brent Hawkins 14 00:01:20,375 --> 00:01:23,500 and I am one of Brandon Perkins' attorneys. 15 00:01:23,583 --> 00:01:26,042 Brandon Perkins is charged with second-degree murder, 16 00:01:26,125 --> 00:01:28,167 and in Louisiana, second-degree murder carries 17 00:01:28,250 --> 00:01:33,583 a mandatory sentence of life in prison without possibility of parole. 18 00:01:33,667 --> 00:01:37,333 So, it's the most serious offense that you can be accused of 19 00:01:37,417 --> 00:01:40,042 in Louisiana without facing the death penalty. 20 00:01:42,583 --> 00:01:45,083 ADAM JOHNSON: My name's Adam Johnson, I'm a criminal defense attorney 21 00:01:45,167 --> 00:01:47,208 and I also represent Brandon Perkins. 22 00:01:49,125 --> 00:01:51,917 The day is June 24th, 2018, 23 00:01:52,042 --> 00:01:54,958 Brandon was invited by a couple of his friends to a trail ride, 24 00:01:55,042 --> 00:01:56,583 out in, basically, the woods. 25 00:01:58,417 --> 00:02:00,667 A trail ride is where everybody gets horses, 26 00:02:00,708 --> 00:02:02,292 they're side by side as they go out, 27 00:02:02,375 --> 00:02:03,625 they spend some time outdoors. 28 00:02:05,167 --> 00:02:07,333 They have live music. 29 00:02:07,375 --> 00:02:09,583 And everybody comes together and just has a big dance. 30 00:02:12,542 --> 00:02:15,000 So, he gets to that evening, meets his friends. 31 00:02:15,042 --> 00:02:16,292 There's a gentleman there. 32 00:02:16,375 --> 00:02:18,667 The victim, by the name of De'Lanzo Veal. 33 00:02:18,750 --> 00:02:20,083 He's known as Zo. 34 00:02:21,417 --> 00:02:23,708 Now, De'Lanzo happens to be the father 35 00:02:23,792 --> 00:02:28,750 of a young lady who Brandon recently had a child with. 36 00:02:28,875 --> 00:02:32,917 And Brandon was in the process of actually trying to establish 37 00:02:33,000 --> 00:02:35,625 visitation with this child. 38 00:02:35,708 --> 00:02:38,292 ADAM: Now, there's allegations that there was a confrontation 39 00:02:38,375 --> 00:02:41,542 between Brandon and De'Lanzo. 40 00:02:41,542 --> 00:02:43,500 De'Lanzo Veal is shot three times on the dance floor. 41 00:02:47,625 --> 00:02:49,167 Brandon responds after he sees the shooting 42 00:02:49,208 --> 00:02:50,375 like everybody else that was there. 43 00:02:50,375 --> 00:02:52,792 Everybody scatters. It's pure chaos. 44 00:02:54,750 --> 00:02:56,583 He gets in his car, he takes off. 45 00:03:05,500 --> 00:03:07,583 BRENT: Several hours after the event occurred, 46 00:03:07,667 --> 00:03:10,500 Brandon volunteered to talk to the police. 47 00:03:11,792 --> 00:03:13,500 They start questioning him. 48 00:03:15,250 --> 00:03:17,417 Within the next four hours 49 00:03:17,500 --> 00:03:19,292 after that initial interview, 50 00:03:19,375 --> 00:03:21,833 they issue an arrest warrant for second-degree murder. 51 00:03:27,375 --> 00:03:31,708 The State's case will be that Brandon was near De'Lanzo Veal when he was shot. 52 00:03:31,792 --> 00:03:34,375 That there was a connection between De'Lanzo Veal and Brandon. 53 00:03:38,667 --> 00:03:41,250 Brandon was one of over 400 people that night. 54 00:03:42,208 --> 00:03:44,625 I mean, it is packed... 55 00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:46,875 with private security being provided 56 00:03:46,958 --> 00:03:49,500 by the Evangeline Parish Sheriff's office. 57 00:03:49,542 --> 00:03:51,958 And they don't have a single eyewitness 58 00:03:52,042 --> 00:03:54,333 that says anything about Brandon having a gun 59 00:03:54,375 --> 00:03:55,583 or shooting anyone. 60 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:01,750 He's charged with one of the most serious crimes 61 00:04:01,833 --> 00:04:03,458 that you can possibly be charged with 62 00:04:03,542 --> 00:04:06,583 and his life is absolutely on the line. 63 00:04:06,667 --> 00:04:08,375 We're going to do everything in our power to 64 00:04:08,458 --> 00:04:10,875 make sure that an innocent man isn't wrongfully convicted. 65 00:04:25,708 --> 00:04:28,208 Before this incident, life was pretty normal. 66 00:04:31,333 --> 00:04:33,958 Being a typical dad, 67 00:04:33,958 --> 00:04:35,750 enjoying life with my family. 68 00:04:37,542 --> 00:04:40,375 My son was 11 years old 69 00:04:40,458 --> 00:04:43,833 at the time of the incident. 70 00:04:43,875 --> 00:04:45,458 (CHILD CHATTERING) 71 00:04:46,458 --> 00:04:48,500 Coming from a Southern state, 72 00:04:48,625 --> 00:04:51,333 family's always been a very important thing in my life. 73 00:05:01,792 --> 00:05:04,875 Being locked up 24 hours, seven days a week... 74 00:05:06,583 --> 00:05:08,250 my mama really took it hard. 75 00:05:09,250 --> 00:05:11,333 My son took it hard, too. 76 00:05:13,042 --> 00:05:14,875 It was very hard on a mother 77 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:18,417 to see her child incarcerated. 78 00:05:18,500 --> 00:05:20,625 Dressed in orange. It was very hard. 79 00:05:22,667 --> 00:05:24,542 It was very hard for Brandon, 80 00:05:24,625 --> 00:05:27,667 because he felt like he was a disappointment. 81 00:05:29,458 --> 00:05:31,375 He was very withdrawn. 82 00:05:33,417 --> 00:05:35,792 I know jail is not for no one. 83 00:05:35,875 --> 00:05:37,917 I wish that on nobody. 84 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:42,542 FREDRICK SOUTH: It was just, it was terrifying. 85 00:05:44,458 --> 00:05:47,500 I'd have never dreamed in a million years 86 00:05:48,333 --> 00:05:50,750 this would happen to us, 87 00:05:50,833 --> 00:05:51,958 especially Brandon. 88 00:05:54,208 --> 00:05:56,458 Going to see my child... 89 00:05:58,875 --> 00:05:59,833 in a cage... 90 00:06:01,500 --> 00:06:02,833 it was really... 91 00:06:06,083 --> 00:06:07,333 disgusting. 92 00:06:10,333 --> 00:06:12,667 I don't get a lot of sleep, 93 00:06:12,750 --> 00:06:17,167 because as the father, the head of this family, 94 00:06:17,250 --> 00:06:19,833 you know, I think about a lot of things 95 00:06:19,917 --> 00:06:23,833 and I'm trying to be the problem solver. 96 00:06:23,875 --> 00:06:27,875 So, I'm trying to figure out how things can go if... 97 00:06:29,250 --> 00:06:30,833 things was to take a curve. 98 00:06:38,667 --> 00:06:40,375 -Brandon? -What's up, Mr. Adam. 99 00:06:40,458 --> 00:06:41,458 Hey, bro. How are you? 100 00:06:41,542 --> 00:06:42,750 -All right. And yourself? -Good. 101 00:06:49,208 --> 00:06:52,250 As best you can, just walk us through what happened that night. 102 00:06:52,333 --> 00:06:54,958 I got a phone call from a couple friends 103 00:06:55,042 --> 00:06:57,875 inviting me to go out to a trail ride. 104 00:06:59,542 --> 00:07:03,458 Everything seemed to be pretty cool, and then, 105 00:07:03,542 --> 00:07:06,750 you know, ran across De'Lanzo... 106 00:07:07,708 --> 00:07:09,875 my daughter's grandfather. 107 00:07:12,292 --> 00:07:14,583 We made eye contact a few times. 108 00:07:15,542 --> 00:07:17,083 Not threatening. 109 00:07:17,167 --> 00:07:19,500 -No arguments or disagreements. -BRENT: Okay. 110 00:07:19,542 --> 00:07:21,875 Just exchange of words with one another. 111 00:07:24,250 --> 00:07:26,708 And, you know, after that, 112 00:07:26,792 --> 00:07:28,667 that's when I heard gunshots... 113 00:07:30,375 --> 00:07:34,417 and I realized that the gunshots was close. 114 00:07:35,542 --> 00:07:37,625 It's like everything went left from there. 115 00:07:39,417 --> 00:07:42,792 So, after... um... 116 00:07:42,875 --> 00:07:44,625 De'Lanzo's shot, what happens? 117 00:07:44,708 --> 00:07:47,625 Everyone instantly took off running. 118 00:07:47,750 --> 00:07:51,000 I got in my car, speeded down the highway. 119 00:07:51,083 --> 00:07:53,667 Before I got to my residence, I got a phone call... 120 00:07:53,750 --> 00:07:55,083 -BRENT: Okay. -...from my mother. 121 00:08:06,542 --> 00:08:11,792 Once I made it back to my mother's residence, she... 122 00:08:11,875 --> 00:08:13,958 she brought me to the police station. 123 00:08:14,042 --> 00:08:16,708 They interviewed me. Asked me for my statement. 124 00:08:19,583 --> 00:08:21,250 BRENT: What happens next? 125 00:08:21,333 --> 00:08:23,875 They told me that I was being charged with second-degree murder. 126 00:08:26,917 --> 00:08:28,458 ADAM: Why would they have any 127 00:08:28,542 --> 00:08:31,833 reason to want you to be accused of this? 128 00:08:31,875 --> 00:08:35,208 I guess being the last person talking to him. 129 00:08:38,208 --> 00:08:39,958 There's this notion that somehow 130 00:08:40,042 --> 00:08:42,542 there's this beef or tension between you and Zo 131 00:08:42,625 --> 00:08:45,792 about how he felt you were treating his daughter. 132 00:08:45,875 --> 00:08:48,667 I know that y'all hadn't dated or anything like that. 133 00:08:48,792 --> 00:08:50,000 You guys had just kinda hooked up. 134 00:08:50,042 --> 00:08:53,667 Was he okay with that? Was there issues? 135 00:08:53,708 --> 00:08:57,625 BRANDON: The problem came after the child. 136 00:09:01,208 --> 00:09:04,167 ADAM: You didn't initially know whether or not it was your child 137 00:09:04,292 --> 00:09:07,083 and so you asked her to have a DNA test. Is that correct? 138 00:09:07,167 --> 00:09:08,792 -Yes, sir. -Okay. 139 00:09:08,875 --> 00:09:11,292 Do you think that upset De'Lanzo? 140 00:09:11,375 --> 00:09:12,875 Yes, sir. 141 00:09:12,958 --> 00:09:16,000 That probably triggered the situation. 142 00:09:17,792 --> 00:09:21,708 I really never had a relationship with my baby girl. 143 00:09:23,458 --> 00:09:24,667 Before this situation, 144 00:09:24,750 --> 00:09:27,458 I was actually trying to get a lawyer 145 00:09:27,542 --> 00:09:30,542 to be able to have joint custody of her... 146 00:09:32,000 --> 00:09:34,458 BRENT: That makes a lot of sense. 147 00:09:34,542 --> 00:09:37,375 Tell me, anything else out there you feel like we need to know, 148 00:09:37,458 --> 00:09:38,292 that's just critical? 149 00:09:40,208 --> 00:09:41,542 No, not really. 150 00:09:43,542 --> 00:09:45,792 -All right, let's go. Yep. -Good meeting. 151 00:09:46,542 --> 00:09:48,083 Good to see you, brother. 152 00:09:48,167 --> 00:09:49,292 Absolutely. 153 00:09:52,208 --> 00:09:55,875 Talking to Brandon, he's one of those clients that keeps you up at night. 154 00:09:55,958 --> 00:09:58,917 You want to make absolutely sure you do everything in your power 155 00:09:59,042 --> 00:10:00,667 so as not to screw it up for him. 156 00:10:00,750 --> 00:10:02,333 So that he gets the justice he deserves. 157 00:10:11,792 --> 00:10:13,917 ADAM: What we're doing today is reviewing 158 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,583 Brandon's statements that he gave to the police. 159 00:10:21,667 --> 00:10:23,250 (POLICE RECORDING PLAYING) 160 00:10:25,458 --> 00:10:28,667 ADAM: You can never watch your client's statements too many times 161 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:31,250 because a lot of times as you learn new information, 162 00:10:31,375 --> 00:10:34,000 something will hit differently in something he said. 163 00:11:15,792 --> 00:11:17,500 ADAM: What Brandon's saying is, 164 00:11:17,583 --> 00:11:19,500 is that De'Lanzo comes up to him 165 00:11:19,542 --> 00:11:21,333 and he puts up his hand like this. 166 00:11:21,375 --> 00:11:24,292 And then that's what triggered someone else's response to what happened. 167 00:11:42,500 --> 00:11:44,667 I cannot believe they let him walk into that room 168 00:11:44,750 --> 00:11:46,167 with a knife on him. 169 00:12:16,708 --> 00:12:18,708 This is extremely odd to see 170 00:12:18,708 --> 00:12:23,000 someone's mom and dad be involved in interviewing their son. 171 00:12:23,042 --> 00:12:24,458 It'd be way more normal to see it 172 00:12:24,542 --> 00:12:25,708 with a juvenile being questioned. 173 00:12:54,208 --> 00:12:56,667 I never want to see my client questioned 174 00:12:56,792 --> 00:12:58,333 in orange. 175 00:12:58,375 --> 00:13:00,875 It just brings a whole bunch of negative connotations. 176 00:13:02,833 --> 00:13:04,500 (INTERVIEW CONTINUES) 177 00:13:19,375 --> 00:13:20,958 He just exercised his right to an attorney. 178 00:13:21,042 --> 00:13:22,750 We should see like, everybody getting up and leaving. 179 00:13:45,208 --> 00:13:46,292 Unbelievable. 180 00:14:08,167 --> 00:14:10,083 -FRED: Hey, Adam, pause it for a second. -Yep. 181 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:12,417 She's acting more as a law enforcement officer 182 00:14:12,542 --> 00:14:14,083 -than as his mom right now. -ADAM: Yeah, right. 183 00:14:23,875 --> 00:14:27,000 The police officers have a duty to end the interview. 184 00:14:27,083 --> 00:14:28,833 They clearly violate his rights. 185 00:14:50,250 --> 00:14:54,083 His mom is telling him you need to be truthful with these people. 186 00:14:54,167 --> 00:14:56,833 It's almost as though she's... 187 00:14:56,917 --> 00:14:58,875 attacking him in a way. I don't like that. 188 00:15:57,208 --> 00:15:58,667 You can't think of something stupider 189 00:15:58,750 --> 00:16:00,333 to introduce into a conversation 190 00:16:00,375 --> 00:16:01,625 while dressed in orange, all right, 191 00:16:01,708 --> 00:16:02,958 but for the same reason, 192 00:16:03,042 --> 00:16:06,042 it has to be taken as just being 100% cooperative. 193 00:16:11,208 --> 00:16:14,333 Brandon's given them way more information than he should have. 194 00:16:14,375 --> 00:16:18,000 He should have never done this interview without a lawyer. 195 00:16:18,083 --> 00:16:20,000 The plan, with respect to these two interviews is 196 00:16:20,042 --> 00:16:22,417 I have no problems with the first one at all. 197 00:16:22,500 --> 00:16:24,458 But I do think we'll win a motion to suppress on the second. 198 00:16:31,083 --> 00:16:32,667 Brandon clearly asserts his rights, 199 00:16:32,708 --> 00:16:35,208 and then he just ignores those rights and continues to question him. 200 00:16:45,542 --> 00:16:46,917 -What's up? -BRENT: Hey, man. What's going on? 201 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:48,083 How are you? 202 00:16:52,250 --> 00:16:53,458 All right, tell me what you got. 203 00:16:53,583 --> 00:16:56,125 BRENT: De'Lanzo Veal was a 48-year-old Black male. 204 00:16:57,583 --> 00:16:59,250 He was shot three times. 205 00:17:00,708 --> 00:17:03,917 Two shots to his torso, one to his arm. 206 00:17:04,042 --> 00:17:06,500 The torso shots, that's what killed him. 207 00:17:07,958 --> 00:17:10,875 The interesting part of it is, the torso shots, 208 00:17:10,875 --> 00:17:13,833 one of them, they talk about 209 00:17:13,917 --> 00:17:15,500 gunpowder stippling being present. 210 00:17:22,750 --> 00:17:23,958 That's pretty objective evidence 211 00:17:24,042 --> 00:17:27,375 that the shooter was close to the deceased. 212 00:17:27,458 --> 00:17:31,500 We have Brandon standing within a meter. 213 00:17:31,583 --> 00:17:33,167 -BRENT: That is problematic. -Yeah. 214 00:17:33,250 --> 00:17:36,042 But he wasn't the only person out there 215 00:17:36,125 --> 00:17:38,375 within that three-foot range. 216 00:17:40,583 --> 00:17:43,167 The next thing we got is, we got a report on the ballistics. 217 00:17:43,208 --> 00:17:45,208 They recovered the three casings. 218 00:17:45,292 --> 00:17:47,792 -Right. -So, all .40 caliber. 219 00:17:53,208 --> 00:17:54,833 So, what's your thoughts? 220 00:17:54,875 --> 00:17:56,417 (SIGHS) 221 00:17:58,708 --> 00:18:00,625 It's tough, I mean... 222 00:18:00,708 --> 00:18:02,667 The fact that he's standing that close, 223 00:18:02,750 --> 00:18:06,333 and, you know, the shots are all fired at close range, 224 00:18:06,417 --> 00:18:08,583 that's a difficult, difficult situation. 225 00:18:11,375 --> 00:18:15,167 Brandon's either guilty or he's extremely unlucky. 226 00:18:29,375 --> 00:18:31,792 ADAM: We're going to inspect 227 00:18:31,875 --> 00:18:35,167 the site of where the alleged crime occurred. 228 00:18:36,250 --> 00:18:38,208 Just put fresh eyes on the scene. 229 00:18:48,417 --> 00:18:50,667 It's probably safe to say that we're going 230 00:18:50,708 --> 00:18:54,333 to be being watched while we're out there. 231 00:18:55,417 --> 00:18:58,083 So, you just have to keep that in mind. 232 00:18:59,708 --> 00:19:01,417 We have judicial approval. 233 00:19:01,500 --> 00:19:04,750 We've notified the DA and all that good stuff. 234 00:19:04,875 --> 00:19:06,625 You know, we've dotted the I's and crossed the T's. 235 00:19:18,875 --> 00:19:21,583 ADAM: So we knocked on the door just to ask permission to open the gate. 236 00:19:22,625 --> 00:19:24,333 Fifteen minutes after that happens, 237 00:19:24,375 --> 00:19:26,417 there's a sheriff's officer that comes pulling up. 238 00:19:26,500 --> 00:19:28,417 I had some fear that we might run into 239 00:19:28,500 --> 00:19:30,542 some stupid nonsense out there, you know? 240 00:19:30,667 --> 00:19:32,542 -But for it to actually happen... -BRENT: Yeah, but that-- 241 00:19:32,625 --> 00:19:35,042 -...is kind of like just brazen. -Just for the police to show up. 242 00:19:35,125 --> 00:19:37,208 I thought when they were coming out there, they were coming to help. 243 00:19:37,208 --> 00:19:39,208 That's what we thought. 244 00:19:39,208 --> 00:19:42,000 The officer gets out his car and tells us he's been ordered by his supervisor 245 00:19:42,083 --> 00:19:44,542 to, I guess, detain and cite us 246 00:19:44,625 --> 00:19:47,542 for criminal trespass violations. 247 00:19:50,125 --> 00:19:51,625 What happened is, 248 00:19:51,708 --> 00:19:55,167 Brent jumped into full-on criminal defense lawyer mode, 249 00:19:55,250 --> 00:19:56,458 called the judge. 250 00:19:56,542 --> 00:19:58,250 We had to get the judge to call the sheriff 251 00:19:58,333 --> 00:20:02,708 and undo the citations he had already started plugging into the system. 252 00:20:02,792 --> 00:20:05,958 So, we're going to figure out what happened and get to the bottom of it. 253 00:20:06,042 --> 00:20:08,417 ADAM: We'll regroup and we'll go back. We will not be deterred. 254 00:20:32,583 --> 00:20:33,875 BRANDON: Yeah, I remember the night 255 00:20:35,458 --> 00:20:36,833 like it happened yesterday. 256 00:20:39,875 --> 00:20:42,750 The trail rides have been a big weekend celebration. 257 00:20:44,667 --> 00:20:47,333 Everyone dresses their horse up. 258 00:20:47,417 --> 00:20:50,333 Making sure that it's well-groomed and washed 259 00:20:50,375 --> 00:20:52,625 and real shiny and pretty. 260 00:20:55,708 --> 00:20:59,125 When the ride comes back to the main event. 261 00:20:59,208 --> 00:21:02,833 And the main event is when the zydeco player show up. 262 00:21:02,917 --> 00:21:04,500 (MUSIC PLAYING) 263 00:21:12,375 --> 00:21:13,750 It was like a normal night. 264 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,792 There was a lot dancing. 265 00:21:16,875 --> 00:21:20,250 And they make the best of it, and enjoy the drinking and the good food. 266 00:21:23,250 --> 00:21:25,458 Not showing any signs of, 267 00:21:25,542 --> 00:21:28,750 you know, danger or anything of that nature. 268 00:21:28,833 --> 00:21:30,792 But we was having an awesome time. 269 00:21:32,583 --> 00:21:37,375 After I heard the gunshots, it changed, you know. 270 00:21:37,375 --> 00:21:41,042 You don't know how to really respond to a situation of that nature. 271 00:21:55,542 --> 00:21:57,000 -Hey, bud. -All right, man. Here we go. 272 00:21:57,083 --> 00:21:58,625 We got the pictures. 273 00:21:58,708 --> 00:22:00,417 ADAM: Okay, you wanna put 'em up? 274 00:22:11,375 --> 00:22:14,167 So, right here, between this pole right here 275 00:22:14,292 --> 00:22:15,708 and the corner of the bar, 276 00:22:15,833 --> 00:22:19,000 is where De'Lanzo Veal and Brandon Perkins are standing. 277 00:22:19,042 --> 00:22:20,708 The body fell right here. 278 00:22:22,417 --> 00:22:24,375 All right, put him up there. 279 00:22:24,458 --> 00:22:26,375 We got Brent Zachary here. 280 00:22:26,458 --> 00:22:28,667 He is the chief of police. 281 00:22:28,750 --> 00:22:30,583 He's on private security detail. 282 00:22:37,083 --> 00:22:38,083 ADAM: He's on the dance floor. 283 00:22:38,167 --> 00:22:39,292 He's on the dance floor, 284 00:22:39,375 --> 00:22:40,750 and it's not a big dance floor. 285 00:22:40,833 --> 00:22:43,458 ADAM: In his testimony, Brent Zachary puts himself 286 00:22:43,542 --> 00:22:45,667 20 feet away from the shooting. 287 00:22:45,750 --> 00:22:47,708 -That's correct. -Right? So he's close by as well. 288 00:22:49,417 --> 00:22:51,708 All right, Josh Lafleur. 289 00:22:52,500 --> 00:22:54,292 Let's put him here. 290 00:22:54,375 --> 00:22:56,833 So, he's working private security that night. 291 00:23:02,708 --> 00:23:05,875 Lafleur is standing in between the stage and the bar. 292 00:23:11,375 --> 00:23:13,792 In his testimony, Lafleur claims that he was focused 293 00:23:13,875 --> 00:23:15,500 on Brandon and De'Lanzo 294 00:23:15,583 --> 00:23:17,958 -immediately prior to the shooting... -That's right. 295 00:23:18,042 --> 00:23:20,208 ...and that there was some sort of an exchange of words. 296 00:23:20,333 --> 00:23:21,667 Not sure if it's heated or not, 297 00:23:21,708 --> 00:23:23,375 but he's paying attention to them. 298 00:23:23,500 --> 00:23:25,750 Lafleur is four feet away from the shooting. 299 00:23:42,708 --> 00:23:44,750 Now that you have it sort of mapped out, 300 00:23:45,958 --> 00:23:48,000 it's very clear that 301 00:23:48,042 --> 00:23:51,500 Josh Lafleur and Brent Zachary should be in no way involved 302 00:23:51,583 --> 00:23:53,833 -in this investigation. -No. 303 00:23:53,917 --> 00:23:55,792 They can't be objective here at all. 304 00:23:57,625 --> 00:24:00,417 They should have been questioned as witnesses. 305 00:24:00,500 --> 00:24:02,292 ADAM: You wonder why in the world 306 00:24:02,375 --> 00:24:05,750 are they being allowed to take such an active role in the investigation. 307 00:24:27,042 --> 00:24:29,375 ADAM: The victim, De'Lanzo, he's on the ground. 308 00:24:29,375 --> 00:24:31,042 They're still performing CPR. 309 00:24:32,750 --> 00:24:36,500 We're probably between 15 and 45 minutes 310 00:24:36,542 --> 00:24:38,833 post shooting, probably, at the start of this video. 311 00:24:49,750 --> 00:24:52,208 (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) 312 00:24:52,333 --> 00:24:54,292 ADAM: All right, hold on, watch that right there. 313 00:24:54,375 --> 00:24:55,708 I'm gonna go back. 314 00:24:59,208 --> 00:25:00,542 Lafleur grabs the bodycam. 315 00:25:02,333 --> 00:25:03,708 BRENT: Oh! 316 00:25:05,833 --> 00:25:08,000 -And this is Lafleur with the camera now, right? -ADAM: Yeah. 317 00:25:18,667 --> 00:25:20,375 Look, look at this. 318 00:25:20,458 --> 00:25:23,667 Watch the guy over here just come walking underneath the tape. 319 00:25:23,750 --> 00:25:26,417 -See him ducking under the tapes? -BRENT: Yeah. 320 00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,125 The crime scene is not secure at all. 321 00:25:29,208 --> 00:25:31,750 We've added now two or three more people to the crime scene 322 00:25:31,833 --> 00:25:34,667 who just apparently come walking up. 323 00:25:34,750 --> 00:25:37,125 And they had law enforcement on the ground. 324 00:25:37,208 --> 00:25:40,750 So, that should have been very easy for them to do. 325 00:25:42,542 --> 00:25:44,042 This is just a couple hanging out. 326 00:25:58,458 --> 00:25:59,750 (CAMERA CLICKS) 327 00:25:59,833 --> 00:26:01,167 ADAM: Also, do you hear the click? 328 00:26:05,542 --> 00:26:06,667 (CAMERA CLICKS) 329 00:26:06,792 --> 00:26:07,833 ADAM: Yeah, it's just cut off. 330 00:26:07,917 --> 00:26:10,667 There's no reason whatsoever 331 00:26:10,750 --> 00:26:13,167 that a bodycam should be turned off. 332 00:26:25,375 --> 00:26:26,792 ADAM: Now we see him turn it back on. 333 00:26:29,708 --> 00:26:30,833 (CAMERA CLICKS) 334 00:26:30,917 --> 00:26:32,958 He cuts off the camera again. 335 00:26:35,208 --> 00:26:37,208 To have officers who were there 336 00:26:37,292 --> 00:26:40,333 for at least three hours, 337 00:26:40,417 --> 00:26:42,083 and to have minutes of footage. 338 00:26:43,167 --> 00:26:45,042 Unbelievable. 339 00:26:45,125 --> 00:26:46,833 I know why we had to work this hard to get it. 340 00:26:56,250 --> 00:26:58,875 ADAM: So, first they said we don't have body cameras. 341 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:01,125 Then they told the DA that they didn't have body camera footage, 342 00:27:01,250 --> 00:27:04,208 and he came in the courtroom and said they didn't have body camera footage. 343 00:27:06,125 --> 00:27:08,333 So then we say, "Well, Judge, we don't necessarily believe them. 344 00:27:08,417 --> 00:27:10,250 "Let's have them come into court and sign affidavits saying they don't have body cameras." 345 00:27:12,792 --> 00:27:15,000 Then the prosecutor says that 346 00:27:15,042 --> 00:27:17,833 the law enforcement took a second look at that bodycam issue 347 00:27:17,917 --> 00:27:20,292 and found some body camera footage. 348 00:27:20,375 --> 00:27:21,583 Right? 349 00:27:41,208 --> 00:27:44,708 I would have expected somebody to have the courage to say, 350 00:27:44,708 --> 00:27:46,500 we don't have a case against this guy 351 00:27:46,583 --> 00:27:48,750 that gets near beyond a reasonable doubt. 352 00:28:01,375 --> 00:28:04,167 BRANDON: I work probably like, maybe like four hours, 353 00:28:04,250 --> 00:28:06,042 45 minutes from Louisiana. 354 00:28:08,583 --> 00:28:10,667 When I got out of jail, 355 00:28:11,667 --> 00:28:13,417 I knew that I had to get to work 356 00:28:13,500 --> 00:28:17,333 with this case going on and the long road ahead of me, 357 00:28:17,417 --> 00:28:18,917 fighting a murder charge. 358 00:28:29,958 --> 00:28:33,167 I had to find a job that was willing to pay more money 359 00:28:33,250 --> 00:28:36,333 to even survive and help me to be able to 360 00:28:37,375 --> 00:28:39,042 pay for my lawyer fees. 361 00:28:42,042 --> 00:28:45,500 We live in a state where you got to be ready to fight 362 00:28:45,667 --> 00:28:47,208 for your freedom, 363 00:28:47,292 --> 00:28:48,958 or fight for what's right. 364 00:28:49,042 --> 00:28:51,917 No matter the circumstances or the situation. 365 00:29:09,375 --> 00:29:11,250 ADAM: The difficult thing strategy-wise is, 366 00:29:11,333 --> 00:29:16,375 how hard are we gonna go at the police, 367 00:29:16,500 --> 00:29:20,208 you know, and run a risk of the jury kinda wanting to defend the police. 368 00:29:20,333 --> 00:29:23,208 The fear is, is that you're going into a small town 369 00:29:23,292 --> 00:29:24,917 and you're saying, hey, 370 00:29:25,000 --> 00:29:27,958 your sheriff's department is either completely inept. 371 00:29:28,042 --> 00:29:28,958 Right? 372 00:29:29,042 --> 00:29:30,208 Or two, 373 00:29:30,292 --> 00:29:33,083 they're intentionally trying to cover up a crime. 374 00:29:36,125 --> 00:29:38,625 And so, going into a small town like Ville Platte 375 00:29:38,708 --> 00:29:40,125 and doing that, 376 00:29:40,208 --> 00:29:41,667 we've got to make sure that we do it 377 00:29:41,708 --> 00:29:43,667 in a very straightforward and fair way, 378 00:29:43,792 --> 00:29:45,375 or else this could completely backfire on us. 379 00:29:55,250 --> 00:29:56,792 All right, all right, all right, all right. 380 00:29:56,875 --> 00:29:58,542 Another exciting day 381 00:29:58,625 --> 00:30:00,167 in Evangeline Parish. 382 00:30:11,375 --> 00:30:13,708 So, we went to meet with the judge, 383 00:30:13,792 --> 00:30:16,667 and the judge says 384 00:30:16,750 --> 00:30:19,292 they want to remove him from the case. 385 00:30:21,042 --> 00:30:24,083 The prosecution basically are accusing 386 00:30:24,167 --> 00:30:27,167 the judge of improper communication 387 00:30:27,208 --> 00:30:28,042 with us. 388 00:30:36,458 --> 00:30:38,208 They don't want to go to trial. 389 00:30:38,292 --> 00:30:39,792 They're trying to make this last minute argument 390 00:30:39,875 --> 00:30:41,333 to try and prevent the trial at all costs. 391 00:30:47,833 --> 00:30:51,667 It got incredibly heated. 392 00:30:51,708 --> 00:30:53,875 I said, "I will not do it. 393 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:56,833 "My client cannot afford to pay me to redo this, 394 00:30:56,875 --> 00:30:58,833 "um, you know, again. It cannot happen. 395 00:30:58,917 --> 00:31:00,958 "Like, there will be material injustice." 396 00:31:10,125 --> 00:31:11,583 I said, "Are y'all that scared? 397 00:31:11,708 --> 00:31:13,083 "Are y'all that scared to go to trial?" 398 00:31:15,542 --> 00:31:17,333 And I said, "And if you file the motion," 399 00:31:17,375 --> 00:31:18,958 I said, "we're going to object to it." 400 00:31:23,417 --> 00:31:26,750 So, find a way to fill up the tank and finish this thing out. 401 00:31:26,875 --> 00:31:28,500 Okay? Because if we get discontinued... 402 00:31:29,917 --> 00:31:32,083 fine, but it's going to be through 403 00:31:32,167 --> 00:31:34,667 our cold, dead hands, okay? 404 00:31:34,750 --> 00:31:37,292 I mean, don't we all agree that Brandon is absolutely worth it? 405 00:31:37,375 --> 00:31:39,250 -Right? -BRENT: Yes, without question. 406 00:32:01,875 --> 00:32:04,000 BRANDON: It's been a long five years, 407 00:32:04,042 --> 00:32:05,500 a real long five years. 408 00:32:08,417 --> 00:32:10,792 I've been waiting on my story to be told 409 00:32:10,875 --> 00:32:13,250 because there's a lot of unsolved mysteries 410 00:32:13,333 --> 00:32:14,292 in this case. 411 00:32:16,375 --> 00:32:19,833 It's a big relief that trial is here 412 00:32:19,958 --> 00:32:23,042 because we know that there's no more pushing trial back. 413 00:32:24,667 --> 00:32:28,125 But I still am a superstitious person at the same time. 414 00:32:30,125 --> 00:32:33,167 If we was to lose, I didn't prepare anything. 415 00:32:34,792 --> 00:32:38,000 I paid the rent today to make sure 416 00:32:38,125 --> 00:32:39,333 I have it for the next week. 417 00:32:41,792 --> 00:32:43,167 I'd be lying to you if I told you 418 00:32:43,208 --> 00:32:44,417 I didn't have no worries. 419 00:32:46,208 --> 00:32:48,625 Once they find you guilty, 420 00:32:48,708 --> 00:32:50,667 they put the handcuffs on you, 421 00:32:50,792 --> 00:32:54,000 then no more getting a second chance at life. 422 00:32:54,125 --> 00:32:59,167 At that point, once you're in that situation and behind those walls, 423 00:32:59,167 --> 00:33:02,792 the worst feeling in the world is not being able to 424 00:33:02,875 --> 00:33:05,000 come home to your family. 425 00:33:05,042 --> 00:33:06,625 That would be the biggest thing. 426 00:33:18,250 --> 00:33:20,625 BRENT: You have an investigation 427 00:33:20,708 --> 00:33:23,625 that was so rife with problems, 428 00:33:24,750 --> 00:33:26,958 and for reasons that have been 429 00:33:27,042 --> 00:33:28,208 puzzling to us, 430 00:33:28,292 --> 00:33:29,417 they have not decided 431 00:33:29,417 --> 00:33:30,375 just to step back 432 00:33:31,042 --> 00:33:32,458 from these charges. 433 00:33:33,708 --> 00:33:36,417 I feel very tied to Brandon. 434 00:33:36,500 --> 00:33:38,875 One of the reasons that I became an attorney was, 435 00:33:38,958 --> 00:33:42,000 to put myself as a Black man in places where 436 00:33:42,042 --> 00:33:44,667 we're traditionally on the other side of the aisle, 437 00:33:44,750 --> 00:33:46,083 as a defendant, 438 00:33:46,167 --> 00:33:48,292 and wanting to represent them, 439 00:33:48,417 --> 00:33:52,208 to work at rooting out the biases, 440 00:33:52,333 --> 00:33:55,125 dispelling the stereotypes. 441 00:33:57,875 --> 00:33:59,000 That is my calling. 442 00:34:06,792 --> 00:34:08,083 (INDISTINCT CHATTERING) 443 00:34:08,167 --> 00:34:10,167 All right, I think that's good. 444 00:34:10,292 --> 00:34:12,542 I think I can run through it. You wanna run through it? Can we print this real fast? 445 00:34:17,333 --> 00:34:18,917 Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, 446 00:34:19,000 --> 00:34:20,292 my client Brandon 447 00:34:20,375 --> 00:34:23,667 was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 448 00:34:25,333 --> 00:34:27,875 You're going to hear from several people 449 00:34:27,958 --> 00:34:29,792 called by the State 450 00:34:29,875 --> 00:34:33,500 to testify that Brandon was standing next to De'Lanzo Veal 451 00:34:33,625 --> 00:34:34,583 at the time he was shot. 452 00:34:36,458 --> 00:34:38,125 That's all you'll hear them say. 453 00:34:39,042 --> 00:34:41,500 You will not hear one person 454 00:34:41,583 --> 00:34:43,000 say in this case, 455 00:34:43,167 --> 00:34:44,667 one person called to testify, 456 00:34:44,750 --> 00:34:47,333 that will say that they saw Brandon with a gun, 457 00:34:47,417 --> 00:34:49,500 or that they saw him shoot anyone. 458 00:34:49,583 --> 00:34:52,500 All the scientific evidence supports 459 00:34:52,583 --> 00:34:53,542 Brandon's innocence. 460 00:34:54,958 --> 00:34:57,375 No gun, no eyewitnesses, 461 00:34:57,458 --> 00:34:58,542 no DNA. 462 00:34:59,125 --> 00:35:00,917 My hope is also, 463 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:02,500 that at the end of the day, 464 00:35:02,542 --> 00:35:04,167 you'll see Brandon for what he is, 465 00:35:05,167 --> 00:35:06,917 sitting right over there, 466 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:08,875 which is an innocent man 467 00:35:08,958 --> 00:35:11,333 wrongfully charged with murder. 468 00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:16,708 Wrong place, wrong time. 469 00:35:17,750 --> 00:35:18,917 Not guilty of murder. 470 00:35:19,042 --> 00:35:20,750 Please pay close attention to the evidence. 471 00:35:20,833 --> 00:35:22,083 Thank you for your attention. 472 00:36:03,917 --> 00:36:06,625 ADAM: Some negative came out of Brandon's statement. 473 00:36:07,792 --> 00:36:10,750 When Brandon is interviewed by the police, 474 00:36:10,875 --> 00:36:13,167 the prosecution seemed to focus in on the fact 475 00:36:13,208 --> 00:36:14,542 that he said he could defend himself. 476 00:36:15,167 --> 00:36:16,333 Brandon says that, 477 00:36:16,375 --> 00:36:18,292 if he would have perceived a threat, 478 00:36:18,292 --> 00:36:20,667 he would have used his knife. 479 00:36:20,792 --> 00:36:22,792 But it's not something we're super-concerned about. 480 00:36:34,792 --> 00:36:38,083 We tried to hammer home how important body cameras are 481 00:36:38,167 --> 00:36:39,792 to instill trust in the investigation, 482 00:36:39,875 --> 00:36:41,833 to secure the accurate reporting of events. 483 00:36:41,958 --> 00:36:44,542 Right? You don't turn them off throughout the entire encounter. 484 00:36:50,125 --> 00:36:52,708 It came together real nice and we're excited about it thus far. 485 00:37:04,875 --> 00:37:07,250 ADAM: During his testimony, he seemed to get a little 486 00:37:07,250 --> 00:37:09,292 agitated with me and his face turned really red, 487 00:37:09,375 --> 00:37:10,458 and he got real defensive. 488 00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:21,625 He testified that 489 00:37:21,708 --> 00:37:24,875 he takes another police officer's bodycam from the crime scene 490 00:37:24,958 --> 00:37:27,292 because we were going to investigate a fight. 491 00:37:27,375 --> 00:37:30,000 A knife fight or something that had nothing to do 492 00:37:30,083 --> 00:37:31,875 at all with the shooting. 493 00:37:43,375 --> 00:37:46,208 BRENT: It doesn't make sense. You've got a shooting, 494 00:37:46,292 --> 00:37:48,500 and then you've got a potential fight. 495 00:37:49,875 --> 00:37:51,042 So, it was a very good day. 496 00:37:51,125 --> 00:37:53,750 Was able to relay that 497 00:37:53,875 --> 00:37:58,458 this investigation, it's subpar on almost every level. 498 00:37:58,542 --> 00:38:00,750 Rife with violation of policies. 499 00:38:03,125 --> 00:38:04,375 ADAM: I worry about the jury. 500 00:38:05,708 --> 00:38:07,625 That's my only fear at this point. 501 00:38:08,417 --> 00:38:10,250 That's always scary. 502 00:38:22,708 --> 00:38:24,750 ADAM: Today we start the defense case. 503 00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:28,125 Now we've got to establish that the police investigation 504 00:38:28,208 --> 00:38:29,500 was flawed from the start. 505 00:38:29,542 --> 00:38:30,583 It's a bold move, 506 00:38:30,708 --> 00:38:32,042 but one we think that will pay off. 507 00:38:48,708 --> 00:38:50,667 He basically said the police officers 508 00:38:50,750 --> 00:38:52,917 had represented on numerous occasions 509 00:38:53,000 --> 00:38:55,333 that their body cameras didn't exist. 510 00:38:55,417 --> 00:38:58,417 Had failed to produce the information requested on numerous occasions. 511 00:39:03,625 --> 00:39:07,500 He basically realized that they'd been lying to me about this body camera footage 512 00:39:07,583 --> 00:39:09,375 and suggested they just start from scratch. 513 00:39:09,458 --> 00:39:10,833 Reinvestigate the case, 514 00:39:12,208 --> 00:39:14,083 and charges against my client be dropped. 515 00:39:22,042 --> 00:39:24,833 There were several members of the jury who I just saw had their jaws dropped 516 00:39:24,875 --> 00:39:26,708 by the time he was done reading from that piece of paper. 517 00:39:30,167 --> 00:39:31,708 It's been the highlight of the defense. 518 00:40:01,083 --> 00:40:02,333 It's a lot of pressure, 519 00:40:02,375 --> 00:40:03,458 but at the end of the day, 520 00:40:03,542 --> 00:40:04,833 you've just got to stay patient 521 00:40:04,958 --> 00:40:06,750 and stay positive through all of that. 522 00:40:08,792 --> 00:40:10,917 A lot of my family is supposed to be coming. 523 00:40:11,000 --> 00:40:13,250 So, you know, that's a big support. 524 00:40:13,333 --> 00:40:15,917 I know that they have my back. 525 00:40:18,583 --> 00:40:21,583 They've been putting in a lot of extra prayers. 526 00:40:21,667 --> 00:40:25,625 That's what kept me going through a lot of this situation, too, kept me positive. 527 00:40:28,875 --> 00:40:31,833 BRENT: The point in time where the prosecution rested their case 528 00:40:31,875 --> 00:40:34,125 was startling for everyone in the courtroom, 529 00:40:34,208 --> 00:40:36,125 quite honestly. 530 00:40:36,208 --> 00:40:38,958 Everyone was waiting for information, for some evidence 531 00:40:39,042 --> 00:40:42,208 that would support why we're all there. 532 00:40:42,292 --> 00:40:43,292 And it just didn't happen. 533 00:40:43,375 --> 00:40:45,875 So, it was peculiar. 534 00:40:45,958 --> 00:40:48,667 Sometimes you just want to cut off the bloodletting, 535 00:40:48,750 --> 00:40:50,417 and I think that's what they wanted to do. 536 00:41:08,500 --> 00:41:10,917 (DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING) 537 00:41:26,042 --> 00:41:27,708 (TRIUMPHANT MUSIC PLAYING) 538 00:41:31,625 --> 00:41:32,708 -Love you, homie. -I love you, too. 539 00:41:32,792 --> 00:41:36,250 -Yes, sir. Yes, sir. -Well, we got it done. 540 00:41:36,375 --> 00:41:38,958 -BRANDON: Man, you didn't want to lose neither. -(BOTH LAUGH) 541 00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,250 My son. 542 00:41:44,375 --> 00:41:45,833 BRANDON: We kept our faith strong. 543 00:41:45,917 --> 00:41:48,250 It got a little rocky, but we stayed strong. 544 00:41:49,583 --> 00:41:50,875 Even though we won, 545 00:41:50,958 --> 00:41:52,667 someone has still lost their life, 546 00:41:52,792 --> 00:41:56,667 so it's never still a situation to where you just celebrate. 547 00:41:56,833 --> 00:41:59,500 My hope for the future is to just be thankful for life. 548 00:41:59,583 --> 00:42:01,167 Everything in my life could have been taken 549 00:42:01,208 --> 00:42:02,542 in the blink of an eye 550 00:42:02,625 --> 00:42:03,875 by doing a life sentence. 551 00:42:03,958 --> 00:42:05,625 There no coming back from that, 552 00:42:05,708 --> 00:42:07,500 and I thank God for every step. 553 00:42:08,750 --> 00:42:09,875 ADAM: The feeling's great. 554 00:42:11,375 --> 00:42:12,750 The most remarkable thing about the case 555 00:42:12,875 --> 00:42:14,167 I think was the fact that it had to be tried. 556 00:42:14,458 --> 00:42:16,875 I don't think in other parishes this case would've been tried. 557 00:42:19,417 --> 00:42:20,500 BRANDON: Now we can move on, 558 00:42:20,542 --> 00:42:22,667 and enjoy my life with my family, 559 00:42:22,708 --> 00:42:24,292 my nieces and nephews, 560 00:42:24,375 --> 00:42:25,625 friends and everybody else.