[mysterious music]
- The initial news reports about the murder was shocking.
- [reporter] emotions are raw over the sudden loss
Of legendary boxer vernon forrest.
[camera flashing]
- He had been shot eight times in the back, arm, legs.
He was a world champion boxer.
- Police didn't know if it was a hit,
If it was a wrong place, wrong time.
- We want to try to find out if there are people
That actually have vendettas against him.
[dramatic music]
- One witness saw a man come out of the apartment building
That had been hiding.
- Another witness saw a red vehicle fleeing the scene.
- The surveillance video proved to be critical.
- It's like, damn, that's the key to this whole thing.
- The tragic murder will go down
As one of the worst crimes committed
Against a sports figure, not only in atlanta,
But all of the world.
[dramatic music]
[intense music]
- [narrator] atlanta sports fans have a lot to cheer about.
The city boasts several iconic teams:
The braves, the falcons, and the hawks.
But the big peach is also known for another crowd-pleasing
And hard-hitting pass time.
- Atlanta has always had a strong pulse
In the heartbeat of the boxing world.
In the 1970s, muhammad ali actually staged
His comeback fight to regain
The heavyweight championship of the world
Right here in atlanta, georgia.
- People from all over the world came to see muhammad ali box.
Sidney poitier, diana ross.
I mean, it was a really big deal and since then,
Atlanta has become its own little special place for boxing.
- We started to see a lot of up and coming boxers.
I remember going to the warren boys club
And I had the opportunity
To see evander holyfield there during that time.
- [narrator] but in the summer of 2009,
The city's cheers turned to tears
When one of its boxing heroes tragically meets his match
Outside the ring.
- On Saturday, July the 25th of 2009,
It was a very hot and steamy night
When the unidentified body of a young black male was found
At about 11:00 pm.
- I was at my home, in the city.
I was advised that there was a person shot
At the intersection of mcdaniel and fulton
And I was responding from my residence to that crime scene.
The new apartment buildings off
Of the I-20 interstate in atlanta.
- The neighborhood where this unidentified black male
Was found is part of atlanta that's called mechanicsville.
It is one of the oldest communities in the atlanta area.
- In 2009, mechanicsville was in transition.
Investors were trying to develop that area,
But by all means, it was a rough place.
- There was a shooting every other day
That occurred in that particular community,
But it was certainly a community that was on the rebound.
- [narrator] by the time zimbrick arrives,
Uniformed officers and emts are already on site
And a crowd of onlookers is standing nearby.
- I had crossed the crime scene tape
And that's where lieutenant meadows
Is standing, the homicide commander.
We have a short conversation about the area, the location,
And the fact that the individual underneath the sheet
Has been pronounced dead by emts.
- We made it a point to wait
For the fulton county medical examiner's office
Before we removed the sheet.
Once they arrived, we removed the sheet.
It was at that point,
I immediately recognized our victim
Was the well-known boxer from georgia, vernon forrest.
My heart kind of sunk, because I'm a fan.
- [announcer] vernon forrest!
[somber music]
- From the late '90s, early 2000s,
Vernon was a great boxer.
- [narrator] the champion boxer earned four world titles.
- He actually represented
The united states of america in the olympics in 1992
And afterwards became a professional fighter
Where he achieved great financial success.
- I'm a fan and it just immediately led me to wonder,
Who could have done this?
- This is an area of town that somebody
Of mr. Forrest's celebrity status
You wouldn't expect to find,
You know, midnight on a Saturday.
Why would he be in this particular location?
- [narrator] stunned and saddened,
Investigators watch closely
As the medical examiner's team performs
Its initial on-scene exam.
- I could see the injuries that were evident on the victim
Through his pink polo shirt.
He had been shot eight times in the back and arm and legs.
- Those gunshot wounds
Actually entered his body from the rear,
Which told investigators
That he had his back turned to the shooter.
- [narrator] as investigators try to make sense
Of the famed boxer's wounds,
Crime scene technicians begin
To canvas the area for evidence,
But they don't have to look very far.
- As we evaluated the crime scene,
We found eight .40 caliber shell casings
That were around the body.
- [narrator] while the .40 caliber shells
Appear to be the right size
To have caused the victim's wounds,
Something else grabs the detectives' attention.
- We were able to find within close proximity to his body,
A .45 caliber handgun.
- The shell casings that we found on the scene
Were .40 caliber, so obviously that gun didn't fire
Those shell casings that we found next to the body.
- [narrator] investigators need to find the gun
That killed the boxing icon.
- The medical examiner does an inventory of the pockets.
His wallet contained a couple of pistol permits for him
To legally carry firearms and he had in his pocket,
Couple of loose .45 caliber bullets.
[suspenseful music]
- It went through our minds at that point
That the .45 caliber handgun was mr. Forrest's
And there was a possibility that mr. Forrest
Actually fired at his assailants.
The condition of the weapon, it was open,
The slide was to the rear,
Which indicated that he might have emptied
The weapon itself.
- The fact that vernon had a .45 caliber firearm
That had been shot empty, leads you to believe
That there was a mutual combat situation,
Because the shell casings that are next to his body
Are not from the firearm that he has next to his body.
- [narrator] investigators then catch a break.
They get word from dispatch that police had responded
To a separate 911 call
Made moments before the shooting
At a gas station just across the expressway,
And the victim was vernon forrest.
- The gas station was located some 300 yards away
From where the body of vernon forrest was actually found.
- I walked back to the gas station
Over the interstate bridge.
I was directed to vernon's car,
The jaguar near the air compressor.
The uniformed cops who had got there first obviously
Had done a briefing and interview with the witnesses.
Ernest gilroy, an 11 year old kid,
Was standing with a uniforme police officer
Near that vehicle.
Ernest was identified to me as being the occupant
Of the jaguar with vernon forrest
At the time of the interaction.
- The young 11 year old ernest gilroy
Was the godson of vernon forrest.
- So we got the basics from the uniform officers
That did the initial briefing,
Because ernest had just gone through
This traumatic incident,
So we didn't want to compound that trauma.
Ernest had relayed to them that they needed air in a tire.
Vernon pulled into the gas station,
Pulled up to the front doors.
Ernest said he went inside to get some candy.
- [narrator] the 11 year old informs the officers
When he started walking back to the car,
He saw a man with a gun confront vernon.
He says vernon and the man exchanged words,
Then the man fled.
- Ernest tells the uniform officers
That after the bad guy runs,
Vernon gives chase and ernest gets in the car
And locks the doors.
- The young gentleman said
That he had heard shots immediately after that.
[gunshots firing]
- The store clerk had no idea
What was actually happening in the parking lot.
As soon as he hears the gunshots,
He hits the automatic door lock
For the protection of the customers inside the store.
- Everybody was baffled.
- We didn't know if vernon forrest
Had been targeted specifically because of who he was
Or because he appeared to be an individual
With an expensive car putting air in his tire
At 11:30 pm on a Saturday night.
- At that point, I directed detective zimbrick
To make sure that the gas station
Was taped off and roped off.
- [narrator] investigators search the area
Around the gas station for any evidence dropped,
But they come up empty-handed.
- I walked back the path that was taken from the gas station
To the shooting over the interstate bridge,
Looking for additional evidence,
If there was any, ballistic evidence or witnesses.
There were no pedestrians on the bridge,
But I was able to locate a single .45 caliber shell casing
That has been fired, which is consistent
With the firearm that vernon forrest had.
- [narrator] the discovery of the .45 caliber shell
On the overpass confirms investigators' theory
That vernon gave chase and fired at his attacker.
- We start looking for additional evidence,
Blood, therefore dna, but we searched the entire area
And we were unable to find any evidence
That the individual had been injured during the shooting.
[dramatic music]
- I immediately recognized the magnitude of the situation
And I knew that we wanted to try to solve this case
As fast and as efficiently as we possibly could.
- Law enforcement quickly realized
That there had to be something more to this,
Because of the manner in which vernon forrest was murdered.
- He got shot in the back with his back to the gunman.
This was definitely overkill.
[gunshot firing]
- What was this about?
Was this wrong place, wrong time?
Was this some sort of hit?
Was it a failed carjacking?
Who would kill this man?
[dramatic music]
- One witness reported that he heard gunshots.
[gunshots firing]
Observed two men running.
- We certainly did not wanna rule out
The possibility that mr. Forrest was targeted.
- The fact that he's a world champion,
We don't know if that's sour grapes to somebody else.
- I remember dropping the phone
And I remember saying like, "no,"
Like over and over, like, "no, no (bleep) way."
- Why shoot him when he's down on the ground?
There has to be more.
[dramatic music]
[intense music]
- [narrator] atlanta homicide detectives are on the hunt
For the gunman who brutally killed
38 year old boxing champion, vernon forrest,
Shot outside an apartment complex.
Police are now scouring the neighborhood,
Looking for any eyewitnesses
Who may be able to shed some light
On what happened to this atlanta icon.
- Mechanicsville was certainly a community
That was on the rebound.
The relationship from the late '90s,
Early 2000s was fragmented.
We had a couple of officer involved shootings
That took place in that particular community.
However, we were in the process of repairing
Our relationship with the members of that community.
- So we didn't have an abundance of eyewitnesses
That would come forward,
Even though every apartment there had a balcony
That overlooked the street.
- It became important for me to go into the crowd,
Because there's always someone in the crowd
That saw something.
- [narrator] the detectives' hunch pays off.
They find a few neighborhood onlookers willing to cooperate.
- One witness reported that he heard gunshots
And then looked out, observed two men running,
One wearing a pink shirt chasing another man
Around the building where he lost sight of them.
- It appears that vernon had chased perpetrator down
Into the apartment complex
Where he was observed standing there holding a handgun.
- The witness indicated that he saw a man
Had come out of the apartment building
Where he had been hiding
And flagged down a red passenger vehicle.
- [narrator] another witness from the apartment complex
Tells investigators she saw vernon walk away
From the building, then start arguing
With a different man on the street moments later.
- There was an exchange of words between the two of them
And at some point, as vernon began to turn and walk away
Is when the perpetrator actually shot him
In the back eight times.
[gunshots firing]
This witness was actually able to see
That red vehicle as it pulled up again
And the second assailant getting into the vehicle
And fleeing the scene at that point.
- [narrator] while the witness describes the car as red,
She isn't able to provide the make or model.
- So based on the statements of the witnesses,
We believe that there were at least three people involved
In the actual crime.
First you had the robber,
You have the driver of the red car
And then you have the actual shooter.
To identify the individuals responsible,
We were able to ask for and obtain video surveillance
From the apartment complex and the gas station.
- [narrator] given it'll take several days
Before the security footage is available,
Detectives are still in the dark.
Was this shooting a robbery gone wrong
Or the cold-blooded execution of an atlanta icon?
- You have to look at all possibilities
When you're investigating crimes like this.
We certainly did not wanna rule out the possibility
That mr. Forrest was targeted.
- The fact that he's a world champion,
We don't know if that's sour grapes to somebody else.
If this was a motive that, you know,
If you take vernon forrest out of the boxing game,
Does it give somebody else a chance to move up?
- The next day, law enforcement had to have
The very sad conversation with vernon forrest's mother
And notify her that her baby son had been murdered.
[somber music]
- The family was devastated.
It's always difficult to tell them
The most gruesome details of the event and what happened,
Especially this one, I mean,
Shot in the back this many times.
I can't recall ever seeing that in my career.
The family couldn't say that anybody
Had any beef with vernon forrest,
He didn't ruffle feathers.
He was a true, genuine, decent human being.
[pensive music]
- Vernon forrest was a kid from augusta, georgia,
Just two hours east of the big city,
The sixth of eight children,
A kid who had found a love in boxing.
- He come from a humble background.
He wasn't a rich kid, you know,
He was just a local humble kid from augusta
Who had a talent.
- [narrator] the talented boxer was a four time world champion,
Compiling an impressive record
Of 41 and 3 with 29 knockouts.
- He was a great boxer,
But he was an even greater human being.
- The man was selfless, man, you know.
He put his money where it really counts,
Did a lot for the community.
- Vernon, he was just a confident guy.
He had a good spirit about him.
When I started volunteering
At the police athletic league,
Vernon, he lent his support to us,
Because we're working with at-risk kids.
- He cared about his community.
He tried to help children that had tough beginnings
To see that they could always have a second chance.
- My communication with the family
Is now we need to know where vernon was coming from.
We need to know where he was going to.
Was he meeting somebody?
- [narrator] vernon's family tells detectives
The boxer was out late that night
Visiting family with his godson, ernest,
And was on his way back
To drop the 11 year old off with relatives.
Sussing out if robbery was the motive behind the shooting,
Detectives asked if vernon was wearing
Any distinctive jewelry, items police could trace.
- Vernon had on a gold ring that said "four time champ"
And had on a diamond-studded rolex.
- [detective zimbrick] they were not recovered
When he was discovered in the street.
- We didn't know if they knew who he was,
But we wondered if the suspects
Could have seen the jewelry vernon was wearing
And made it a point to single him out as a potential target.
- [narrator] even though it appears
The killer robbed vernon, investigators have a feeling
There may be more to this gruesome murder.
The execution style shooting
Still leaves several hard questions unanswered.
- The robbery is done.
They got the gold watch and the big gold rings,
So why shoot him in the back
And then shoot him when he is down on the ground?
[gunshots firing]
There has to be more.
[intense music]
- [reporter] emotions are raw over the sudden loss
Of legendary boxer vernon forrest.
- [narrator] news of boxing great,
Vernon forrest's grisly murder immediately hits the press,
Stunning the city of atlanta and the world.
- [reporter] Monday morning, atf agents
In fulton county sheriff canine units
Scoured the area where forrest was murdered.
- [narrator] the homicide team is already feeling the heat.
- Shortly after this murder occurred,
I started receiving calls from our mayor at the time,
City council members at the time
And media literally from all over the world
Wanting to know where we were with the investigation.
- It was all over the news
And we were covering it wall-to-wall,
Because initially we had no idea
Who had perpetrated this crime.
- We was trying to figure out,
How could this happen to a guy like him?
- I remember dropping the phone and I remember saying like,
"no," like over and over, like, "no, no (bleep) way."
I kinda blacked out on things.
[suspenseful music]
- This case really involved a whole lot more
Than just a simple robbery.
Investigators realized that they would
Really have to dig deep in order to get at the reason
And the motivation for such a senseless murder like this.
[gunshots firing]
- Vernon had on a gold ring, gave that over,
Had on a diamond-studded rolex, gave that over.
It was a very loud question of why.
Did you have to kill him too?
- [narrator] investigators work the few leads they do have
And try to track down the red car
Seen leaving the scene of the crime.
- The description given out over the radio
Was basically a red sedan.
We then later on checked the database
For any stolen vehicles that were un-recovered
And there were no positive hits
For a red sedan.
- [narrator] undeterred, the team pushes forward,
Taking a closer look at vernon's past associations.
- We want to try to find out if there are people
That actually have vendettas against him
And so we decided at that point that I would go and meet
With mr. Forrest's business manager, charles watson.
- Once law enforcement speaks with charles watson,
They find out that vernon forrest
Doesn't have any nefarious business dealings.
- All of that information was important for us
To develop so that we could eliminate possibilities.
- The information that meadows got from vernon's manager
Was in reference to the charitable events
That vernon partook in
That further solidified that vernon was a great boxer,
But more importantly a decent human being.
- Mr. Watson was able to provide
All of mr. Forrest's known associates
And we were able to talk to some of his friends,
Like xavier toliver, one of vernon's closest friends.
We wanted to get some clues and leads in the case.
They couldn't think of anyone
That would want to harm mr. Forrest.
- He didn't have any enemies.
Again, he was a good guy.
- He always was looking out for all of us,
Somebody who saw the need and they meet the need.
- He created a a not-for-profit organization
Called destiny's child,
Which helped to create housing for autistic individuals
Or people who were living with different types
Of psychological, emotional, and physical disabilities.
- The most I rewarding thing that I get is
When they feel a sense of accomplishment.
- Atlanta embraced him.
The mayor gave him the keys to the city.
[gentle music]
- After law enforcement had the opportunity
To speak with vernon forrest's
Close friends and family members,
Police really had no leads.
This investigation was going nowhere.
- [narrator] with no viable suspects,
Detectives are at a loss.
But 72 hours into the investigation,
They catch a break.
The surveillance footage from the gas station
And apartment complex is in.
- One of the things that law enforcement officers
Always get very, very excited about
Is when there is video cameras
That could have potentially not only captured the crime,
But also can identify the perpetrators themselves.
- The video at the gas station is definitely dark
In the corner where the air compressor was
That vernon was robbed.
So we're able to see figures,
But we're not able to identify individuals with that camera.
- Because the surveillance video
From the gas station was hard to see,
The apartment complex video proved to be key and critical.
- The cameras at the apartment complex
Are crisp, new, and are very good quality pictures.
We're concentrating initially on the camera view
That is shot from inside of the stairwell of the apartment
And you can see out into the courtyard and to the street,
And that video shows us an individual run past
The front door of this stairwell close to the door
And then just a few seconds, two or three seconds later,
We believe we see vernon forrest run past the door
And then we continue to watch
To see if we see anybody coming back.
- [narrator] the video then reveals an agitated man
Entering the building, holding a gun,
Exactly as witnesses described earlier to detectives.
- And then faces the camera, looks right up at the camera.
[dramatic music]
- When we see him look up at the camera, we're like,
"man, that was a great shot."
- [narrator] with this surveillance video,
Detectives are one step closer to identifying one
Of the three suspects involved in vernon forrest's death,
The robber, the getaway driver, and the shooter.
- It's like, damn, that's the guy.
The robber from the gas station,
That's the man we need to identify.
That's the key to this whole thing.
[dramatic music]
- [narrator] three days after boxing hero vernon forrest
Was violently gunned down
Outside an atlanta apartment complex,
Homicide detectives get word
The surveillance footage from the building is in.
To investigators' astonishment,
The security cam video reveals a key piece of evidence,
The face of one of the assailants.
- The apartment complex video proved to be key and critical,
Because that video, you could actually see
A person of interest actually look dead into the camera.
- They turn and look at the camera,
And then they turn back and look outside,
And then they jump in that car,
And it's the red car as ascribed by several of the witnesses
As being directly involved.
So at that point it's like,
Wow, this isn't a witness to the event,
This is the person that vernon was chasing.
We need somebody to tell us who this is.
[suspenseful music]
- Once the atlanta police department view
The video footage in this case,
They made the decision to enlist the cooperation
Of the media in showing this video footage
To the general public in hopes that they would be able
To identify any potential suspects
That were captured on the video.
- We hoped that somebody would be decent enough to call in
And identify the individual.
[tense music]
- When the community heard
Some of the details about this case, they were outraged
And they let atlanta police know
That they wanted these killers off the streets.
- It's a big loss and you know, the city needs to make sure
They find the guys that were behind this.
- You shoot a man in the back, you know, you a coward, man,
And so I wouldn't mind having some face time
With (indistinct).
- [narrator] on August 4th, 2009,
Nine days after vernon forrest was slain,
His family and friends gathered to say their goodbyes
To the world champion boxer.
- It was an emotional day, it was a sad day.
It was crowded.
So a lot of boxers, a lot of coaches,
A lot of the georgia amateur boxing association family
Was there.
Evander holyfield was there.
- The world wasn't ready for us to lose vernon forrest.
Yeah, he meant a lot to a lot of people, man.
- I just remember just going and you know, of course,
Showing my respects to vernon for the last time.
It was just a pretty sad situation, a sad time.
- It was a rough day for me, man.
I remember having to leave out for a minute to get some air.
That was vernon in there,
But it didn't particulary, didn't really look like vernon.
[somber music]
- I believe in god.
I believe in the justice system
And we want justice served to the fullest.
- [narrator] as vernon's family
And friends mourn over their loss,
The media blast sets off a flurry of calls.
- As a result of the releasing of the video footage,
Law enforcement received hundreds if not thousands
Of potential tips seeking to identify
The individual that was shown in the video.
- [narrator] one tipster who says they know the suspect
But asked to remain anonymous,
Goes beyond calling the police.
- Somebody actually walked into
One of the many precincts in the city
With a picture on their phone
With the individual that had been pictured
To prove that they knew what they were talking about
Who this individual was.
So having that information,
We immediately go to the database
That we have available to us.
We're able to identify a picture
Based on the name and date of birth that was given to us.
- Ultimately, law enforcement was able
To identify that individual on the surveillance footage
As 20 year old demario ware.
They do a deep dive into his background
And learn that he has a long and checkered history
Of contacts with law enforcement.
- But the criminal history that we saw of demario ware
Was not indicative of an individual
That would shoot another individual
Multiple times in the back.
He just didn't have that kind of a criminal history.
We believed that demario was with the shooter
That night at the gas station.
We didn't have a warrant for demario ware.
We knew that he was probably good for the robbery,
But we knew he was not good for the murder.
So we wanted to go out and get his perspective,
His side of the story.
- They're hoping that demario
Would be able to provide some context to motive.
Did you know vernon forrest?
What was this about?
[dramatic music]
- We were obviously eager to hear his story.
- Finally, law enforcement hoped to find out
Why vernon was shot eight times in the back
While walking away.
[gunshot firing]
[suspenseful music]
- [narrator] atlanta homicide detectives have identified
One of the suspects in the brutal murder
Of boxing champion vernon forrest.
Investigators are now on the hunt
For 20-year-old demario ware,
The man they believe robbed at gunpoint
The atlanta icon of his championship ring
And multi-thousand dollar rolex watch.
- Detectives discover that his last known address
Is with his grandmother rose watson.
- So we went to that location in southeast atlanta,
Which was probably less than a mile
From the actual shooting scene.
His grandmother knew why we were there.
His picture from video surveillance is on tv.
She said demario was a good kid,
That he had his bumps and bruises,
But he wasn't a vicious killer.
- Days after the murder,
He told the grandmother that he was involved with the crime.
Then she says he's gonna have to own up to it
And he's gonna have to pay the price
Of whatever crime he may have been involved in.
- We advised his grandmother to ask demario
To come to the office for us to meet up with him.
She indicated that she would do her best
To convince him to come in.
- [narrator] the following day,
Demario ware makes good on his promise to his grandmother.
- Demario ware and his attorney show up at our office.
We were obviously eager to hear his story.
Demario said that he and two guys are at the gas station
Waiting for a couple of other individuals to show up.
They were gonna go to a club.
They see the jaguar pull to the parking lot.
- [narrator] demario tells detectives
That's when he and his two friends decided
To put their plan into action.
- Demario indicates to law enforcement
That he took off running
In the direction of the apartment complex.
Vernon then took off pursuing him.
- Demario says says he then works his way
To the front of the building
And that's where we see him on the video
Sprinting out the door and jumping in the car.
- [narrator] knowing multiple perpetrators are involved,
Investigators ask demario about his accomplices,
But there's a hitch.
- During our interview with demario ware,
He wasn't able to give us the actual names
Of some of the individuals involved,
But he was able to give us nicknames.
- [narrator] visibly shaken,
Demario explains what happened after he left the building
And jumped in the vehicle.
- Once demario finishes his statement,
We still haven't figured out why the shooting takes place,
But he is taken into custody for the robbery.
[pensive music]
The information that we obtained was good.
He identifies the two occupants of the red car
At the time of the robbery and the planning of the robbery.
- [narrator] with one suspect behind bars,
Investigators quickly drill down
On finding the getaway driver and the trigger man.
- Through our nickname database,
We look for individuals to see if we can come up
With the individual's actual name.
- We are confident in quante, the driver of the vehicle,
As being jquante crews.
Once demario gets identified,
Then we look at his phone records.
Jquante's phone number is there
The night of the murder and the robbery.
So a warrant is issued for jquante crews.
We provide that warrant to the regional taskforce
Of the us marshal's office
Whose job it is to go out and track fugitives.
[camera clicking]
The next day, he is taken into custody
At his brother's house without incident.
He doesn't wish to speak to the police at all
And he is transported to the fulton county jail,
Charged with an array of crimes.
- [narrator] with getaway driver jquante crews in custody,
Investigators turn their attention
To identifying the alleged shooter, twin.
The nickname database turns up nothing,
But for one of the us marshals assigned to the case,
The unusual moniker rings a bell.
- He says, "well, I know a guy named twin,"
And gives us his name of raymon sinkfield.
I'm able to discover that raymon sinkfield
Is actually in federal custody
And was at the time of the shooting.
One of the other sergeants in the office says,
"well, I know raymon's brother, twin, is charmon sinkfield."
Charmon sinkfield is not in custody at the time.
- Law enforcement discover that he had several arrests
For very violent crimes.
- So to get charmon's picture,
I put together a lineup with charmon sinkfield in it.
Demario ware immediately identifies charmon sinkfield
As twin, as the individual that is responsible
For the shooting death of vernon forrest.
[tense music]
- [narrator] nearly three weeks
After famed boxer vernon forrest was slain,
Detectives track down his alleged killer
At his home in northwest atlanta.
- He was taken into custody for the outstanding warrants
And transported to the atlanta homicide office.
- Finally, law enforcement hoped to find out details
About why mr. Sinkfield would choose
To shoot vernon eight times in the back
While he was defenseless and walking away.
[dramatic music]
[intense music]
- [narrator] atlanta police have just arrested
Charmon sinkfield, the alleged trigger man
Responsible for the brutal murder
Of boxing champion vernon forrest.
Detectives are hoping sinkfield will come clean
And tell them why he killed the famed boxer.
- He never confessed to the crime itself.
[suspenseful music]
- Later in speaking with charmon sinkfield
About the reason why so many shots to the back,
He believed that it was wrong for vernon forrest
To challenge the robbery
And leaving ernest in the parking lot alone.
Charmon indicated to me
That he made that statement to vernon
And vernon at that point turned his back on him
And that angered him even more
As a sign of disrespect by vernon forrest,
And for whatever reason, sinkfield felt the rage
And fired that gun.
[dramatic music] [gunshots firing]
That sudden rage, anger, that to me is,
I can't wrap my head around it.
Search warrants were obtained for locations
That the individuals that were arrested had access to.
We were unsuccessful in finding any of the weapons
Or any of the jewelry.
- Finally, the community,
They were breathing a bit easier again,
Because they knew that together,
Law enforcement and the da's office,
They got these killers off the street.
- [narrator] on August 25th, 2009,
One month after the brutal shooting,
Demario ware, jquante crews, and charmon sinkfield
Are each indicted for the robbery and murder
Of boxing great vernon forrest.
- In the state of georgia,
The law allows for the conviction
Of parties who participate, encourage,
Assist in the commission of a crime,
Even if they are not the ones
Who actually pull the trigger and commit the murder itself.
The surveillance footage,
Combined with the ballistics evidence
And then the subsequent confession by demario ware,
Makes this almost an airtight case
And one in which no prosecutor
Would ever want to make the mistake of losing.
[suspenseful music]
- Fulton county district attorney's office was dogged
About making sure that these killers met justice.
- Ultimately, these cases all individually went to trial.
- [narrator] in 2011,
Two years after vernon forrest was killed,
Demario ware was convicted of felony murder.
The following year,
Jquante crews was also found guilty of felony murder.
- Both mr. Ware and mr. Crews received life sentences
With the possibility of parole.
- Due to just the volume of cases
That fulton county prosecutors are dealing with,
It took seven full years into 2016 before charmon sinkfield
Was able to be prosecuted and sentenced.
- Mr. Sinkfield was convicted of all charges
And received a life sentence
With a term of years stacked on top of that
To run consecutive in effect, a virtual death sentence.
- I was very happy, but it still didn't
Bring vernon back, you know?
What it did was, it left a hole in our community.
- Demario ware was the type of young brother
That vernon forrest would try to help
And so it was really sad.
- The murder of vernon forrest struck
At the heart of so many people in the community,
Because he was willing to come back
And give back to his community
And ultimately, it was his community
That brought about his demise,
And so that leaves many people heartbroken.
[somber music]
- What I miss about him most is just being my friend
That was always straightforward.
I would tell him I love him
And that I really appreciated the time
That was spent with him and never took it for granted.
- He helped out boxing gyms all over georgia.
Vernon would want us to keep doing the same thing,
You know, reaching out to kids and making a difference
And teaching them the dream and showing them the right way.
[somber music]