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narrator: A rising star
in Atlanta's fashion scene
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is executed in cold blood.
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[gunshot]
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- He was laying on
the side of the road.
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- He looks to have
multiple defects that would
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be consistent with gunshots.
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narrator: But who would murder
this beloved father of two?
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- How did this happen?
Why did this happen?
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- I hope you know the damage
you've caused.
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We'll find you.
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narrator: The team must
determine if the victim's
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business made him a target--
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- George called me
and said,
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someone has stolen
all my merchandise.
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The street value was this
exorbitant amount of money.
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narrator: Or if the motive
behind this
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ruthless killing was personal.
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- She knew people
that she believed--
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that either George
had a problem with,
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or they had a problem
with George.
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narrator: But a surprising tip
turns the case inside out.
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- He had gone to the gun range
and purchased .45 ammunition,
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the same type of
ammunition that
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was used to kill George Vela.
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- Everyone was rallying
to find these people.
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- There really is
evil in this world
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because there's
absolutely no reason
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he should have been murdered.
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[gunshot]
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[dramatic music]
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* *
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[sirens wailing]
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[upbeat music]
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narrator: With its eclectic
mix of styles,
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Atlanta has rocketed to the
top of the fashion world,
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rivaling even New York and LA.
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- Atlanta reflects a diverse
style and culture
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when it comes to fashion, and
there's an increasing number
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of celebrities
and top influencers
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and other people
in the public eye.
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Atlanta influences everything.
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- You've got all these rappers
and all these influential
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people coming from Hollywood.
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They wear all this
nice stuff,
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and people see them
wearing this nice stuff,
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and they want to
look like them.
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Just want to look cool.
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* *
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- Some of the hottest
brands in the metro
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Atlanta area right now
would be Supreme,
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Telfar, Fear of God.
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It is quite challenging to
get some of these hot items.
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It can be almost like
winning the lottery.
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[siren whoops]
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narrator: And sometimes
the competition
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can be downright dangerous.
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- Some stores
have actually been
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burglarized of
their merchandise
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because it's so popular.
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narrator: Still, savvy
insiders know there's another
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way to snag those
trendy pieces--
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if they're willing to go off
the radar and spend the money.
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- It's usually referred
to as reselling.
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If somebody wants it, somebody
is going to get it first,
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and they're going
to sell it to you
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for 10 times what it's worth
just because you want it.
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It's all about
supply and demand.
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That's how the game goes.
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narrator: In July of 2019, one
player pays the ultimate price
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when he focuses too heavily
on a potential fashion score
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and not on the dangers
in plain sight.
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[phone rings]
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narrator: The 911 caller
is Leigh Ann Smith,
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who lives just a few houses
down from her 24-year-old son,
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George Vela, in Mableton,
Georgia, a quiet suburb
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15 miles outside Atlanta.
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- I heard the shots,
and I ran to the door.
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And I'm standing at the
door, and, you know,
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everybody has come outside.
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The neighbors are outside.
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And everybody's screaming,
you know, he's been shot.
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I went on to where George was,
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and he was already deceased.
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And I closed his eyes.
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[somber music]
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I just laid on the
ground with him.
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One of the neighbors
came over and helped me up
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and helped me to walk away.
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And so that was the
last time I saw my son.
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[sirens blaring]
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narrator: Within minutes,
Cobb County officers
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make their way to
Hickory Trail,
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a dimly-lit
residential street.
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- When police arrive on
the scene, it's chaos.
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They locate the victim's
body, who is later identified
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as George Vela
by his mother,
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Leigh Ann Smith,
who was on the scene.
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And also nearby is
George Vela's girlfriend,
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Yainerys "Yaya" Gil.
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narrator: Responding officers
check George's vitals
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and confirm he's dead.
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As police begin to cordon
off the crime scene,
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veteran Cobb County
Detective Phillip Stoddard
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and his partner,
Detective Kelli Cook,
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arrive on site.
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- I spoke with the
officers who were
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manning the crime scene tape.
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I got a rundown of
what they had noticed,
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what they had observed.
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- And once we got
that information,
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we knew that obviously
we needed to speak
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with Leigh Ann Smith and Yaya.
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However, the first thing we
have to do is work the scene.
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When we have a deceased
victim on scene,
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obviously, one of the first
things you're going to look at
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is the body itself.
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What evidence can we see just
from looking at the victim?
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- When I first
walked up to George,
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he was laying on the
side of the road.
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His arm had a very
serious injury to it.
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- He's in sort of
a leafy brush area.
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He is face up.
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He has got a lot of what looks
to be blood all over his body.
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He looks to have multiple
defects that would
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be consistent with gunshots.
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narrator: Surveying the area,
investigators notes
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something else looks strange.
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- It appeared that he
had run out of his shoes.
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Both of his shoes
were off his feet,
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however, in close
proximity to where he fell.
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And I believe his wallet
was on him as well.
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And that tells me that,
assuming that George is
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running away from where
the gunfire is coming from,
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that told me that nobody
was running after him trying
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to steal things from him.
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- When forensics or our
crime scene technicians
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arrive on scene, they have
to document the scene.
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- The main evidence that was
collected from this
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crime scene was seven
.45-caliber shell casings
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that were in the roadway.
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narrator: The team
also gathers samples
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of blood, hair, and clothing,
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and dusts for fingerprints.
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The evidence is sent
to the Georgia crime lab
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for further analysis.
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- The next thing is, a medical
examiner clears the scene.
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They have a transport service
that will remove the body,
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and it's then taken to the
medical examiner's office
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for an autopsy.
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* *
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- So the next thing
we're going to do,
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I call it the grind.
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This is when you're
canvassing neighborhoods.
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You're looking for video.
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You're looking for
some sort of evidence
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to send you in a direction.
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We're always on the
alert for any type
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of surveillance cameras.
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- We were disappointed
to not find any video,
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but it certainly
didn't mean that
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we couldn't still get
good leads.
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narrator: And to do that,
Detectives Stoddard
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and Cook need
to begin building
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a portrait of their victim.
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- What type of lifestyle
did they lead?
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Who were they close to?
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Is there anything
troubling happening?
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narrator: The team speaks
with George's mother,
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Leigh Ann Smith.
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- George was my middle child.
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He was a good kid,
and he was a mischievous kid
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at the same time.
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I think he had
a pretty good childhood.
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You know,
there was ups and downs.
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But for the most part,
there was a lot of fun.
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narrator: When George
turned 19, he settled down
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with his high school
sweetheart, Yaya Gil.
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- Yainerys Gil was someone
my brother had met in about--
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I think it was
ninth grade for him.
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And I guess they
clicked instantly.
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- After high school,
they settled down together.
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The couple have two children,
a six-year-old daughter
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and a one-year-old son.
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- They had everything
they wanted.
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One of the things that
George was trying to do
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was, like, give them
a better life than he had.
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- He finally found his
calling with the reselling,
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and that was where that
became his dominant job.
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- George was buying these--
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these first-release items,
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and he was reselling them
using a website
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where people could bid on it.
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George's plan was
to open a store
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and sell the clothes that
he had purchased online.
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narrator: But in the flash
of a gunshot,
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George's dream is gone.
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Now his loved ones
are grappling
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with the horror of his death.
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- We're all very angry,
very upset.
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And everyone's
just trying to
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make sense of who did it,
how did this happen,
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why did this happen?
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narrator:
Back at the crime scene,
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investigators ask Leigh Ann
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00:09:03,710 --> 00:09:06,012
what might have led
to her son's murder.
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00:09:06,012 --> 00:09:07,914
- One of the main pieces
of information
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00:09:08,014 --> 00:09:10,750
that Leigh Ann gave us was
that there had been a burglary
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earlier in the evening.
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00:09:12,652 --> 00:09:16,489
Her son George had called her
to tell her about it.
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- George and Yaya
took their daughter
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00:09:19,426 --> 00:09:20,894
to see "The Lion King."
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00:09:20,927 --> 00:09:23,697
They had left my
grandson with me.
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00:09:23,730 --> 00:09:26,833
They came to my house
after the movie
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00:09:26,866 --> 00:09:29,703
and picked up my grandson.
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00:09:29,736 --> 00:09:32,305
It wasn't 10 minutes
they were at their house
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00:09:32,339 --> 00:09:34,040
and George called me
and said,
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00:09:34,040 --> 00:09:38,044
someone has stolen
all my merchandise.
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It's all gone.
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00:09:40,046 --> 00:09:42,949
And I said, well,
this feels really personal.
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00:09:43,049 --> 00:09:46,586
Because they didn't
take the family TV.
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They didn't go in other
parts of the house.
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It was only the clothing.
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00:09:52,659 --> 00:09:54,127
I mean,
he was just distraught.
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00:09:54,160 --> 00:09:56,229
I mean, the street value
was this exorbitant amount
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00:09:56,262 --> 00:09:57,697
of money.
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00:09:57,731 --> 00:09:59,566
I dropped everything
and I went to his house,
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and he was very upset.
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00:10:02,335 --> 00:10:04,604
narrator: Leigh Anne tells
detectives police came
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00:10:04,637 --> 00:10:07,707
to the house and took a report
but found nothing suspicious
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00:10:07,741 --> 00:10:11,544
in the area at the time.
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00:10:11,578 --> 00:10:14,748
She then provides
another surprising piece
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00:10:14,781 --> 00:10:17,350
of information
about the murder.
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00:10:17,384 --> 00:10:19,652
- Leigh Ann gives us
a lot of information.
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00:10:19,686 --> 00:10:22,122
She tells us Yaya had
witnessed the incident,
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00:10:22,155 --> 00:10:25,158
and so she actually gave
a very detailed description
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00:10:25,191 --> 00:10:27,260
of where the suspect vehicle
had been parked
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00:10:27,293 --> 00:10:28,928
when George encountered it.
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She was a priority
to speak with.
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00:10:30,730 --> 00:10:33,533
I was very hopeful that
she would be able to give us
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00:10:33,566 --> 00:10:35,101
useful information.
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00:10:35,135 --> 00:10:37,070
* *
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Finding the possible drugs,
it does make you wonder, OK,
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00:10:40,273 --> 00:10:43,877
is this possibly the
motive for what happened?
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00:10:43,910 --> 00:10:46,179
- One of the names
we got supposedly
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00:10:46,212 --> 00:10:50,817
stole money from Yaya, was
a bad influence with George.
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00:10:50,850 --> 00:10:53,053
We got George's
phone records back.
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00:10:53,086 --> 00:10:55,488
Then yes, so we started
looking at his associates
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00:10:55,522 --> 00:10:57,657
that were customers of his.
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* *
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00:11:05,065 --> 00:11:10,503
narrator: 24-year-old
entrepreneur George Vela
251
00:11:11,771 --> 00:11:15,175
has been brutally murdered
near his home in a suburb
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00:11:15,208 --> 00:11:17,310
just outside Atlanta.
253
00:11:17,344 --> 00:11:19,212
Detectives have
learned that George's
254
00:11:19,245 --> 00:11:22,215
longtime girlfriend,
Yaya Gil,
255
00:11:22,248 --> 00:11:24,417
allegedly witnessed
the murder.
256
00:11:24,451 --> 00:11:26,086
The team is hoping
she can recall
257
00:11:26,086 --> 00:11:28,955
key details about the killer.
258
00:11:28,988 --> 00:11:31,091
[police radio chatter]
259
00:11:31,091 --> 00:11:32,359
- She was visibly upset.
260
00:11:32,392 --> 00:11:34,327
It appeared that
she had been crying.
261
00:11:34,361 --> 00:11:37,297
- She told us about the
lead-up to the murder,
262
00:11:37,330 --> 00:11:40,633
so what they'd been
doing that evening.
263
00:11:40,667 --> 00:11:41,668
- They returned home.
264
00:11:41,701 --> 00:11:43,370
The door was unlocked.
265
00:11:43,403 --> 00:11:46,373
When they entered the house,
they obviously missed--
266
00:11:46,406 --> 00:11:48,541
you know,
missing the clothing.
267
00:11:48,575 --> 00:11:51,144
- She told us that after
they'd reported the burglary,
268
00:11:51,177 --> 00:11:55,148
George started calling friends
of his, business associates,
269
00:11:55,181 --> 00:11:57,017
kind of as if to say,
I'm going to eventually
270
00:11:57,117 --> 00:11:58,118
find out who did this.
271
00:11:58,118 --> 00:11:59,886
You need to come clean.
272
00:11:59,919 --> 00:12:02,055
narrator: Yaya tells
detectives that around
273
00:12:02,088 --> 00:12:04,891
midnight,
hours after the burglary,
274
00:12:04,924 --> 00:12:08,061
George walked outside
to check for any clues.
275
00:12:08,094 --> 00:12:12,665
- He walks out in the carport,
and he sees a clothing tag.
276
00:12:12,699 --> 00:12:14,401
And so that's
when he tells her,
277
00:12:14,434 --> 00:12:16,169
hey, let's go
walk up the street
278
00:12:16,202 --> 00:12:19,973
and see if maybe they
dropped some of my stuff.
279
00:12:20,073 --> 00:12:21,608
- George was in front of her.
280
00:12:21,641 --> 00:12:24,577
There was a silver car parked
on the side of the road.
281
00:12:24,611 --> 00:12:26,379
[heartbeat thumps]
282
00:12:26,413 --> 00:12:29,716
And she heard George say,
hey, that's my stuff.
283
00:12:29,749 --> 00:12:33,853
George went into the
backseat of the car.
284
00:12:33,887 --> 00:12:37,490
She heard someone say,
get out, or stop.
285
00:12:37,524 --> 00:12:40,393
George then exited the car
and was shot.
286
00:12:40,427 --> 00:12:41,695
* *
287
00:12:41,728 --> 00:12:43,963
- The story that
Yaya told certainly
288
00:12:43,997 --> 00:12:45,865
gives you a glimmer
of hope that maybe
289
00:12:45,899 --> 00:12:49,402
she will be able to provide
a description of the suspect.
290
00:12:49,436 --> 00:12:50,737
* *
291
00:12:50,770 --> 00:12:53,973
She did say that she
saw a light-colored,
292
00:12:54,007 --> 00:12:56,109
she described as
foreign-made car,
293
00:12:56,109 --> 00:12:57,644
potentially fleeing the scene.
294
00:12:57,677 --> 00:13:00,113
Again, it's a very vague
description of a vehicle.
295
00:13:00,146 --> 00:13:02,215
narrator: But Yaya isn't
able to provide
296
00:13:02,248 --> 00:13:04,484
a description of the driver.
297
00:13:04,517 --> 00:13:08,054
Disappointed, detectives
began focusing on the burglary
298
00:13:08,054 --> 00:13:10,557
of George's coveted clothing.
299
00:13:10,590 --> 00:13:12,425
- After the first
interview with Yaya,
300
00:13:12,459 --> 00:13:17,197
it struck me as odd from
the beginning that a suspect
301
00:13:17,230 --> 00:13:21,167
burglarizes a house, makes off
with thousands of dollars,
302
00:13:21,201 --> 00:13:23,436
potentially,
in essentially merchandise,
303
00:13:23,470 --> 00:13:27,240
and then would come back,
having already gotten away
304
00:13:27,273 --> 00:13:29,142
with the product
they came for.
305
00:13:29,175 --> 00:13:31,745
That I just thought
was strange.
306
00:13:31,778 --> 00:13:33,346
- Are they connected?
307
00:13:33,380 --> 00:13:34,781
It's one of the questions
that we have to answer.
308
00:13:34,814 --> 00:13:36,649
Uh, there's a great
possibility they were,
309
00:13:36,683 --> 00:13:38,918
but I couldn't let that
lead the investigation
310
00:13:38,952 --> 00:13:40,754
at that time.
311
00:13:40,787 --> 00:13:43,223
narrator: Investigators decide
to search George's home
312
00:13:43,256 --> 00:13:45,825
for anything unusual.
313
00:13:45,859 --> 00:13:48,161
Could the killer have
been looking for something
314
00:13:48,194 --> 00:13:50,463
other than clothes?
315
00:13:50,497 --> 00:13:53,199
- We obtained a search warrant
for George's residence.
316
00:13:53,233 --> 00:13:54,801
- The police wanted to
make sure that if there was
317
00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:57,671
a connection between the
burglary and the homicide,
318
00:13:57,704 --> 00:13:59,472
that they could make
that connection
319
00:13:59,506 --> 00:14:02,642
with any physical evidence
that was still in the house.
320
00:14:02,676 --> 00:14:04,310
- During that search,
321
00:14:04,344 --> 00:14:06,112
they went into
a locked crawl space.
322
00:14:06,146 --> 00:14:07,814
When they went in there,
there was a cabinet.
323
00:14:07,847 --> 00:14:09,516
[door creaks]
324
00:14:09,549 --> 00:14:13,319
And when that cabinet was
opened, they found marijuana.
325
00:14:13,353 --> 00:14:16,156
narrator: Based on the amount
of product seized,
326
00:14:16,189 --> 00:14:20,627
police quickly determine
this is no personal stash.
327
00:14:20,660 --> 00:14:23,797
- It does make you wonder,
OK, is this possibly
328
00:14:23,830 --> 00:14:25,498
the motive for what happened?
329
00:14:25,532 --> 00:14:30,804
People will absolutely be
murdered over owed drug money.
330
00:14:30,837 --> 00:14:34,074
- We don't know the scale
of the marijuana business
331
00:14:34,107 --> 00:14:35,542
or what he had in the house.
332
00:14:35,575 --> 00:14:36,810
We don't know
if he just re-upped,
333
00:14:36,843 --> 00:14:39,813
got his supply going again.
334
00:14:39,846 --> 00:14:41,748
narrator: Detectives turned
to George's family
335
00:14:41,781 --> 00:14:46,953
to find out exactly what was
going on inside his home.
336
00:14:46,986 --> 00:14:48,588
- In interviewing
George's sister,
337
00:14:48,621 --> 00:14:51,091
she did confirm for us
that she knew her brother
338
00:14:51,091 --> 00:14:53,226
to be selling drugs
of different types.
339
00:14:53,259 --> 00:14:55,095
It's telling us that this
is definitely a direction
340
00:14:55,128 --> 00:14:56,629
that we need to look in.
341
00:14:56,663 --> 00:15:00,200
- She was able to confirm
that George was selling edibles
342
00:15:00,233 --> 00:15:02,035
and some marijuana.
343
00:15:02,035 --> 00:15:04,871
I was wondering, is this a
possible drug deal gone wrong?
344
00:15:04,904 --> 00:15:06,506
* *
345
00:15:06,539 --> 00:15:08,775
narrator: Investigators look
into George's involvement
346
00:15:08,808 --> 00:15:10,677
in Atlanta's drug scene.
347
00:15:10,710 --> 00:15:12,278
- We got George's
phone records back,
348
00:15:12,312 --> 00:15:14,114
and we started looking
at his associates
349
00:15:14,147 --> 00:15:16,082
that were involved
in the drug trade
350
00:15:16,116 --> 00:15:19,352
or that were customers of his.
351
00:15:19,386 --> 00:15:20,920
narrator: Stoddard and
Cook also reach out
352
00:15:20,954 --> 00:15:23,523
to their local informants
about their knowledge
353
00:15:23,556 --> 00:15:25,058
of George's dealing.
354
00:15:25,058 --> 00:15:26,726
- They would
characterize George
355
00:15:26,760 --> 00:15:28,428
as a small-time drug dealer.
356
00:15:28,461 --> 00:15:31,564
I don't see where it took up
that much of his life.
357
00:15:31,598 --> 00:15:34,167
- So he's kind of
operating out of his home.
358
00:15:34,200 --> 00:15:37,170
He's selling product,
I think, to probably
359
00:15:37,203 --> 00:15:40,440
further his clothing business.
360
00:15:40,473 --> 00:15:43,777
All of those people
were either spoken to,
361
00:15:43,810 --> 00:15:48,281
investigated, looked into,
and ultimately none of them
362
00:15:48,314 --> 00:15:52,719
were found to be a credible
suspect in his murder.
363
00:15:52,752 --> 00:15:55,755
We found out pretty quickly,
selling drugs was not why
364
00:15:55,789 --> 00:15:57,791
George had been killed.
365
00:15:57,824 --> 00:15:59,559
- It was really his
way of networking--
366
00:15:59,592 --> 00:16:02,495
of getting a connection
to someone who smoked weed,
367
00:16:02,529 --> 00:16:05,131
and also had really cool shoes
on, that he was like,
368
00:16:05,165 --> 00:16:07,033
how did you get them?
369
00:16:07,067 --> 00:16:09,669
And he would network
with these people.
370
00:16:09,703 --> 00:16:12,839
narrator: As investigators
continue to look for leads,
371
00:16:12,872 --> 00:16:18,244
George's partner Yaya makes
a passionate public plea.
372
00:16:18,278 --> 00:16:21,081
- Whoever did this,
373
00:16:21,114 --> 00:16:24,451
I hope you know
the damage you've caused.
374
00:16:24,484 --> 00:16:25,952
* *
375
00:16:26,052 --> 00:16:27,420
We'll find you.
376
00:16:27,454 --> 00:16:30,623
- Everyone was in the same
heartbroken state as me,
377
00:16:30,657 --> 00:16:34,694
in disbelief, and I guess
you could say rallying out
378
00:16:34,728 --> 00:16:37,597
the village to go
picket and torch
379
00:16:37,630 --> 00:16:39,866
houses to find these people.
380
00:16:39,899 --> 00:16:43,236
narrator: After three days
and no new leads,
381
00:16:43,269 --> 00:16:46,740
investigators check back in
with Yaya to see
382
00:16:46,773 --> 00:16:50,410
if she recalls anything new.
383
00:16:50,443 --> 00:16:52,712
- It's normal for people
not to remember
384
00:16:52,746 --> 00:16:57,317
everything that occurred during
the event and afterwards.
385
00:16:57,350 --> 00:16:59,252
- And so in the days after,
386
00:16:59,285 --> 00:17:00,587
that's why we stay
in communication with her
387
00:17:00,620 --> 00:17:02,622
because she might
remember something
388
00:17:02,655 --> 00:17:04,657
that she didn't before.
389
00:17:04,691 --> 00:17:07,027
narrator: Detectives ask
Yaya if there was
390
00:17:07,027 --> 00:17:09,129
anyone in George's
inner circle
391
00:17:09,162 --> 00:17:11,631
who might have had it out
for him.
392
00:17:11,664 --> 00:17:13,933
- Yaya knew people
that she believed
393
00:17:14,034 --> 00:17:15,435
that either George
had a problem with,
394
00:17:15,468 --> 00:17:16,903
or they had a
problem with George.
395
00:17:16,936 --> 00:17:19,239
- One of the names
we got was Jesus.
396
00:17:19,272 --> 00:17:22,642
He supposedly stole
money and possibly
397
00:17:22,676 --> 00:17:26,780
stole a necklace from Yaya, was
a bad influence with George.
398
00:17:26,813 --> 00:17:30,050
narrator: And Yaya then
mentions another one
399
00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:32,786
of George's friends,
Jamal Miller.
400
00:17:32,819 --> 00:17:35,188
- There had been some sort
of bone of contention,
401
00:17:35,221 --> 00:17:36,322
if you want to call it that,
402
00:17:36,356 --> 00:17:39,426
between him and George
recently.
403
00:17:39,459 --> 00:17:42,529
narrator: Detectives
now have two new leads.
404
00:17:42,562 --> 00:17:45,298
- Police have to determine,
could either of these two guys
405
00:17:45,331 --> 00:17:47,701
have been responsible
for gunning
406
00:17:47,734 --> 00:17:49,502
George down in cold blood?
407
00:17:49,536 --> 00:17:51,471
- When you get a new
piece of information,
408
00:17:51,504 --> 00:17:53,907
you've got to put it
into the puzzle.
409
00:17:53,940 --> 00:17:55,842
You have to speak with them.
410
00:17:55,875 --> 00:18:03,016
* *
411
00:18:04,985 --> 00:18:09,089
narrator: While Atlanta's
fashion community
412
00:18:10,390 --> 00:18:12,659
is reeling over the murder
of entrepreneur George Vela,
413
00:18:12,692 --> 00:18:15,528
Cobb County detectives
get a break in the case.
414
00:18:15,562 --> 00:18:17,697
Three days after
he was gunned down,
415
00:18:17,731 --> 00:18:20,633
George's longtime
girlfriend, Yaya Gil,
416
00:18:20,667 --> 00:18:23,770
informs them that two of
George's former friends
417
00:18:23,803 --> 00:18:25,805
could have pulled the trigger.
418
00:18:25,839 --> 00:18:27,741
Detectives hope that
one of these men
419
00:18:27,774 --> 00:18:30,710
will lead them to the killer.
420
00:18:30,744 --> 00:18:32,679
- When we first start
the investigation,
421
00:18:32,712 --> 00:18:35,048
you are worried that it's
not going to be solvable.
422
00:18:35,048 --> 00:18:37,584
You worry that it's going to
become a cold case quickly.
423
00:18:37,617 --> 00:18:39,285
But as long as
you're getting names,
424
00:18:39,319 --> 00:18:40,787
you have to speak with them.
425
00:18:40,820 --> 00:18:42,188
Are they involved,
are they not involved,
426
00:18:42,222 --> 00:18:43,490
or is this something
that we're going to put
427
00:18:43,523 --> 00:18:45,125
on the back burner for now?
428
00:18:45,158 --> 00:18:47,327
narrator: As investigators
look into George's
429
00:18:47,360 --> 00:18:51,431
alleged enemies, his family
and friends come together
430
00:18:51,464 --> 00:18:54,668
to send him off in style.
431
00:18:54,701 --> 00:18:56,770
- The city of
Atlanta was shocked,
432
00:18:56,803 --> 00:19:00,073
especially the resell industry
who worked with George
433
00:19:00,106 --> 00:19:01,408
and knew him.
434
00:19:01,441 --> 00:19:02,475
They were shocked
that this could
435
00:19:02,509 --> 00:19:04,210
have happened to him, and--
436
00:19:04,244 --> 00:19:07,280
such a nice guy who didn't seem
to have an enemy in the world.
437
00:19:07,313 --> 00:19:11,017
* *
438
00:19:11,017 --> 00:19:14,721
- George's funeral was a
little different than most.
439
00:19:14,754 --> 00:19:19,025
He was decked out with all
his Supreme brand clothing,
440
00:19:19,025 --> 00:19:21,027
and the shoes
he had on were shoes
441
00:19:21,027 --> 00:19:25,699
that he, you know, had gotten
on one of these pop-ups.
442
00:19:25,732 --> 00:19:29,202
He had a white casket
with pink lining.
443
00:19:29,235 --> 00:19:32,672
We had Palace and
Supreme stickers.
444
00:19:32,706 --> 00:19:35,875
We got a huge bag of
Sharpies, you know,
445
00:19:35,909 --> 00:19:37,744
hundreds of Sharpies,
and so everybody
446
00:19:37,777 --> 00:19:40,914
wrote messages on the casket.
447
00:19:40,947 --> 00:19:45,385
We tried to have a
celebration of who he was.
448
00:19:45,418 --> 00:19:47,187
* *
449
00:19:47,220 --> 00:19:49,556
narrator:
As George's family mourns,
450
00:19:49,589 --> 00:19:51,524
Detectives
Stoddard and Cook
451
00:19:51,558 --> 00:19:53,393
begin searching
for the two friends
452
00:19:53,426 --> 00:19:58,098
Yaya claims may be responsible
for George's murder.
453
00:19:58,131 --> 00:20:00,066
- At that time,
any name we were given,
454
00:20:00,100 --> 00:20:02,135
we were going
to track that person down
455
00:20:02,168 --> 00:20:04,237
or try to talk to them
if they would talk to us.
456
00:20:04,270 --> 00:20:06,006
And Jamal Miller
was someone who
457
00:20:06,039 --> 00:20:07,907
possibly had a
problem with George,
458
00:20:07,941 --> 00:20:09,509
or George had a
problem with him.
459
00:20:09,542 --> 00:20:11,177
narrator:
According to Yaya,
460
00:20:11,211 --> 00:20:13,980
Jamal and George
had a heated argument
461
00:20:14,014 --> 00:20:16,282
and stopped speaking
to one another.
462
00:20:16,316 --> 00:20:18,218
- When you, as the police,
show up to people's door,
463
00:20:18,251 --> 00:20:20,987
there's a multitude of
reactions you can get.
464
00:20:21,021 --> 00:20:22,689
- They ask me if
I've heard anything
465
00:20:22,722 --> 00:20:24,357
about what happened to George.
466
00:20:24,391 --> 00:20:25,658
And of course,
I'm clueless because
467
00:20:25,692 --> 00:20:27,861
I don't know what happened
to George.
468
00:20:27,894 --> 00:20:29,329
I haven't talked to George
in over a year at this point.
469
00:20:29,362 --> 00:20:30,363
They're like,
George was murdered
470
00:20:30,397 --> 00:20:31,765
in front of his house.
471
00:20:31,798 --> 00:20:35,969
And I just instantly
start crying.
472
00:20:36,002 --> 00:20:39,673
- I remember he was upset
to hear what had happened,
473
00:20:39,706 --> 00:20:42,375
and he had no problem
answering any of our questions.
474
00:20:42,409 --> 00:20:45,078
narrator: Despite Jamal's
emotional reaction,
475
00:20:45,111 --> 00:20:50,183
investigators press him about
his falling out with George.
476
00:20:50,216 --> 00:20:53,687
- I went over there to
buy some weed off of him,
477
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:55,188
and he was playing "Fortnite."
478
00:20:55,221 --> 00:20:56,723
But I'm like, dude,
don't play "Fortnite."
479
00:20:56,756 --> 00:20:57,891
Focus.
Like, I'm trying to get out
480
00:20:57,924 --> 00:20:59,092
of here and get
to the movies, too.
481
00:20:59,125 --> 00:21:00,460
Like, come on, man.
Let's do this.
482
00:21:00,493 --> 00:21:01,928
I kind of got a little
frustrated at him,
483
00:21:01,961 --> 00:21:04,431
and I guess he got
frustrated at his game.
484
00:21:04,464 --> 00:21:08,702
So when I left, I slammed the
door because I was pissed off.
485
00:21:08,735 --> 00:21:11,071
He followed me outside
the door and was
486
00:21:11,104 --> 00:21:12,672
yelling and talking crap.
487
00:21:12,706 --> 00:21:14,240
And I was at that point,
like, George,
488
00:21:14,274 --> 00:21:15,775
you don't want to do this,
bro, you don't want to fight.
489
00:21:15,809 --> 00:21:17,243
We ain't fought ever before.
490
00:21:17,277 --> 00:21:18,511
We're not going to
do it right now.
491
00:21:18,545 --> 00:21:21,081
I'm just going to leave.
And that's what it was.
492
00:21:21,081 --> 00:21:22,849
I didn't see him again
after we fought.
493
00:21:22,882 --> 00:21:24,351
I didn't ever see him again.
494
00:21:24,384 --> 00:21:27,087
I was so confused about who
would try and do something
495
00:21:27,087 --> 00:21:28,588
like this to George
because he'd never had
496
00:21:28,621 --> 00:21:30,090
any problems with anybody,
you know what I'm saying?
497
00:21:30,090 --> 00:21:31,725
He was never a bad guy.
498
00:21:31,758 --> 00:21:34,160
He didn't ever step
on anybody's toes.
499
00:21:34,194 --> 00:21:36,663
narrator: Jamal provides
police with an alibi,
500
00:21:36,696 --> 00:21:38,631
which checks out.
501
00:21:38,665 --> 00:21:41,134
- I did not walk away from
that interview thinking
502
00:21:41,167 --> 00:21:44,137
that we were going to find out
that he had done this crime,
503
00:21:44,170 --> 00:21:48,641
and we were able to rule
him out as a suspect.
504
00:21:48,675 --> 00:21:50,844
narrator: After hitting
a dead end with Jamal,
505
00:21:50,877 --> 00:21:53,313
investigators
tracked down Jesus,
506
00:21:53,346 --> 00:21:56,950
another one of George's
friends who Yaya singled out.
507
00:21:56,983 --> 00:21:58,885
- Yaya had basically
stated that there
508
00:21:58,918 --> 00:22:01,054
was an issue over him
possibly having
509
00:22:01,054 --> 00:22:04,190
stolen a chain from George
and then also some cash.
510
00:22:04,224 --> 00:22:06,359
- When police went to
go speak with Jesus,
511
00:22:06,393 --> 00:22:10,063
they learned that Jesus hadn't
stolen anything from George--
512
00:22:10,063 --> 00:22:12,565
that he and George were
actually very good friends.
513
00:22:12,599 --> 00:22:14,100
They got along very well.
514
00:22:14,134 --> 00:22:16,803
- When we met him, he was
very much about George.
515
00:22:16,836 --> 00:22:19,339
He was very much about,
this is a really good guy.
516
00:22:19,372 --> 00:22:20,974
Very much about the clothing.
517
00:22:21,074 --> 00:22:23,743
Knew a lot about what George
was doing and the business
518
00:22:23,777 --> 00:22:25,345
that he was trying to create.
519
00:22:25,378 --> 00:22:28,081
- To me, Jesus came
across as very believable.
520
00:22:28,114 --> 00:22:29,683
He came across as
someone who was
521
00:22:29,716 --> 00:22:31,751
very sad that his
friend has died
522
00:22:31,785 --> 00:22:33,253
in such a horrible manner.
523
00:22:33,286 --> 00:22:36,156
narrator: Investigators
quickly verify Jesus
524
00:22:36,189 --> 00:22:39,225
was nowhere near George's
home the night of the murder.
525
00:22:39,259 --> 00:22:43,229
But before they wrap,
Jesus drops a startling
526
00:22:43,263 --> 00:22:45,298
piece of information.
527
00:22:45,331 --> 00:22:49,536
- What Jesus ends up telling us
is that George had confided
528
00:22:49,569 --> 00:22:51,838
in him
that he believed Yaya
529
00:22:51,871 --> 00:22:54,107
might have been
cheating on him.
530
00:22:54,140 --> 00:22:56,109
* *
531
00:22:56,109 --> 00:22:58,378
- So Jesus explains
that in the weeks
532
00:22:58,411 --> 00:23:00,313
leading up to the murder,
533
00:23:00,347 --> 00:23:03,083
George became very skeptical
of Yaya.
534
00:23:03,116 --> 00:23:06,920
And Jesus believed that George
started to piece these things
535
00:23:06,953 --> 00:23:11,057
together that Yaya may be
involved in a relationship,
536
00:23:11,091 --> 00:23:13,093
essentially an affair.
537
00:23:13,126 --> 00:23:16,296
And George started to explain
to Jesus that he was very
538
00:23:16,329 --> 00:23:19,165
skeptical about what Yainerys
was doing when she wasn't
539
00:23:19,199 --> 00:23:22,235
at home, and George
was explaining to Jesus
540
00:23:22,268 --> 00:23:24,404
that he caught Yainerys
in a lie
541
00:23:24,437 --> 00:23:27,207
about who she was with when
she really was supposed
542
00:23:27,240 --> 00:23:28,775
to be watching the kids.
543
00:23:28,808 --> 00:23:30,710
- All of a sudden,
we learned this information.
544
00:23:30,744 --> 00:23:34,647
It brought more suspicion upon
her as a person of interest.
545
00:23:34,681 --> 00:23:36,683
- I do remember
thinking to myself,
546
00:23:36,716 --> 00:23:38,985
we're just running all over
based on, you know,
547
00:23:39,085 --> 00:23:40,220
what Yaya's telling us.
548
00:23:40,253 --> 00:23:42,122
There was kind of a
question there of,
549
00:23:42,155 --> 00:23:45,458
how valid is the
information she's given us?
550
00:23:45,492 --> 00:23:49,396
narrator: Detectives now have
to ask, has Yaya's sorrow
551
00:23:49,429 --> 00:23:52,198
and distress
simply been an act?
552
00:23:52,232 --> 00:23:57,103
Could she have been
involved in George's murder?
553
00:23:57,103 --> 00:24:02,108
- Whoever did this, I hope you
know the damage you caused.
554
00:24:02,142 --> 00:24:04,244
* *
555
00:24:04,277 --> 00:24:06,079
We'll find you.
556
00:24:06,112 --> 00:24:13,053
* *
557
00:24:13,954 --> 00:24:18,258
narrator: One week after
fashion entrepreneur
558
00:24:19,492 --> 00:24:22,829
George Vela was found
murdered outside his home--
559
00:24:22,862 --> 00:24:26,132
- It's just shot
after shot after shot.
560
00:24:26,166 --> 00:24:27,901
narrator: Detectives
receive a shocking
561
00:24:27,934 --> 00:24:32,405
piece of information about
the mother of his children.
562
00:24:32,439 --> 00:24:34,541
* *
563
00:24:34,574 --> 00:24:36,810
- When we're sitting there
talking to Jesus,
564
00:24:36,843 --> 00:24:39,079
he brings up that
George believed Yaya
565
00:24:39,079 --> 00:24:41,414
may have been cheating on him.
566
00:24:41,448 --> 00:24:44,084
- And that he caught her
lying about going to a gun
567
00:24:44,084 --> 00:24:45,919
range with a couple
of individuals
568
00:24:45,952 --> 00:24:49,189
that he didn't know,
and specifically
569
00:24:49,222 --> 00:24:51,257
that he found a
receipt on a day
570
00:24:51,291 --> 00:24:55,362
in which she lied about where
she was and who she was with.
571
00:24:55,395 --> 00:24:58,365
narrator: Yet when detectives
ask Jesus about the identity
572
00:24:58,398 --> 00:25:02,535
of the mystery man,
he tells them he has no idea.
573
00:25:02,569 --> 00:25:06,439
The team must now consider
the awkward possibility
574
00:25:06,473 --> 00:25:10,310
that Yaya could have been
playing them all along.
575
00:25:10,343 --> 00:25:13,380
- When we started to
suspect Yaya was involved,
576
00:25:13,413 --> 00:25:16,249
it was my hope that
she wasn't because
577
00:25:16,282 --> 00:25:17,717
of her two young children.
578
00:25:17,751 --> 00:25:19,252
But it is something that
we need to look into,
579
00:25:19,285 --> 00:25:20,487
and it's something
that we were going
580
00:25:20,520 --> 00:25:22,222
to question her on later.
581
00:25:22,255 --> 00:25:25,225
narrator: In the meantime,
detectives hit the streets
582
00:25:25,258 --> 00:25:28,395
and do some old-school police
work, trying to locate
583
00:25:28,428 --> 00:25:32,532
the gun range Yaya and her
mystery friend visited.
584
00:25:32,565 --> 00:25:34,401
- Talking with an
ATF agent, he's like,
585
00:25:34,434 --> 00:25:35,902
go to Adventure Outdoors.
586
00:25:35,935 --> 00:25:37,771
Everybody buys
their guns there.
587
00:25:37,804 --> 00:25:39,839
* *
588
00:25:39,873 --> 00:25:43,343
I've been in close contact
with Adventure Outdoors,
589
00:25:43,376 --> 00:25:45,278
and that's the first
gun range we went to.
590
00:25:45,311 --> 00:25:46,913
narrator:
And the tip pays off.
591
00:25:46,946 --> 00:25:51,384
When detectives look at the
logbook, they see Yaya's name.
592
00:25:51,418 --> 00:25:53,353
* *
593
00:25:53,386 --> 00:25:56,423
- We could see that the days
that Yaya had signed in,
594
00:25:56,456 --> 00:26:00,226
directly after her
were two male names.
595
00:26:00,260 --> 00:26:03,029
The two names that signed in
after Yaya in the logbook
596
00:26:03,029 --> 00:26:06,332
were Zachary Franks and
Christopher Gutierrez.
597
00:26:06,366 --> 00:26:07,834
And that was the
first time their names
598
00:26:07,867 --> 00:26:09,369
have been brought up.
599
00:26:09,402 --> 00:26:12,372
narrator: But that's not all
the logbook reveals.
600
00:26:12,405 --> 00:26:14,808
- Christopher and Zachary
had gone into the gun range
601
00:26:14,841 --> 00:26:16,242
earlier that week--
602
00:26:16,276 --> 00:26:18,244
I believe it was on the 15th.
603
00:26:18,278 --> 00:26:20,380
July 15,
they went into the gun range.
604
00:26:20,413 --> 00:26:22,549
- We know that based on
the surveillance footage
605
00:26:22,582 --> 00:26:25,852
and the receipt, that they
bought .45-caliber ammunition,
606
00:26:25,885 --> 00:26:27,921
which matched the caliber
of the firearm that
607
00:26:27,954 --> 00:26:29,589
was used to kill George Vela.
608
00:26:29,622 --> 00:26:32,425
* *
609
00:26:32,459 --> 00:26:34,394
- When we received information
that he had been at the gun
610
00:26:34,427 --> 00:26:37,597
range with Yaya and that
he had bought the same type
611
00:26:37,630 --> 00:26:41,267
of ammunition that was
used to kill George Vela,
612
00:26:41,301 --> 00:26:43,903
they definitely become
persons of interest.
613
00:26:43,937 --> 00:26:48,608
narrator: And so does
George's girlfriend, Yaya Gil.
614
00:26:48,641 --> 00:26:51,444
- I thought it was extremely
odd that she was at a
615
00:26:51,478 --> 00:26:55,281
gun range shooting
with, potentially,
616
00:26:55,315 --> 00:27:00,120
other men literally in the
days before George was killed,
617
00:27:00,153 --> 00:27:03,490
and she never once mentioned
it to the police.
618
00:27:03,523 --> 00:27:05,225
[gunshot]
619
00:27:05,258 --> 00:27:07,227
narrator: All of these
new revelations
620
00:27:07,260 --> 00:27:09,629
force investigators
to rethink their case.
621
00:27:09,662 --> 00:27:12,832
In order to get a
better read on Yaya,
622
00:27:12,866 --> 00:27:15,602
they reach out
to George's family.
623
00:27:15,635 --> 00:27:19,673
- So we went back and talked
to Leigh Ann about Yaya
624
00:27:19,706 --> 00:27:22,442
and about the relationship
with George.
625
00:27:22,475 --> 00:27:25,779
- The feeling that I got was
that Leigh Ann loved Yaya
626
00:27:25,812 --> 00:27:27,414
just like she was
her own daughter.
627
00:27:27,447 --> 00:27:29,115
Her and George had been
together for a very long time.
628
00:27:29,149 --> 00:27:30,350
- Speaking with Leigh Ann,
629
00:27:30,383 --> 00:27:32,652
Yaya had
a troubled background.
630
00:27:32,686 --> 00:27:34,487
Yaya, to my understanding,
631
00:27:34,521 --> 00:27:37,157
did not get along well
with her family.
632
00:27:37,190 --> 00:27:39,259
There was a lot of contention
633
00:27:39,292 --> 00:27:41,494
between the various
family members.
634
00:27:41,528 --> 00:27:44,264
narrator: Leigh Ann tells
detectives that due to Yaya's
635
00:27:44,297 --> 00:27:47,567
troubled past,
she decided to take her in
636
00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:50,637
when she was 15 years old.
637
00:27:50,670 --> 00:27:52,072
- Yaya was my best kid.
638
00:27:52,072 --> 00:27:53,873
She would do anything
I asked her to do.
639
00:27:53,907 --> 00:27:57,711
She wanted to be,
you know, loved.
640
00:27:57,744 --> 00:28:00,513
- Leigh Ann could not believe
that Yaya was involved
641
00:28:00,547 --> 00:28:02,415
because, again, she--
she felt as if she
642
00:28:02,449 --> 00:28:03,550
had basically raised her,
643
00:28:03,583 --> 00:28:05,385
and was another
mother figure to her.
644
00:28:05,418 --> 00:28:09,022
- I was hoping that
she wasn't cheating
645
00:28:09,022 --> 00:28:11,024
and that it was her fault.
646
00:28:11,024 --> 00:28:13,026
I really, really hoped
647
00:28:13,026 --> 00:28:17,497
that she wasn't
the main spark.
648
00:28:17,530 --> 00:28:20,567
narrator: Frustrated,
investigators walk away,
649
00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:23,670
no closer to knowing whether
Yaya could have played
650
00:28:23,703 --> 00:28:25,438
a part in George's murder.
651
00:28:25,472 --> 00:28:29,175
They switch gears and focus
on the two men who accompanied
652
00:28:29,209 --> 00:28:30,877
her to the gun range.
653
00:28:30,910 --> 00:28:33,480
- When the police look into the
backgrounds of Zachary Franks
654
00:28:33,513 --> 00:28:36,750
and Christopher Gutierrez,
they learn that Franks lives
655
00:28:36,783 --> 00:28:39,085
with his grandparents, who've
been his legal guardians
656
00:28:39,119 --> 00:28:40,587
since he was five years old.
657
00:28:40,620 --> 00:28:42,655
And upon further
investigation,
658
00:28:42,689 --> 00:28:44,958
they determined that neither
of these two young men
659
00:28:45,058 --> 00:28:47,827
have criminal records.
660
00:28:47,861 --> 00:28:51,064
- So the first thing I did was
we got search warrants
661
00:28:51,064 --> 00:28:52,632
for their cell phone records.
662
00:28:52,665 --> 00:28:55,568
- Once Detectives Stoddard
and Cook had the information
663
00:28:55,602 --> 00:28:58,371
about Christopher Gutierrez
and Zachary Franks,
664
00:28:58,405 --> 00:29:00,507
they wanted to try and
establish whether or not
665
00:29:00,540 --> 00:29:03,243
they had a connection
to the incident
666
00:29:03,276 --> 00:29:06,212
and specifically the
location of the incident.
667
00:29:06,246 --> 00:29:08,481
- With Zachary Franks's
phone records,
668
00:29:08,515 --> 00:29:10,650
you can search things
like his location data.
669
00:29:10,684 --> 00:29:13,720
I'll be honest with you, when
Detective Stoddard pulled up
670
00:29:13,753 --> 00:29:15,355
Franks's location data,
671
00:29:15,388 --> 00:29:17,123
that doesn't tell you
anything, right?
672
00:29:17,157 --> 00:29:18,725
So you've got to hand-plot
it into Google Maps.
673
00:29:18,758 --> 00:29:20,160
The suspense is killing us.
674
00:29:20,193 --> 00:29:22,028
Where is this going
to show that he was?
675
00:29:22,028 --> 00:29:24,698
narrator: The result
pinpoints exactly where
676
00:29:24,731 --> 00:29:28,735
Zachary Franks was the moment
George was killed.
677
00:29:28,768 --> 00:29:34,341
- The victim, George Vela, was
found at 612 Hickory Trail.
678
00:29:34,374 --> 00:29:37,277
So when Hickory Trail came up
on Zachary Franks's
679
00:29:37,310 --> 00:29:40,380
phone records, I was standing
behind Detective Stoddard,
680
00:29:40,413 --> 00:29:42,682
and I just started
violently shaking his chair
681
00:29:42,716 --> 00:29:44,918
and screaming because I
was like, well, this is it.
682
00:29:44,951 --> 00:29:46,386
You know, this is just--
683
00:29:46,419 --> 00:29:49,055
you couldn't hope
for anything better.
684
00:29:49,055 --> 00:29:50,557
- We start learning
that Yaya made
685
00:29:50,590 --> 00:29:54,094
contact with Zachary Franks
the day of the homicide.
686
00:29:54,127 --> 00:29:57,163
There were text messages
about them having a baby.
687
00:29:57,197 --> 00:30:02,535
- There is a video and also
photos of Franks and Yaya
688
00:30:02,569 --> 00:30:06,139
in, I'll say,
compromising positions.
689
00:30:06,172 --> 00:30:08,074
- If you look at the
reasons for homicide,
690
00:30:08,108 --> 00:30:11,611
love is a strong reason for
people to commit homicide.
691
00:30:11,644 --> 00:30:17,350
* *
692
00:30:18,084 --> 00:30:23,123
narrator: Cobb County
detectives have just
693
00:30:24,224 --> 00:30:26,192
scored their first big
break in the murder case
694
00:30:26,226 --> 00:30:28,128
of George Vela,
after obtaining
695
00:30:28,161 --> 00:30:30,096
Zachary Franks' phone records.
696
00:30:30,130 --> 00:30:32,632
- We started going
through the location data,
697
00:30:32,665 --> 00:30:35,068
and the data showed
that he was within
698
00:30:35,101 --> 00:30:37,937
50 meters of the homicide
scene around the time
699
00:30:37,971 --> 00:30:39,773
of the homicide.
700
00:30:39,806 --> 00:30:42,075
narrator:
Upon closer inspection,
701
00:30:42,108 --> 00:30:45,879
the records reveal something
even more surprising.
702
00:30:45,912 --> 00:30:47,647
- We start learning
that Yaya made
703
00:30:47,681 --> 00:30:51,451
contact with Zachary Franks
the day of the homicide.
704
00:30:51,484 --> 00:30:53,186
There's text messages
exchanged.
705
00:30:53,219 --> 00:30:56,623
- It appeared that she had
been speaking with Franks,
706
00:30:56,656 --> 00:30:58,058
hoping to have George killed.
707
00:30:58,091 --> 00:30:59,826
There was a comment
or a message
708
00:30:59,859 --> 00:31:02,062
about being willing
to pay five bands,
709
00:31:02,062 --> 00:31:04,664
which is kind of street
language for $5,000.
710
00:31:04,698 --> 00:31:07,634
There's also messages
between Franks and Gutierrez
711
00:31:07,667 --> 00:31:09,903
that she wants someone
to kill her husband,
712
00:31:09,936 --> 00:31:11,571
which is kind of how
they referred to George,
713
00:31:11,604 --> 00:31:13,673
even though they weren't
legally married.
714
00:31:13,707 --> 00:31:15,942
narrator: For investigators,
the couple's plan
715
00:31:15,975 --> 00:31:21,081
is rapidly coming into focus,
as well as their motive.
716
00:31:21,081 --> 00:31:24,084
- Once we got Zachary Franks
and Yaya's cell phones,
717
00:31:24,117 --> 00:31:27,787
there were text messages about
them having a baby and them--
718
00:31:27,821 --> 00:31:30,457
I mean, Zachary and Yaya
having a baby together.
719
00:31:30,490 --> 00:31:35,829
- There is a video and also
photos of Franks and Yaya
720
00:31:35,862 --> 00:31:38,832
in, I'll say,
compromising positions.
721
00:31:38,865 --> 00:31:45,105
And there's a lot of messages
about their relationship,
722
00:31:45,138 --> 00:31:46,573
their future.
723
00:31:46,606 --> 00:31:48,808
- In the weeks after
George's death,
724
00:31:48,842 --> 00:31:51,411
Yainerys Gil took a photograph
of her two children,
725
00:31:51,444 --> 00:31:55,915
George's two children, at his
grave and actually sent it
726
00:31:55,949 --> 00:31:59,586
to Zachary Franks and said,
I visited George today,
727
00:31:59,619 --> 00:32:01,855
and I can't wait for us
to start our family.
728
00:32:01,888 --> 00:32:04,524
- If you look at the reasons
for homicide, you know--
729
00:32:04,557 --> 00:32:06,593
love, money, power,
and revenge.
730
00:32:06,626 --> 00:32:11,064
Love is a strong reason for
people to commit homicides.
731
00:32:11,097 --> 00:32:13,700
narrator: Nearly three weeks
after George Vela
732
00:32:13,733 --> 00:32:17,103
was fatally shot, police are
set to question the trio
733
00:32:17,137 --> 00:32:19,939
they believe are responsible
for his murder.
734
00:32:19,973 --> 00:32:21,141
But there's a hitch.
735
00:32:21,174 --> 00:32:24,511
- So we're searching for
Zachary and Christopher
736
00:32:24,544 --> 00:32:26,513
and Yaya to be interviewed.
737
00:32:26,546 --> 00:32:28,748
I had not taken out the
arrest warrants yet.
738
00:32:28,782 --> 00:32:33,086
I wanted to interview them, get
a little bit more information.
739
00:32:33,086 --> 00:32:35,455
We aren't able to
locate Zachary Franks
740
00:32:35,488 --> 00:32:37,090
or Christopher Gutierrez.
741
00:32:37,090 --> 00:32:39,526
Our units were checking
multiple locations for them.
742
00:32:39,559 --> 00:32:43,697
Detective Cook suggested
that we go find Yaya.
743
00:32:43,730 --> 00:32:45,865
- So we drove by
where she worked.
744
00:32:45,899 --> 00:32:48,368
We parked off to the side
in the parking lot.
745
00:32:48,401 --> 00:32:52,772
And sure enough, we saw a car
that matched Zachary Franks's
746
00:32:52,806 --> 00:32:55,575
vehicle description in the
parking lot of a restaurant
747
00:32:55,608 --> 00:32:57,410
that's just down
in the same strip mall
748
00:32:57,444 --> 00:32:59,412
as where Yaya worked.
749
00:32:59,446 --> 00:33:02,048
narrator: Investigators
stake out the area
750
00:33:02,048 --> 00:33:04,050
and then spot the two.
751
00:33:04,084 --> 00:33:06,553
- They walk into Paco's,
which is a Mexican restaurant
752
00:33:06,586 --> 00:33:08,188
on the corner.
753
00:33:08,221 --> 00:33:11,124
After they're done eating,
they go to a liquor store
754
00:33:11,157 --> 00:33:12,726
and buy a bottle of vodka.
755
00:33:12,759 --> 00:33:15,061
- Our plan was to
just approach them
756
00:33:15,061 --> 00:33:18,098
and conversationally ask them
to come back to the office
757
00:33:18,131 --> 00:33:19,599
to be interviewed.
758
00:33:19,632 --> 00:33:21,468
As with happens in
police matters sometimes,
759
00:33:21,501 --> 00:33:22,869
things go over the radio.
760
00:33:22,902 --> 00:33:24,771
All of a sudden, we have
all these police units
761
00:33:24,804 --> 00:33:27,374
that are notified that
homicide is looking at
762
00:33:27,407 --> 00:33:29,142
a suspect in this parking lot.
763
00:33:29,175 --> 00:33:32,212
narrator: As Franks and Yaya
leave the liquor store,
764
00:33:32,245 --> 00:33:34,080
police spring into action.
765
00:33:36,783 --> 00:33:38,485
- It was a very tense moment.
766
00:33:38,518 --> 00:33:42,889
Our uniformed members
take them in custody.
767
00:33:42,922 --> 00:33:44,891
- They were detained
at that point.
768
00:33:44,924 --> 00:33:46,860
They were brought to our
office to be interviewed.
769
00:33:46,893 --> 00:33:49,162
narrator: A few hours after
Franks and Yaya
770
00:33:49,195 --> 00:33:50,964
are brought to headquarters,
771
00:33:50,997 --> 00:33:53,500
police finally
track down Gutierrez.
772
00:33:53,533 --> 00:33:56,736
- So we're able to figure out
that Christopher Gutierrez was
773
00:33:56,770 --> 00:34:00,040
at an apartment,
and our SWAT team took him
774
00:34:00,040 --> 00:34:02,475
into custody without incident.
775
00:34:02,509 --> 00:34:04,511
* *
776
00:34:04,544 --> 00:34:06,880
narrator: With all three
suspects detained,
777
00:34:06,913 --> 00:34:10,050
detectives need to
find out who did what--
778
00:34:10,083 --> 00:34:13,520
specifically,
who pulled the trigger.
779
00:34:13,553 --> 00:34:15,522
- I put them in separate
interview rooms,
780
00:34:15,555 --> 00:34:16,856
and they interview
them one at a time.
781
00:34:16,890 --> 00:34:19,325
- I went into the room
with Zachary Franks.
782
00:34:35,875 --> 00:34:37,911
- He started explaining
how Yaya,
783
00:34:37,944 --> 00:34:39,646
she wanted them to
break into the house
784
00:34:39,679 --> 00:34:42,082
and steal the items
from George.
785
00:34:42,115 --> 00:34:43,583
And so it really began to--
786
00:34:43,616 --> 00:34:46,286
to be clearer to the
detectives that the murder
787
00:34:46,319 --> 00:34:48,288
was related to the burglary.
788
00:34:56,863 --> 00:34:58,865
- He says Yaya set up
the burglary,
789
00:34:58,898 --> 00:35:02,268
and that it was Christopher's
idea to do this crime.
790
00:35:05,705 --> 00:35:07,273
narrator: But there's
still the lingering
791
00:35:07,307 --> 00:35:10,610
question of who fired the gun.
792
00:35:21,921 --> 00:35:23,757
[gunshot]
793
00:35:32,132 --> 00:35:35,068
[gunshots]
794
00:35:35,068 --> 00:35:36,670
- We got a lot of
information back.
795
00:35:36,703 --> 00:35:38,438
I don't believe it
was 100% truthful.
796
00:35:38,471 --> 00:35:40,607
People lie to
protect themselves.
797
00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:42,709
We need to talk
with everybody,
798
00:35:42,742 --> 00:35:45,178
and Kelli Cook and I
interviewed Yaya.
799
00:35:45,211 --> 00:35:48,548
She admitted that she
had set up the burglary.
800
00:35:48,581 --> 00:35:50,183
She stated she set up
that burglary
801
00:35:50,216 --> 00:35:53,820
because she wanted George to
get out of the drug trade.
802
00:35:53,853 --> 00:35:56,089
She wanted to show him
how dangerous
803
00:35:56,089 --> 00:35:58,091
the drug business was,
and she did not mean
804
00:35:58,091 --> 00:36:00,293
for anybody to get killed.
805
00:36:00,326 --> 00:36:03,029
- With Yaya, I had this
feeling of, OK,
806
00:36:03,029 --> 00:36:04,931
she's giving us a little bit
of the truth.
807
00:36:05,031 --> 00:36:06,666
She's admitting that
she set up the burglary.
808
00:36:06,700 --> 00:36:08,468
We talked about, what door
did she leave unlocked?
809
00:36:08,501 --> 00:36:10,503
But then she's also
trying to distance
810
00:36:10,537 --> 00:36:12,038
herself from the murder.
811
00:36:12,072 --> 00:36:14,708
- The explanation of wanting
to kind of teach George
812
00:36:14,741 --> 00:36:18,211
a lesson about why selling
small amounts of marijuana
813
00:36:18,244 --> 00:36:21,414
was so dangerous and
to go through this extent
814
00:36:21,448 --> 00:36:23,383
to do that,
that didn't make sense to me,
815
00:36:23,416 --> 00:36:26,119
especially knowing
the lengths that she took
816
00:36:26,152 --> 00:36:28,088
to steer police in
the wrong direction
817
00:36:28,121 --> 00:36:29,656
of who really murdered George.
818
00:36:29,689 --> 00:36:32,459
- She also implicated
Christopher Gutierrez
819
00:36:32,492 --> 00:36:34,961
as the trigger-puller
and the mastermind
820
00:36:35,061 --> 00:36:37,430
behind this homicide.
821
00:36:37,464 --> 00:36:39,566
narrator:
Investigators are convinced
822
00:36:39,599 --> 00:36:41,601
Yaya isn't telling
the truth.
823
00:36:41,634 --> 00:36:44,571
They don't buy her story
or Franks'.
824
00:36:44,604 --> 00:36:48,074
Detectives need to know
what Gutierrez has to say.
825
00:36:48,074 --> 00:36:49,743
- He confirmed
that Franks and Gil
826
00:36:49,776 --> 00:36:51,578
had been in a relationship.
827
00:36:51,611 --> 00:36:53,713
That Franks,
at least, had spoken
828
00:36:53,747 --> 00:36:56,082
to him about how
Yaya was looking
829
00:36:56,082 --> 00:36:58,084
for someone to kill George.
830
00:36:58,084 --> 00:36:59,619
- He wouldn't
implicate himself,
831
00:36:59,652 --> 00:37:03,757
and then we started explaining
to him that we know more.
832
00:37:03,790 --> 00:37:06,192
narrator: A frightened
Gutierrez says
833
00:37:06,226 --> 00:37:09,596
he'll tell detectives
what really happened.
834
00:37:09,629 --> 00:37:11,031
- It surprised me.
835
00:37:11,064 --> 00:37:14,934
Gutierrez walked us through
the night of the murder.
836
00:37:15,035 --> 00:37:21,908
* *
837
00:37:24,978 --> 00:37:29,482
[birds chirping]
838
00:37:30,717 --> 00:37:33,119
narrator: Cobb County
Detectives Phillip Stoddard
839
00:37:33,153 --> 00:37:37,490
and Kelli Cook have detained
Yaya Gil, Zachary Franks,
840
00:37:37,524 --> 00:37:41,628
and Christopher Gutierrez
for the brutal assassination
841
00:37:41,661 --> 00:37:42,929
of George Vela.
842
00:37:42,962 --> 00:37:45,331
Yaya and Franks claim
843
00:37:45,365 --> 00:37:47,901
Gutierrez orchestrated
the murder.
844
00:37:51,438 --> 00:37:52,906
narrator: But detectives
aren't buying
845
00:37:52,939 --> 00:37:54,507
Franks and Yaya's story.
846
00:37:54,541 --> 00:37:58,178
They press Gutierrez, who
comes clean and tells them
847
00:37:58,211 --> 00:38:02,215
how the murder
actually went down.
848
00:38:02,248 --> 00:38:05,251
- Christopher Gutierrez began
by saying they went over there
849
00:38:05,285 --> 00:38:09,222
for the burglary, while George
and Yaya had been out watching
850
00:38:09,255 --> 00:38:11,424
a movie with their daughter.
851
00:38:11,458 --> 00:38:13,560
I believe he stated
that Yaya had
852
00:38:13,593 --> 00:38:15,462
been sending them
their information
853
00:38:15,495 --> 00:38:18,031
about where they were,
the movie had ended.
854
00:38:18,031 --> 00:38:20,633
After the burglary,
Christopher didn't know
855
00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:23,436
why they were going back
to the house.
856
00:38:23,470 --> 00:38:26,606
He stated that Franks
had the firearm.
857
00:38:26,639 --> 00:38:28,308
* *
858
00:38:28,341 --> 00:38:30,510
He stated that they're sitting
on the side of the road,
859
00:38:30,543 --> 00:38:32,612
down past Yaya's house.
860
00:38:32,645 --> 00:38:37,917
George comes walking up and
sees something in the car.
861
00:38:37,951 --> 00:38:39,819
He believes that he saw,
like, a pair of shorts
862
00:38:39,853 --> 00:38:41,087
or tennis shoes or something.
863
00:38:41,121 --> 00:38:43,256
And George then
gets in the car.
864
00:38:43,289 --> 00:38:47,093
That's when Zachary Franks
starts shooting.
865
00:38:47,127 --> 00:38:49,062
[gunshot]
866
00:38:49,062 --> 00:38:52,132
And George then
took off running.
867
00:38:52,165 --> 00:38:54,834
Zach got out of the car and
started shooting at George
868
00:38:54,868 --> 00:38:56,269
until he fell in the street.
869
00:38:56,302 --> 00:38:58,471
[gunshots]
870
00:38:58,505 --> 00:39:02,042
- Gutierrez vehemently
denies he shot George.
871
00:39:02,075 --> 00:39:06,546
He swears he only
drove the getaway car.
872
00:39:06,579 --> 00:39:08,415
- They both pointed
the finger at the other
873
00:39:08,448 --> 00:39:10,483
for being the shooter,
which doesn't surprise me.
874
00:39:10,517 --> 00:39:12,886
Nobody wants to admit
to doing a shooting,
875
00:39:12,919 --> 00:39:14,654
certainly to the police.
876
00:39:14,688 --> 00:39:17,557
narrator: Gutierrez's version
of events fits better with
877
00:39:17,590 --> 00:39:21,294
the evidence detectives have
and suggests that the shooting
878
00:39:21,327 --> 00:39:23,229
was premeditated.
879
00:39:23,263 --> 00:39:25,398
- He confirmed
that Franks and Gil
880
00:39:25,432 --> 00:39:27,133
had been in a relationship.
881
00:39:27,167 --> 00:39:29,102
That Franks,
at least, had spoken
882
00:39:29,135 --> 00:39:31,171
to him about how
Yaya was looking
883
00:39:31,204 --> 00:39:33,373
for someone to kill George.
884
00:39:33,406 --> 00:39:35,742
After they were interviewed,
after being detained,
885
00:39:35,775 --> 00:39:39,112
there was no doubt that
we had the right people.
886
00:39:39,145 --> 00:39:41,047
narrator:
With this information,
887
00:39:41,047 --> 00:39:44,451
the team officially arrests
all three suspects.
888
00:39:44,484 --> 00:39:46,486
- Zachary Franks and
Christopher Gutierrez
889
00:39:46,519 --> 00:39:50,523
were charged with the
burglary from July 21 of 2019,
890
00:39:50,557 --> 00:39:52,425
and then they were also
charged with the murder
891
00:39:52,459 --> 00:39:54,060
of George Vela
that happened just
892
00:39:54,094 --> 00:39:56,062
after midnight on July 22.
893
00:39:56,096 --> 00:39:59,065
Yainerys Gil, as a
conspirator to that crime,
894
00:39:59,099 --> 00:40:01,901
was charged with the
murder of George Vela.
895
00:40:01,935 --> 00:40:03,903
narrator: Facing the
possibility of spending
896
00:40:03,937 --> 00:40:06,039
the rest of their
lives in prison,
897
00:40:06,072 --> 00:40:09,342
all three defendants
plead not guilty.
898
00:40:09,376 --> 00:40:12,045
- I became angry about
what happened to George.
899
00:40:12,078 --> 00:40:14,481
From my review of the
crime scene and the photos
900
00:40:14,514 --> 00:40:17,917
I had, it appeared
to be personal to me,
901
00:40:17,951 --> 00:40:20,920
in that your intent is to,
in fact, kill this person.
902
00:40:20,954 --> 00:40:22,489
* *
903
00:40:22,522 --> 00:40:26,126
- We had to go tell
Leigh Ann that the person
904
00:40:26,159 --> 00:40:30,397
she thought of as a daughter
killed her beloved son.
905
00:40:30,430 --> 00:40:32,065
[somber music]
906
00:40:32,098 --> 00:40:36,102
- It was hard.
I'll never forgive her.
907
00:40:36,136 --> 00:40:41,107
I want my son back,
but I can't have that.
908
00:40:41,141 --> 00:40:43,943
- My reality, finding out
that Yaya had a part of it--
909
00:40:43,977 --> 00:40:47,147
it mentally broke me
for a short period.
910
00:40:47,180 --> 00:40:50,483
It was something inconceivable,
911
00:40:50,517 --> 00:40:52,786
and really hard to get over.
912
00:40:52,819 --> 00:40:55,221
* *
913
00:40:55,255 --> 00:40:57,123
- We knew early on
that Christopher Gutierrez
914
00:40:57,157 --> 00:41:00,060
was going to cooperate
and testify at trial.
915
00:41:00,093 --> 00:41:03,396
So we asked the court
to separate him
916
00:41:03,430 --> 00:41:05,899
and his case from Yainerys Gil
and Zachary Frank
917
00:41:05,932 --> 00:41:08,201
so that we could
use him at trial.
918
00:41:08,234 --> 00:41:10,370
narrator: In exchange
for his cooperation,
919
00:41:10,403 --> 00:41:12,672
Gutierrez receives
a reduced sentence
920
00:41:12,706 --> 00:41:16,543
after pleading guilty
to voluntary manslaughter.
921
00:41:16,576 --> 00:41:18,712
- Christopher Gutierrez
reached a plea deal,
922
00:41:18,745 --> 00:41:22,482
and he received 15 years with
the possibility of parole.
923
00:41:22,515 --> 00:41:24,784
* *
924
00:41:24,818 --> 00:41:29,489
narrator: On December 6, 2021,
just hours before her trial
925
00:41:29,522 --> 00:41:33,426
is set to begin, Yaya Gil
has second thoughts
926
00:41:33,460 --> 00:41:35,795
about maintaining
her innocence.
927
00:41:35,829 --> 00:41:37,630
- Yaya reached a plea deal,
928
00:41:37,664 --> 00:41:41,468
and she received 30 years with
the possibility of parole.
929
00:41:41,501 --> 00:41:44,204
- So in that respect,
she accepted responsibility.
930
00:41:44,237 --> 00:41:46,272
But she never made
a statement in court
931
00:41:46,306 --> 00:41:49,109
or went on the record as
to what happened
932
00:41:49,109 --> 00:41:52,345
or why or that she was sorry.
933
00:41:52,379 --> 00:41:55,715
narrator: That same day,
Zachary Franks's murder trial
934
00:41:55,749 --> 00:41:57,517
gets underway.
935
00:41:57,550 --> 00:41:59,119
- The trial lasted two weeks.
936
00:41:59,152 --> 00:42:01,921
Zachary Franks decided
not to testify.
937
00:42:01,955 --> 00:42:04,457
I was confident,
but with a jury trial,
938
00:42:04,491 --> 00:42:07,293
you never know what the
ultimate outcome could be.
939
00:42:07,327 --> 00:42:10,864
Sometimes juries can
be very surprising.
940
00:42:10,897 --> 00:42:12,766
- It doesn't take
the jurors very long
941
00:42:12,799 --> 00:42:14,234
to reach their decision.
942
00:42:14,267 --> 00:42:17,070
After two hours,
they find Zachary Franks
943
00:42:17,070 --> 00:42:19,873
guilty on all counts,
including
944
00:42:19,906 --> 00:42:21,508
the murder
of George Vela.
945
00:42:21,541 --> 00:42:23,510
- You feel good.
946
00:42:23,543 --> 00:42:26,312
You convinced the jury that
these are the right people
947
00:42:26,346 --> 00:42:28,581
and that they should
accept their punishment
948
00:42:28,615 --> 00:42:30,617
for what they had done.
949
00:42:30,650 --> 00:42:33,553
- The district attorney,
they asked me what I thought
950
00:42:33,586 --> 00:42:35,288
would be fair.
951
00:42:35,321 --> 00:42:41,094
And you know, my answer
to that is, get my son back.
952
00:42:41,094 --> 00:42:43,096
And I said,
I can't have that,
953
00:42:43,129 --> 00:42:45,465
so I really don't care
what you do to him.
954
00:42:45,498 --> 00:42:47,801
- The judge ultimately
sentenced him to life
955
00:42:47,834 --> 00:42:49,336
without the possibility
of parole,
956
00:42:49,369 --> 00:42:50,904
which means he'll spend
the rest of his life
957
00:42:50,937 --> 00:42:53,473
in the Department
of Corrections.
958
00:42:53,506 --> 00:42:56,276
narrator: As for George's
family, they continue
959
00:42:56,309 --> 00:43:01,314
to cope and come to terms
with their irreplaceable loss.
960
00:43:01,348 --> 00:43:04,784
- I have imaginary
conversations with him
961
00:43:04,818 --> 00:43:06,820
when I'm having
really hard times.
962
00:43:06,853 --> 00:43:10,957
So I think about him
almost every day.
963
00:43:11,057 --> 00:43:12,158
- I remember telling
him how proud
964
00:43:12,192 --> 00:43:15,495
I was of who he had become.
965
00:43:15,528 --> 00:43:18,665
And I have no choice
but to move forward
966
00:43:18,698 --> 00:43:20,934
because I am
responsible for
967
00:43:20,967 --> 00:43:23,603
my grandchildren.
968
00:43:23,636 --> 00:43:26,239
They deserve to
have a happy life.
969
00:43:26,272 --> 00:43:28,541
* *
970
00:43:28,575 --> 00:43:31,578
- I keep a picture
of George and his son
971
00:43:31,611 --> 00:43:34,214
and his daughter
at my desk
972
00:43:34,247 --> 00:43:37,150
just to remember that there
really is evil in this world,
973
00:43:37,183 --> 00:43:38,651
because there's
absolutely no reason
974
00:43:38,685 --> 00:43:39,886
he should have been murdered.
975
00:43:39,919 --> 00:43:42,088
* *