(suspenseful music)
- The metro atlanta area
Has one of the largest military facilities
Here in the southeast.
- The military community is a family away from home.
So when detective cruz broke the news,
I was just mind-blown.
- [cruz] a male approached the driver's side and fired.
(gun fires)
- [lakashe] if my mom never drove to gwinnett place,
My life would be a lot different.
(camera clicking)
- That vehicle is a rolling treasure chest
For physical evidence.
- Underneath the driver's seat,
I'd find a used cigarette butt.
- And that cigarette butt, he might have his dna on it.
I was reviewing surveillance video,
I'm realizing this is my guy.
- We thought, "do identical twins truly have the same dna?"
(driving dramatic music)
(gunshot)
(tense music)
(siren wailing)
(upbeat techno music)
- [narrator] while the city of atlanta
Is known for its music, its food, and its vibrant diversity,
It is also home to a robust military community
Centered around the vast dobbins air force base
Just north of town.
- Dobbins air force base is an institution
In the metro atlanta area.
- Dobbins is like its own small city
With more than 2,500 reservists
From all four branches of the military.
- The military community in atlanta is very diverse.
We come from all walks of life.
It's a family away from home.
- [narrator] but on July 18th, 2008,
Just down the road from the base,
Gwinnett county police are pressed into service
By a senseless tragedy.
- On Friday, July 18th around 9 p.M.,
Gwinnett county communications 911 one received a call.
- At the time, the gwinnett place mall was a very busy mall
And there was a police officer on patrol
Right near the location.
And there were frantic individuals
Saying that they heard an apparent gunshot.
(siren wailing)
So he was able to get to the crime scene pretty quickly,
In less than two minutes.
- When officer guck arrives, he finds the victim
With an apparent gunshot wound to her chest area.
So he takes a glove, tapes it to help the wound,
And then, shortly after the medics arrive on scene,
And rush her to the hospital.
Unfortunately, the female
Did not have any identification on her.
So it starts the case off with her being a jane doe.
- The officer radios for detectives
And crime scene techs to come out to the location.
Then he finds the person that made the 911 caller,
Who happened to be a bus driver.
- She said she was sitting in the bus
Adjacent to the parking lot outside the mall area,
So she did observe
A male approached the driver's side of the car,
Yelled, "bitch, (bleep)," opened the door,
Fired a single shot and pulled the victim out of the car,
Got in the vehicle and drove away.
- At the time, she knew it was a gold-colored vehicle
But was unable to provide the license plate.
- But she did provide a description of the suspect.
She described him as a black male,
Approximately six feet tall, between 40 and 50 years of age.
She described him carrying a black duffel bag
And he's wearing a white softball shirt
With the green sleeves.
- [narrator] as officers finished taking
The bus driver's statement, detectives arrive on scene.
- The scene was basically the gwinnett mall
And adjacent was a parking lot, where she was shot.
There was a pool of blood located at that location,
But there was no vehicle,
So it was a very limited crime scene.
And I remember thinking this could be domestic-related,
Based on the fact that there was a verbal argument.
At that point, I had personnel go to the hospital
To check on the victim.
That's when I learned
That about an hour after the shooting occurred,
She succumbed from the gunshot wounds that she suffered.
- This was just a real tragedy,
And we were gonna grind and continue to do whatever we could
To get the person responsible.
- At that point, I had the officer take a photograph of her
To help identify who she was.
And then I let all dispatch operators
Know the victim's description
As well as the description of the vehicle.
- [narrator] as police work on identifying the victim
And tracking down her car,
Investigators at the scene of the crime
Search for forensic leads.
- At the time, the main crime scene is her vehicle
And my crime scene drove away.
(suspenseful music)
I need that vehicle.
(two percussive hits)
There was just a pool of blood.
And I start looking for firearms, fired casings.
But in this instance, we did not find any casings.
The next thing that I did was collect blood samples
And I transport them
Back to gwinnett county police headquarters,
Crime scene investigations unit for further processing.
- [narrator] the parking lot area is mostly empty,
So as csi searches for more evidence,
Detectives fan out to see if anyone further down the street
Or in the nearby businesses may have seen anything.
- Naturally, one of the biggest things we do
Is conduct a canvass.
But the canvass did not turn up anything.
The only sole person that saw everything was the bus driver.
We really needed to gather more evidence.
And obviously there is surveillance at the mall,
However it's getting late into the evening hours.
It will take us several days to get that footage.
- [narrator] with the scene
Yielding very few pieces of evidence,
Investigators need more information on the victim
Or the missing car.
- We pretty much wrapped up the processing of the scene
Approximately 1 a.M, and then maybe an hour.
I get a phone call from gwinnett county police dispatch
Saying they just got a call about a missing person.
- Couple hours earlier, a woman named camelia coleman
Said that her sister, genai coleman
Was in the area of gwinnett place mall
Waiting to pick up her daughter,
Who was working at a nearby restaurant,
And that she never surfaced
So they were concerned about her whereabouts.
Mrs. Coleman described her sister
As a 40-year-old black woman
And further said that it was very unlike genai.
She was very responsible, very regimented.
- Camelia said genai was driving a gold-colored vehicle.
She had described her height, her weight, her race.
And based on all those factors,
I believe this was indeed gonna be the victim.
So I contacted my partner to meet me at the residence
To speak with ms. Coleman.
We arrived at the residence, made contact with ms. Camelia.
And as we walk into the home, I notice a refrigerator,
Then I notice a photograph of a woman.
And as soon as I see the photograph,
I'm pretty certain that's gonna be my victim
Just based on the photograph I received from the hospital.
(unsettling music) (monitor beeping)
So I have that balance now between giving ms. Camelia
The information that her sister's deceased
And also trying to get as much information.
- Camelia described her
As driving a gold-colored dodge stratus
And was able to provide us
With the actual license plate of the vehicle,
Which was extremely helpful.
- The bus driver
Said she was driving a gold-colored vehicle,
So I realized at this point in time
That I had to explain the situation to her,
Where genai was, why she didn't make it home,
Why she didn't pick up her daughter.
So I provided her a photograph from the hospital
And she identified her as genai coleman, her sister.
And camelia broke down.
She was totally upset, distraught.
I felt really bad for her at the time.
It was, you know, sobering
To have to watch someone go through that.
(somber music)
- [narrator] as the shocking loss sets in for camelia,
She calls genai's daughter
To inform her of her mother's death.
- When my mom was murdered,
I was almost due to have her grandchild.
And when my aunt told me what had happened,
I didn't believe it, honestly. At first I didn't.
So I called her, my mom,
'cause she always picks up my calls,
And there was no answer.
And it hit me then that, yeah, my mom's no longer here.
- Genai coleman was a religious woman.
She was very active in her church.
She was a teacher and had aspirations
To open her own school back in indiana, where she grew up.
And she also was a reservist from the navy,
Attached to dobbins air force base.
- She recently completed her military training
To be certified as an mp, which, in civilian terms,
Would just be a military police officer.
- Genai was very passionate.
She loved the culture of the navy.
- [jones] she was a single mom and on her own,
Having adopted three daughters out of foster care.
- My relationship with my mom was wonderful.
And I would say my mom is a super mom
'cause she would try to carry everything and do it all.
She always had a open hand.
If you ever needed anything, you can go to her,
Talk to her for whatever, it don't matter.
My mom was always the person
That would listen and not judge.
- She served her country and she loved her lord,
And she was an absolute innocent victim.
- It was just a real tragedy.
And if there was ever a case
We wanted to solve and make right, this would be it.
(tense suspenseful music)
- [narrator] camelia said she has no idea
Who would want to kill her sister.
So after investigators leave her house
In the early morning hours,
They forward genai coleman's license plate
To all local dispatches,
Hoping for anything that can help track down
Their most important piece of evidence, genai's car.
- Detective cruz gets back to gwinnett county
And the police station, he settles in at his desk
And contemplates his next move.
That's when he gets a call from the forest park police.
Genai coleman's car has been found.
- Because of the lack of evidence
That we had at the scene,
That vehicle is a rolling treasure chest
For physical evidence.
(dramatic music)
- Genai brought the baby to his house,
That makes him one of the last people to see her alive.
- She always gave all of herself.
- I was reviewing surveillance video that was collected.
And while I'm watching it, I'm realizing this is my guy.
(tense music)
(upbeat rhythmic music)
- [narrator] just 12 hours
After the murder of naval reservist, genai coleman,
Shot in her vehicle in a mall parking lot
Just outside of atlanta,
Investigators have located her stolen car
And hope it might contain evidence
That will lead them to her killer.
- Following that information,
Myself and detective victor immediately drove over to
Where the vehicle was
In forest park,
Which is about a
45-minute drive.
The car was parked in the parking lot of a plaza.
Finding the car sparked a plethora of possibilities.
It might have fingerprints for dna or even the weapon used.
We checked the dumpsters in the surrounding area,
Thinking maybe the guy dumped the weapon in a dumpster,
But we find nothing.
I thought, okay, hopefully in the car we'll find something.
- We looked in the window, we didn't see anything.
We wanna make sure we're meticulous
In handling any potential evidence that may be in the car,
And so we get that vehicle secured and transported back
To the gwinnett county police department
So that it could be further processed.
- The next day, I am looking for latent fingerprints, dna,
And I was able to obtain multiple latent lifts
From the driver's side exterior,
And then I searched the inside.
I did not find fired casings inside the car,
And just a little blood.
However, when I photograph
Underneath the driver's seat of the vehicle,
(dark music)
I did find a used cigarette butt.
(dark music continues)
- At this point, we wanted to know
Whether or not genai coleman was a smoker
Or anybody in her family was.
We, of course, immediately started talking to the family
And we learned that genai was not a smoker.
She did not allow anyone to smoke in her car.
- That cigarette butt might have his dna on it.
(dramatic music hit)
- [narrator] detectives send off the fingerprints
And the cigarette butt for comparison
To local and federal databases,
Which could take weeks or even months.
In the meantime, investigators asked genai's family
Who else she was close to,
To get a better sense of who would commit such a brutal
And seemingly personal crime.
- Speaking with family, they said that genai
Did have someone she spoke to frequently.
She met him in the military, which was joel.
This case initially appeared to be domestic-related
And this could be the suspect.
So I reached out to him on the telephone.
- I was in my barracks room
When detective cruz called me and broke the news,
That she got shot in her car.
I was just mind-blown and sad.
Genai coleman was a unique individual, a special person.
We were very, very close friends
And we met while serving in the navy.
At the time, there was an age difference.
But the idea of potentially
Getting romantically involved was discussed.
- When I called and spoke to joel, he was upset.
He explained to me that they first developed a relationship,
But they were not together.
He told me that it turned into a friendship.
At this point, I'm thinkin',
Did he have an alibi for that evening,
Because to me that crime,
Initially it looked like it was a domestic dispute.
I asked him if he was in the area of gwinnett county
At the time of the murder.
He said, "I'm not even in the country."
- At the time, I was stationed in japan.
- I was able to verify he was out of the country
At the time of the murder.
And in so doing, I eliminated him as a suspect in the case.
- After I told him that I had been in japan,
He asked me if I knew of any potential people
Who might have been involved in the murder.
And I just told him that I wasn't aware
Of anything like that.
- [narrator] while joel doesn't have specific knowledge
Of anyone who meant genai harm,
He does offer up a potential lead.
- In talking to joel, he mentioned an individual
By the name patrick white, who apparently
Is one of genai coleman's daughter's boyfriend.
- Genai's daughter had gotten pregnant by patrick white.
The relationship ended
And that the situation created a lot of tension
Around the family and created a lot of drama.
- Because now there could be obviously some issues there.
It was very important for us to speak to patrick white
As soon as possible.
- [narrator] detective cruz immediately follows up
With genai's daughter, felicia,
About her child's father, patrick white.
- In speaking to felicia,
We also learned there was times where the kid
Had to be taken back and forth.
That was typically done through genai
As kinda the mediator with the child.
- Felicia also tells detective cruz
That just hours before the murder,
Genai coleman brought the baby to patrick white's house,
That makes patrick white one of the last people
To see her alive.
(dramatic music)
(tense music)
- [narrator] gwinnett county detectives
Investigating the murder of navy reservist, genai coleman,
Shot in a mall parking lot just outside of atlanta
While waiting to pick up her daughter,
Have just learned that the last person
To potentially see genai
Was her daughter felicia's estranged ex-boyfriend,
Patrick white.
- We reached out to patrick white two days after the murder.
In talking to him, we learned,
Although there was a problematic relationship
Between him and felicia,
He actually thought very highly of genai.
- He explained she was a loving person, very religious.
He had nothing but good things to say about her.
He was very adamant
That he had absolutely nothing to do with it.
- And specifically to that day,
His account was that he got the baby from genai,
Which she normally would do.
She appeared to be good.
And then he met with his mom.
They went to go have some mexican food for dinner
And retired back to their house.
We later learned, through the mother and his brothers,
That the accounts that he gave us actually checked out.
- So looking at his alibi and my conversation with him,
I ruled him out as a suspect in this case.
- [narrator] now five days into the investigation,
With patrick white cleared
And forensic results from the cigarette butt
And fingerprints still months from being processed,
Detectives are running short on leads.
Their only glimmer of hope
Is a mountain of surveillance footage
That just came in from the area of the crime scene.
- At this point, I was reviewing surveillance video
From earlier in the evening,
About seven o'clock on the night of the murder,
At the quiktrip adjacent to the murder scene.
And while I'm watching it,
I just see a guy and he comes in.
(tense music)
Initially at the crime scene,
The witness described the killer was a black male,
Between 40 and 50 years of age,
And he's wearing a white softball shirt
With the green sleeve,
The same shirt described by witnesses.
He meets the age, the height, the weight,
And the characteristics in addition to the outfit.
And so now I start feverishly going through the video.
And in doing so, I watched him come into that store
On at least three occasions.
During the course of about two hours
The night of the murder,
He purchased alcohol on two occasions
And then he purchased a pack of cigarettes at the store.
- [store clerk] longs?
- He orders bronson light longs.
So I go online, I start looking at photos
Of bronson light longs,
Compare it to the photograph of the cigarette butt
That was in the car, and it was exactly the same.
At that point, I'm realizing this is my guy.
This is the guy who did the murder.
(urgent dramatic music)
But now the dilemma is identifying who the male is
And why were they there that night.
- [narrator] momentum is building in the case.
And with the killer still on the loose,
Investigators waste no time trying to uncover his identity.
- Since the facts of this case
Initially appeared to be domestic-related,
We needed to find out if he knew genai.
So my next hope is to see
If the family members recognize the male.
So I showed them the video,
Asked them if they recognized the male,
The voice, or his stature.
They say, "we don't know who that is."
- After that interview, we showed it
To several of the local business owners.
We thought maybe someone could help us identify
The individual that was in those video clips,
But they did not recognize the individual as well.
- At that point, we kinda start gettin' frustrated,
But there was nothing more we could do at the time.
(contemplative music)
- [narrator] with no witnesses or family members
Able to identify the man in the surveillance footage,
Investigators decide to turn to the media.
- All new at six, police think that video from a gas station
Could be the key in an unsolved murder.
And tonight, channel two has that video.
- We put that information onto the news
Through metro atlanta.
They released the video from the quiktrip.
Family members did an interview with the news media.
- She always gave all of herself, always.
Even to her death she always gave all of herself.
- I figured somebody would recognize him.
But on this particular case, it led to nothing.
It was disheartening.
- We were unable to identify this individual,
Which is troubling and concerning to us.
So at that point, we needed to make a crucial decision
On our next step.
- [narrator] now four weeks since genai's murder,
With potentially months of time to wait
For dna results on the cigarette
And surveillance footage yielding no names,
The team is running out of leads,
And genai's family and friends remain desperate for answers.
- Genai's friends in the military,
We were just very saddened by the news, very gloomy.
There wasn't much to say
Because there weren't a lot of details of what happened.
It was hard to process.
And I wanted, and her loved ones wanted,
For there to be closure and for there to be justice.
- At the time of the funeral,
I was unable to attend because I went in labor
And I had my baby in st. Louis.
I've wanted her to be around.
It was hard raising my son the first year,
'cause being a first-time mother is not the easiest thing.
But she could've guided me.
It was hard.
I guess I was angry.
My mom was not here, he get to breathe every day,
But I have to go on with life.
(emotional music)
- [narrator] finally, nearly 13 months after
Genai coleman was ruthlessly murdered in her vehicle,
Investigators get the break they've been waiting for.
- August 6th, 2009, just over a year later
From when genai was murdered,
Detective cruz got a call from gbi.
- So I'm notified by the crime lab
That they received a dna hit from the cigarette butt.
(percussive hits)
And that gives you a jolt of energy,
'cause now you know that's the person who did it.
(suspenseful dramatic music)
When he exited the location, the team took him into custody.
- We kept, you know, hittin' him with facts.
You know, we have your dna.
And he's like, "yeah, so what?"
- You go, "wait a sec.
Do identical twins truly have the same dna?"
(suspenseful music continues)
(tense music)
(upbeat rhythmic music)
- [narrator] after months of waiting for results
From the federal dna database,
Gwinnett county investigators finally get a dna hit
From the most important piece
Of physical evidence they have,
A cigarette butt found in naval reservist
Genai coleman's car.
- I'm notified by the crime lab
That they received a dna hit from the cigarette butt.
They said the dna matched with a donald e. Smith.
The jolt of energy.
So I started doing the research,
Find out he matched the surveillance footage.
He was a black male, approximately six feet tall,
Between 40 and 50 years of age.
And I found out that he had prior convictions
For violent crimes.
(tense music)
- Previously, donald had been charged with an armed robbery,
A burglary, and as a result of that
It made him a definite suspect,
As somebody capable of committing this crime.
- I'm thinking at this point in time, this is my guy.
- [narrator] with donald smith
Identified through dna as their prime suspect,
The team now focuses on tracking him down.
- Following up on police reports,
I established an incident that occurred recently
At legal sea foods, which is a location in atlanta
Where he recently worked.
- He wasn't actually charged with the one at legal sea food,
But he threatened the manager.
So detective cruz immediately followed up
With that location.
- I show surveillance photos and video to coworkers.
And in so doing, several of them identified
The individual in the video as donald.
- [narrator] and employees there are also labeled to provide
A potentially vital piece of information.
- I was able to get the phone number
From an application for his job at legal sea foods.
A few days later, cell phone records came back
As being active in the area of the murder scene
At the time of the murder.
I'm thinking this is great. I was excited.
- [jones] we had the dna evidence, the phone records,
The video surveillance.
- So if we begin to process,
Get a search warrant for his fingerprints
To compare it to the fingerprints
That were recovered from the vehicle.
- And we had enough at that point
To detain him and bring him in.
- [narrator] with the evidence piling up,
Investigators get a warrant for donald smith's arrest
In February of 2010, 18 months after genai coleman's murder.
- Detective cruz started trying to follow up
On where donald stayed.
But we learned that he was a transient.
- He would stay at a shelter,
Or that he would move at another location,
Or he'd stay with a friend.
So it was very difficult in tracking him,
Until some former coworkers of him at legal sea foods
Were able to identify where he picked up his mail.
We learned that he picked up his mail
At a specific location once a week.
So we had to establish surveillance on that location.
(tense music)
We staked out the area.
And when he exited the location,
The team took him into custody
And then took him and drove him back
To gwinnett county police headquarters for an interview.
- He ultimately asked, you know, "what is this about?"
Like, "what am I being charged with?"
And they told him it was for the murder of genai coleman.
And he was like, "absolutely not. It was not me.
I'll talk to you.
I didn't have anything to do with a murder."
- And he was very adamant that he wasn't at the scene
When it occurred.
So I explained all the mountain of evidence
That was available.
(dark music)
- We believed mr. Smith is the guy who did the murder
Based on the collection of evidence.
So I'm thinking at this point in time
He isn't telling the truth.
- Throughout the interview,
We kept, you know, hittin' him with facts.
You know, "we have your dna."
And he's like, "yeah, so what?"
And I was like, "what is up with this guy?
What do you mean? We got your dna?"
And he was adamant.
- So we show him the video.
We show him the video from the quiktrip.
- Smith is so insistent on his innocence, and so relaxed,
That now detectives start having second thoughts.
They're wondering maybe they've got an innocent man
Or maybe there's just an innocent explanation
As to why that cigarette butt was in the car.
- So I explained that we had cell phone records.
Cell phone records came back
As being active in the area of the crime scene.
We also show that that phone number
Was used on an application for his job.
- Donald says to detective cruz they were identical twins.
- When we heard that he had an identical twin brother,
You kinda get thrown back, you know?
Like, is this for real?
Because now it could be either one of 'em.
(suspenseful music)
(tense music)
(upbeat rhythmic music)
- [narrator] gwinnett county investigators
Are speaking with donald smith,
Whose dna matches the sample taken from a cigarette
Found in homicide victim genai coleman's stolen vehicle.
But donald has an explanation
For his dna being found on scene.
He has an identical twin brother named ronald,
And it could've come from him.
- [detective] okay.
- During the interview with donald, he says,
"the individual in the video is my twin brother, ronald."
But he gave very limited information.
He didn't wanna talk anymore.
So we focus our attention now on ronald.
- At this point, we felt pretty comfortable
Leaving donald in custody
Based on all the probable cause we had now developed.
But after the interview, one of the things
That immediately comes to mind to us is,
"do identical twins truly have the same dna?"
- And we learned with identical twins,
Your dna is the same.
What was significant, however,
They do not have the
Same fingerprints.
- [narrator] donald's fingerprints are sent to the lab
To be compared with a print lifted from genai's vehicle,
Which could take a few days.
In the meantime, the team seeks out other ways
Of determining which twin is responsible for the murder.
(intriguing music)
- Genai coleman had been fatally shot and murdered,
And it could be either one of 'em.
My concern then was since
They're identical twins,
We just don't know who is in that video.
The only person that could really help identify
Those people in the video
Would be someone that's close to him.
And time is not our friend.
- Detective cruz and other investigators
Went to talk to his parents,
And they immediately identified the person in the video
As being their son ronald smith, and not donald.
At that point, the parents called him
And he had agreed to meet detectives
At his parents' house.
- He agrees to meet the following day.
We then have two detectives dispatched to the address.
- And so when he arrived on scene, we arrested ronald.
Ronald was brought up to headquarters for an interview,
And we took fingerprints
Because we wanted to do immediate comparisons.
- [narrator] ronald's prints are sent off
To be compared with the prints found in the car.
Investigators then sit him down for a formal interrogation.
- At first he asked what it was about,
Why were we there, what was going on?
So detective restrepo explained to him what was going on,
What the case is, that a murder happened in gwinnett county.
And we explained all the mountain of evidence
That was available.
- And we told him, at that point in time,
We know it's either him or his brother.
- And, you know, he's like, "my brother didn't do it.
He's innocent. You gotta let him go."
- [narrator] detective restrepo steps outside with ronald.
And as he tries to build a rapport with a suspect,
He notices something interesting.
- Detective restrepo observed
That he got his pack of cigarettes out
And actually smoked bronson light longs.
(tense music)
And detective restrepo picked up the cigarette.
- And they come back inside
And he shows me the cigarette butt.
And I pull out a crime scene photo from genai's vehicle.
It's an identical match.
- [narrator] before heading back
Into the interrogation room,
Investigators get a call from the csi team.
The fingerprint comparison is in.
- Donald's fingerprints were negative
To the fingerprints that were on the outside of genai's car.
But we were able to
Get a definitive match
Of ronald's fingerprints.
- Now you know it's
Ronald and not donald.
And you can show factually with physical evidence
To the fact that it's different.
So now I needed ronald to talk.
I needed him to tell us what happened that night.
So I brought a picture of genai in there,
Then I explained the situation.
His fingerprints match.
And I took the photo out
And I just slid it across the table.
At that point, I left him with the photo and I left.
And then watching him on the monitor...
- He starts saying, "I'm sorry."
And he says, "beautiful."
And at that moment, I knew it was him.
(suspenseful music)
(tense music)
(upbeat rhythmic music)
- [narrator] gwinnett county detectives
Have just told ronald smith that his fingerprints
And dna were found in homicide victim
Genai coleman's stolen car.
After initially denying any involvement,
Ronald may be about to crack.
- I knew he was gonna communicate with us.
- After a little while, detectives came back in
And ronald just looked at them,
Put his hands on the table, and said...
(dramatic ambient music)
- I asked him why and like, "what happened?
Why did this happen?"
And he explained that he was drinking.
He needed a ride to atlanta.
- He stated during the conversation with genai,
She explained that she was a military police officer.
And he said she tried to plead with him
And he got frustrated.
He pointed the gun at her...
(gun fires) (gun casing clatters)
- He said it went off. He said he didn't mean to shoot her.
And I guess he's, in a sense,
Trying to minimize his involvement.
But the witness said they heard (bleep) (bleep).
That's what they heard.
And to me, that doesn't indicate a hair trigger,
An accident.
At that point, she was pulled from the vehicle.
And he stated he got in the vehicle
And then he drove to forest park.
He said he had the gun a while ago before that incident
And stashed it and hid it
Near a different bus station months later.
After that, ronald was taken into custody.
Donald was immediately released, all charges were dismissed.
- [narrator] as news about ronald smith's arrest spreads,
Those closest to genai coleman
Finally begin to get some closure for their loss.
- When I found out that the killer had been found,
I was extremely relieved.
I was extremely grateful.
And all I could do was just pray and thank god.
(somber music)
- My aunt lynn had told me that they caught someone.
I was happy, but at the same time, my mom was not here,
He get to breathe every day.
So it was hard.
- [narrator] ronald smith is charged with felony murder
For the fatal shooting of genai coleman.
He pleads not guilty.
- When we got ready for trial on this case,
One of the biggest hurdles
Was the fact that ronald actually changed his story.
He said his brother had actually killed genai.
- Anytime you come up with a defense
That could be confusing to a jury, it's a tense moment
Because he may be found not guilty of this.
- [narrator] on October 26th, 2012,
After a day of deliberation, the jury reaches a verdict.
- That day I was actually a little nervous and apprehensive,
But ultimately the jury found him guilty and convicted him.
(melancholic music)
- After ronald was convicted,
He was sentenced to a life sentence
Plus 25 years in confinement.
- Finally giving the family, in this case closure
Felt good, it felt worthwhile.
- Life in prison, I think that's justice.
But as far as that sentence,
Not being able to bring genai back,
It's something that I've had to wrestle with
And come to terms with, and it wasn't overnight.
- My mama was sitting there minding her own business,
Waiting on my little sister, and he took my mama.
So the hurt will always be there.
- [narrator] while ronald smith
Will spend the rest of his life behind bars,
Genai coleman's family must now learn to adjust
To a world without her.
- Where I stand right now is I've learned to accept it
And be just grateful for having the opportunity
To have gotten to know her.
I'm grateful for the gift that she was to the world.
- The effect that it had on my life
When my mom was murdered was big.
My life would be a lot different if she would still be here.
My son and her other two grandkids that she never met
Would know who their grandmother is.
The world should know about genai coleman,
That she was a wonderful person
And she was a perfect mother.
(emotional music)
(bright music)