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♪
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NARRATOR:
Fifteen-year-old Candice Parchment
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was obsessed with her diary.
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It held her dreams, her secrets.
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- She wanted to be a writer.
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She would always be documenting her life,
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her thoughts, what she wanted to do.
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NARRATOR:
But on April 28th, 2010,
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Candice goes missing.
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♪
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Everyone at her high school in shock.
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♪
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MY'LIK HAMLETT:
There's so many rumors.
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Speculation that came from nothing.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
Weeks go by. Months.
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Then...
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MY'LIK:
The detectives knocked on the door
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and they told me they found
the human remains of Candice.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
But...
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♪
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[telephone ringing]
...a voice from the grave.
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♪
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MY'LIK:
He said, "I found Candice's diary."
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NARRATOR:
And the truth is awful.
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♪
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♪ theme music playing ♪
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MAN 1:
She solved her own murder
from beyond the grave.
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MAN 2:
The fitness app on the phone,
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it was overwhelming evidence.
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♪ I've been haunted by the visions ♪
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♪ That I've seen with my own eyes ♪
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♪ And the only way to find you ♪
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♪ Is to go beneath the lies ♪
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♪
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MAN:
She did help catch this killer.
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♪
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♪
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NARRATOR:
I want to tell you a story,
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and it's far from a fairytale.
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It's a story that takes place in 2010,
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just outside Atlanta.
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A little place
you probably never heard of,
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called Forest Park.
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♪
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MY'LIK:
When I moved to Forest Park,
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it was a nice suburb.
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Not too much crime.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
It's a nice place.
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That's why My'Lik
and everyone at Forest Park High...
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[school bell ringing]
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...couldn't believe it when their friend,
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fifteen-year-old Candice Parchment,
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goes missing.
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♪
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Within six hours,
Candice's mother gets concerned
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and contacts the police.
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MY'LIK:
The last time I remember seeing Candice,
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she had a bag of Hot Cheetos.
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She put a few of 'em in my mouth.
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She had fed me.
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We were in school.
Everything was happy.
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That was the last day I-I-I ever seen her.
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MAN:
This is Captain Gandee interview,
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color mark.
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CAPTAIN RICHARD GANDEE:
I was the commander
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of the major felony unit
of the Clayton County Police Department.
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♪
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On April 28th in 2010,
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Candice goes missing.
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And her mom reports this
to Clayton County Police
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and they file an incident report.
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NARRATOR:
Candice's friends and family
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get more and more worried as time passes.
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MY'LIK:
I was contacting her
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and she wasn't responding
and stuff like that.
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[chimes]
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I would post Facebook messages
and put it on her wall
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and just, "Tell me something,
let me know you're okay."
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[chimes]
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♪
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"Just let me know you're okay."
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And nothing. Nothing.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
Candice just disappears,
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and her absence is felt.
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♪ vocalizing ♪
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You see, everyone liked Candice.
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♪
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Candice is clever, bright eyes, big smile.
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The kind of girl that attracts attention
at Forest Park High School.
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The kinda girl
that might make other girls jealous.
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♪
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MY'LIK:
First time I met Candice
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was actually in the gym class.
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I was really interested in knowing like,
"Okay, what makes this girl stand out?
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What makes everyone wanna be around her?"
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She explained to me
her family was from Jamaica
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and that they had
recently migrated here to Georgia.
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♪
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We hit it off right then and there.
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♪
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She wanted to be a writer.
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Journalism, poetry, or music.
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Me, personally, music is in my blood.
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I was daily recording music.
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Candice was
one of my biggest fans even then,
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so she became a great friend of mine.
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♪
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She would always be jotting down
in this composition book,
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documenting her life so to speak,
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everything that she seen,
her thoughts, what she wanted to do.
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♪ Got the world on my fingertips ♪
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Candice would always say,
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"We came to America
to make a better opportunity for us.
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"I'm gonna take care of my family.
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I'm gonna be somebody."
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♪
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NARRATOR: I wish I could say
Candice got what she wanted.
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But this ain't that kinda story.
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♪ ominous music playing ♪
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♪
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When Candice goes missing
on April 28th, 2010,
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her loved ones worry that law enforcement
doesn't share their concern.
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- The police officers told
Candice's family, friends,
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"Girls like this
always do things like this.
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Girls like this always run away."
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♪
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Like, girls like what?
What do you mean, girls like what?
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I would love to know.
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Feel free to contact me
and let me know what that meant.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
But on the day she goes missing,
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there is hope.
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♪
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- And later that day,
Candice's mother received a text message
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from Candice's phone.
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♪
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The next day,
Candice's mom gets another text.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
But these texts,
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they don't really seem like Candice
to those who know her.
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♪
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MY'LIK:
Her mom never believed it.
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Like, "Nah, there's no way
my daughter's in Tennessee."
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What would make you think
that this young girl ran away,
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sent one text message to her mom
saying, "I'm in Tennessee,"
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took no clothes, took any necessary items?
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She's 15 years old,
doesn't have any money,
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doesn't have any job.
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It doesn't too much work like that.
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♪
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NARRATOR:
But maybe there's a way to clear that up.
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If Candice ran 200 miles
away to Tennessee,
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her phone records would show
that's where the text was sent from.
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But no.
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Over a month goes by
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before investigators
follow up on the text.
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CAPTAIN GANDEE:
On June 2nd, 2010,
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a detective files a subpoena request
for Kansas phone records.
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And we didn't ever did hear anything back
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from the phone company.
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NARRATOR:
They'll need to follow up
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on the phone records.
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Meanwhile, new cases continue to pour in.
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- When Candice was reported missing,
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we were averaging probably
30 to 40 runaway reports a month.
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And just trying to manage
runaways being located
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and clearing them and taking new reports.
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This takes time and a lot of money.
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♪ Dead in the water I circle the truth ♪
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NARRATOR:
Seven months go by since she's been gone,
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and it feels like forever.
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And then, a call comes in.
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♪
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[line beeps]
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OPERATOR:
9-1-1, what's your emergency?
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MAN: [over phone]
I'm not sure, but I think
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we might have found something,
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something human.
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♪
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♪
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NARRATOR:
It's November 24th, 2010.
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A body is found.
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♪
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In Candice Parchment's neighborhood,
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00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:28,383
just a few hundred yards from her house.
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♪
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00:08:30,802 --> 00:08:33,263
Remember when I said
this isn't a fairy tale?
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It's true.
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But there are good people in the story.
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MAN:
Ashley Melvin. Take one.
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DETECTIVE ASHLEY MELVIN:
My full name is Ashley Melvin.
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I was a homicide detective
in Clayton County.
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00:08:48,862 --> 00:08:52,407
In November 2010, I was the new kid.
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00:08:53,367 --> 00:08:54,826
Captain said, "Hey, rookie, you're up.
199
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Found a body in the woods."
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[echoing]
...body in the woods.
201
00:08:58,872 --> 00:09:01,375
[siren wailing in distance]
202
00:09:01,375 --> 00:09:03,210
I jumped in my car
and I head to Forest Park.
203
00:09:05,170 --> 00:09:06,421
It was on Sylvia Drive.
204
00:09:07,089 --> 00:09:09,258
I was nervous, and, uh,
205
00:09:09,258 --> 00:09:12,052
yeah, I did have butterflies
in my stomach.
206
00:09:12,052 --> 00:09:13,303
[police radio chatter]
[siren wails]
207
00:09:13,804 --> 00:09:15,931
I was directed toward the wooden path,
208
00:09:16,807 --> 00:09:18,600
just to the left of the dumpster.
209
00:09:19,685 --> 00:09:21,520
And it's a little cut through.
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00:09:21,520 --> 00:09:23,438
♪
211
00:09:26,358 --> 00:09:31,738
♪
212
00:09:31,738 --> 00:09:33,740
Start going through the wooden path.
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00:09:33,740 --> 00:09:36,368
♪
214
00:09:36,368 --> 00:09:39,329
You could tell people have been
using it for years probably.
215
00:09:39,329 --> 00:09:41,665
♪
216
00:09:41,665 --> 00:09:44,042
Patrol officers were there standing by
with the crime scene tape.
217
00:09:44,918 --> 00:09:46,545
[police radio chatter echoing]
218
00:09:46,545 --> 00:09:50,424
♪
219
00:09:51,133 --> 00:09:52,759
And I looked down,
220
00:09:54,261 --> 00:09:56,471
and there was... th-there was a body.
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00:09:56,471 --> 00:10:00,017
♪
222
00:10:00,017 --> 00:10:01,560
Not in a conventional sense of a body.
223
00:10:01,560 --> 00:10:02,686
It was a skeleton.
224
00:10:02,686 --> 00:10:05,272
♪
225
00:10:05,272 --> 00:10:08,066
This is literally the first time
I've actually seen a skeleton.
226
00:10:08,066 --> 00:10:13,572
♪
227
00:10:13,572 --> 00:10:16,742
Just seeing someone's bones,
this-this was a person.
228
00:10:16,742 --> 00:10:21,788
♪
229
00:10:21,788 --> 00:10:22,873
[camera shutter clicks]
230
00:10:23,790 --> 00:10:25,626
NARRATOR:
The body is so decomposed,
231
00:10:26,668 --> 00:10:29,546
but investigators are hopeful
232
00:10:29,546 --> 00:10:32,049
that there will be some obvious marker,
233
00:10:32,049 --> 00:10:34,259
some clue to tell them who this is.
234
00:10:34,259 --> 00:10:35,594
[camera shutter clicks]
235
00:10:35,594 --> 00:10:36,887
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
We don't have any ID.
236
00:10:36,887 --> 00:10:38,013
There was no wallet.
There was no purse.
237
00:10:38,013 --> 00:10:40,307
There was nothing
to signify who the body was.
238
00:10:41,016 --> 00:10:42,518
[camera shutter clicks]
239
00:10:42,518 --> 00:10:44,269
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
We did find a earring
240
00:10:44,269 --> 00:10:46,688
and the jacket was still there.
241
00:10:46,688 --> 00:10:48,690
Was kinda like a snakeskin.
242
00:10:48,690 --> 00:10:49,608
[camera shutter clicks]
243
00:10:49,608 --> 00:10:52,152
The T-shirt was a Stay Fresh T-shirt.
244
00:10:52,152 --> 00:10:53,028
[camera shutter clicks]
245
00:10:54,988 --> 00:10:56,615
♪
246
00:10:56,615 --> 00:10:58,951
NARRATOR:
Investigators use the clothing
247
00:10:58,951 --> 00:11:00,327
to try to identify the body.
248
00:11:01,161 --> 00:11:04,414
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
We started checking the social media.
249
00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:06,124
♪
250
00:11:06,124 --> 00:11:12,005
We found a picture
that matched the jacket that we found.
251
00:11:13,715 --> 00:11:16,385
I mean, it was almost a perfect match.
252
00:11:17,010 --> 00:11:19,388
Scaly leather,
253
00:11:20,055 --> 00:11:21,557
uh, rhinestones.
254
00:11:21,557 --> 00:11:25,727
♪
255
00:11:25,727 --> 00:11:28,063
- The body that was recovered that day
256
00:11:28,063 --> 00:11:29,481
was Candice Parchment.
257
00:11:30,357 --> 00:11:33,777
♪
258
00:11:33,777 --> 00:11:35,279
[police radio chatter]
259
00:11:35,279 --> 00:11:37,739
NARRATOR:
News of the tragic discovery
260
00:11:37,739 --> 00:11:40,409
soon reaches Candice's loved ones.
261
00:11:40,409 --> 00:11:42,327
- I broke down in tears.
262
00:11:42,327 --> 00:11:43,370
I couldn't believe it.
263
00:11:43,370 --> 00:11:46,248
♪ Close your eyes ♪
264
00:11:46,748 --> 00:11:49,501
She was just stuffed
underneath the mattress, you know.
265
00:11:49,501 --> 00:11:53,255
♪ It just keeps crashing down ♪
266
00:11:53,255 --> 00:11:56,967
♪
267
00:11:56,967 --> 00:11:58,218
- We went to her mother's house.
268
00:11:58,218 --> 00:12:02,014
♪ Shut it all the way ♪
269
00:12:02,014 --> 00:12:03,640
She asked, "Did you find my baby?"
270
00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:06,852
♪ Don't let me drown ♪
271
00:12:06,852 --> 00:12:08,729
♪ I tried to... ♪
272
00:12:08,729 --> 00:12:10,564
Yeah, that was tough.
273
00:12:10,564 --> 00:12:13,233
♪ Oh, I tried to ♪
274
00:12:13,233 --> 00:12:16,486
♪ But I can't find you ♪
275
00:12:16,486 --> 00:12:17,988
I made a promise to Candice's mother.
276
00:12:17,988 --> 00:12:20,490
I said, "I don't know what took place,
277
00:12:20,490 --> 00:12:22,451
"but I'm gonna find out what happened.
278
00:12:22,451 --> 00:12:23,702
"And if someone did it to your daughter,
279
00:12:23,702 --> 00:12:25,495
I'm gonna find out who did it."
280
00:12:25,495 --> 00:12:28,207
♪ I can't find you ♪
281
00:12:28,207 --> 00:12:32,211
♪ But I can't find my peace of mind ♪
282
00:12:32,211 --> 00:12:35,422
♪
283
00:12:35,422 --> 00:12:37,925
NARRATOR: And the first thing
investigators have to do
284
00:12:37,925 --> 00:12:40,219
is figure out the cause of death.
285
00:12:40,802 --> 00:12:43,889
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
So the medical examiner
286
00:12:43,889 --> 00:12:47,684
ruled the death as a stab wound
to the chest.
287
00:12:48,977 --> 00:12:53,190
The manner of death
was determined to be a homicide.
288
00:12:53,190 --> 00:12:55,984
♪
289
00:12:55,984 --> 00:12:58,362
- So now I know I have my first homicide.
290
00:12:59,321 --> 00:13:01,782
And... it's scary.
291
00:13:02,574 --> 00:13:07,829
♪
292
00:13:07,829 --> 00:13:10,374
NARRATOR: Who would want to
kill a sweet girl like Candice?
293
00:13:10,374 --> 00:13:13,001
Investigators take to the streets
294
00:13:14,044 --> 00:13:15,712
to hunt down her killer.
295
00:13:15,712 --> 00:13:17,631
- We have teams out doing the canvassing.
296
00:13:19,550 --> 00:13:21,802
Did anybody see anything?
297
00:13:23,136 --> 00:13:24,513
- But no one knew anything.
298
00:13:24,513 --> 00:13:26,098
[school bell rings]
299
00:13:26,098 --> 00:13:28,141
NARRATOR:
Then, they turn to her school,
300
00:13:29,059 --> 00:13:30,143
Forest Park High.
301
00:13:30,811 --> 00:13:32,145
Candice was popular.
302
00:13:32,145 --> 00:13:33,605
She had many friends.
303
00:13:34,982 --> 00:13:38,318
Any of them
could know something, anything,
304
00:13:38,318 --> 00:13:41,321
and any of them
could have been capable of anything.
305
00:13:42,573 --> 00:13:44,157
Even My'Lik.
306
00:13:44,157 --> 00:13:46,493
- The detectives questioned me.
307
00:13:46,493 --> 00:13:49,913
They asked for my phone,
trying to see what text messages
308
00:13:49,913 --> 00:13:51,123
in between us.
309
00:13:51,665 --> 00:13:53,625
I believe they were
looking at me as though
310
00:13:53,625 --> 00:13:56,712
I might have
perpetrated the event or something.
311
00:13:56,712 --> 00:14:01,049
♪
312
00:14:01,049 --> 00:14:04,595
NARRATOR:
Could one of Candice's closest friends
313
00:14:04,595 --> 00:14:08,056
somehow be involved in her death?
314
00:14:08,056 --> 00:14:12,311
♪
315
00:14:14,313 --> 00:14:16,190
♪
316
00:14:16,190 --> 00:14:19,109
NARRATOR:
My'Lik Hamlett is now a person of interest
317
00:14:19,109 --> 00:14:20,819
in Candice Parchment's murder.
318
00:14:20,819 --> 00:14:22,487
♪
319
00:14:22,487 --> 00:14:24,781
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
And what we were doing
is called victimology.
320
00:14:24,781 --> 00:14:27,242
And that's learning the habits,
321
00:14:27,242 --> 00:14:29,661
the social workings of the victim.
322
00:14:29,661 --> 00:14:32,289
♪
323
00:14:32,289 --> 00:14:34,082
- "You wasting your time
looking at my phone,
324
00:14:34,082 --> 00:14:36,835
"trying to see
what text messages in between us.
325
00:14:36,835 --> 00:14:38,253
You wanna see what we talking about."
326
00:14:39,421 --> 00:14:41,298
NARRATOR:
As investigators continue
327
00:14:41,298 --> 00:14:43,884
to look at My'Lik and other friends...
328
00:14:43,884 --> 00:14:45,928
- Literally, no one knew anything.
329
00:14:47,054 --> 00:14:49,097
NARRATOR:
...everyone is a potential suspect.
330
00:14:49,890 --> 00:14:51,141
MY'LIK:
There are so many rumors.
331
00:14:51,141 --> 00:14:52,768
She ran away with a trucker.
332
00:14:52,768 --> 00:14:54,770
♪
333
00:14:54,770 --> 00:14:56,188
She was in Tennessee.
334
00:14:56,188 --> 00:15:00,400
♪
335
00:15:02,319 --> 00:15:05,197
NARRATOR:
But some of those rumors
were a little too real
336
00:15:05,197 --> 00:15:07,783
and hit a little too close to home.
337
00:15:07,783 --> 00:15:09,409
♪
338
00:15:09,409 --> 00:15:10,786
MY'LIK:
There was a rumor
339
00:15:10,786 --> 00:15:13,413
that there was a serial killer
in the area
340
00:15:13,956 --> 00:15:15,207
picking up people.
341
00:15:16,166 --> 00:15:19,711
♪
342
00:15:19,711 --> 00:15:21,672
NARRATOR:
Monica Ambriz disappeared
343
00:15:21,672 --> 00:15:23,882
on October 16th, 2010,
344
00:15:25,092 --> 00:15:26,426
just outside Atlanta.
345
00:15:27,469 --> 00:15:28,637
The girl was 17.
346
00:15:29,930 --> 00:15:32,641
They found her ten days later
in an abandoned building.
347
00:15:34,393 --> 00:15:35,352
Stabbed.
348
00:15:37,521 --> 00:15:40,858
And Detective Melvin
and his fellow investigators
349
00:15:41,525 --> 00:15:43,527
start to see similarities
350
00:15:43,527 --> 00:15:45,612
between Monica and Candice's cases.
351
00:15:45,612 --> 00:15:49,032
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
The victim is similar to Candice.
352
00:15:49,032 --> 00:15:50,742
♪
353
00:15:50,742 --> 00:15:53,829
Young girls, same vicinity,
both stabbed in the chest.
354
00:15:55,080 --> 00:15:57,666
NARRATOR:
There's one person investigators think
355
00:15:57,666 --> 00:15:59,126
could have killed the two young girls.
356
00:15:59,710 --> 00:16:01,295
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
Artemio Hernandez.
357
00:16:01,295 --> 00:16:02,588
He killed Monica...
358
00:16:03,964 --> 00:16:05,757
a 17-year-old girl,
359
00:16:05,757 --> 00:16:08,010
just a few weeks earlier in the same area,
360
00:16:09,094 --> 00:16:10,929
approximately two miles away.
361
00:16:12,097 --> 00:16:13,557
He did a lot of things.
362
00:16:13,557 --> 00:16:16,393
And if Candice was his first victim,
363
00:16:16,393 --> 00:16:18,937
then we had a serial killer
in our midst in Forest Park.
364
00:16:19,521 --> 00:16:23,442
♪
365
00:16:23,442 --> 00:16:24,943
NARRATOR:
Artemio Hernandez.
366
00:16:24,943 --> 00:16:28,405
Armed robbery, rape, murder.
367
00:16:29,406 --> 00:16:31,533
Did he kill Candice? Stab her?
368
00:16:32,326 --> 00:16:33,368
Just like he did to Monica?
369
00:16:33,368 --> 00:16:35,621
♪
370
00:16:35,621 --> 00:16:37,039
[telephone ringing]
371
00:16:37,039 --> 00:16:40,959
With the prime suspect in their sights,
investigators launch a plan.
372
00:16:42,085 --> 00:16:45,422
They put a request in
to DeKalb County Jail
373
00:16:45,422 --> 00:16:46,381
to interview Hernandez.
374
00:16:47,424 --> 00:16:50,427
And while they wait
for the request to come through,
375
00:16:50,427 --> 00:16:52,930
their focus shifts back
to Forest Park High
376
00:16:53,931 --> 00:16:55,516
and to Candice's friends,
377
00:16:56,850 --> 00:16:58,393
like My'Lik.
378
00:16:58,393 --> 00:17:00,354
♪
379
00:17:00,354 --> 00:17:01,813
MY'LIK:
"I didn't do anything wrong.
380
00:17:01,813 --> 00:17:04,233
Y'all are looking in the wrong place.
I love this girl."
381
00:17:04,233 --> 00:17:06,068
♪
382
00:17:06,068 --> 00:17:09,029
NARRATOR:
But after doing a thorough investigation,
383
00:17:09,947 --> 00:17:12,407
the detectives don't find
anything incriminating
384
00:17:12,991 --> 00:17:15,452
and My'Lik is removed
as a person of interest.
385
00:17:15,452 --> 00:17:18,038
♪
386
00:17:18,038 --> 00:17:19,998
- I never took offense to it
'cause I, you know,
387
00:17:19,998 --> 00:17:21,375
I knew what she meant to me.
388
00:17:21,375 --> 00:17:23,752
So, I never took offense to it.
389
00:17:23,752 --> 00:17:26,213
♪ It's all I ever wanted ♪
390
00:17:26,213 --> 00:17:29,091
♪ How could I run from you ♪
391
00:17:29,091 --> 00:17:35,097
♪ If all I ever wanted was you? ♪
392
00:17:36,306 --> 00:17:38,141
♪
393
00:17:38,141 --> 00:17:39,643
NARRATOR:
In August 2011,
394
00:17:39,643 --> 00:17:43,105
sixteen months
after Candice's disappearance,
395
00:17:43,105 --> 00:17:46,066
detectives receive authorization
396
00:17:46,066 --> 00:17:48,986
to speak with
convicted murderer Artemio Hernandez.
397
00:17:50,070 --> 00:17:53,031
- Hernandez is one of the guys
that if he did something,
398
00:17:53,031 --> 00:17:54,032
he would tell you.
399
00:17:55,117 --> 00:17:58,912
We made arrangements to speak with him
in the DeKalb County Jail.
400
00:18:00,414 --> 00:18:03,000
MAN: [over PA]
23-20. 23-20. You have a visitor.
401
00:18:03,000 --> 00:18:04,459
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
This is the big time.
402
00:18:04,459 --> 00:18:06,670
Hey, I'm gonna crack this thing wide open.
403
00:18:07,754 --> 00:18:12,509
I get there and we sit down
and we build a rapport with him.
404
00:18:12,509 --> 00:18:14,720
He wants to talk to us.
405
00:18:14,720 --> 00:18:16,763
I laid it out, like, this is what we got.
406
00:18:17,723 --> 00:18:19,183
Did you kill this girl?
407
00:18:19,183 --> 00:18:20,726
♪
408
00:18:20,726 --> 00:18:23,020
I showed Hernandez pictures of Candice.
409
00:18:24,104 --> 00:18:26,565
And he looked at the pictures and he said,
410
00:18:28,609 --> 00:18:30,277
"I never seen her before."
411
00:18:30,944 --> 00:18:32,738
He said, "I didn't do it.
412
00:18:32,738 --> 00:18:34,865
I did the other ones.
I didn't do that one."
413
00:18:34,865 --> 00:18:39,286
♪
414
00:18:39,286 --> 00:18:40,579
That took the wind out my sails.
415
00:18:40,579 --> 00:18:42,539
♪
416
00:18:42,539 --> 00:18:46,210
The guy who we just knew
was the killer said, "It wasn't me."
417
00:18:46,210 --> 00:18:47,878
And I got nothing to say that he was.
418
00:18:49,046 --> 00:18:52,591
In the back of our minds,
we still kept his name in there.
419
00:18:52,591 --> 00:18:53,717
But at this point in time,
420
00:18:53,717 --> 00:18:55,719
we didn't have any proof
that he was related to the case.
421
00:18:56,929 --> 00:19:00,933
♪
422
00:19:03,393 --> 00:19:05,103
NARRATOR:
More time goes by.
423
00:19:05,103 --> 00:19:06,313
No leads.
424
00:19:07,564 --> 00:19:11,693
But then, investigators identify
another person of interest.
425
00:19:11,693 --> 00:19:14,196
♪
426
00:19:14,196 --> 00:19:18,033
There's another guy,
another guy who's done bad things.
427
00:19:18,033 --> 00:19:19,910
♪
428
00:19:19,910 --> 00:19:24,039
- And looking at suspects,
one person came into the immediate radar.
429
00:19:25,624 --> 00:19:29,002
NARRATOR:
A young guy named Trey Jenkins.
430
00:19:29,002 --> 00:19:31,171
♪
431
00:19:31,171 --> 00:19:33,382
Before Candice went missing,
432
00:19:33,382 --> 00:19:36,468
detectives learned
that Trey brought two young girls,
433
00:19:36,468 --> 00:19:41,348
one 17, one 18,
to his house and raped them.
434
00:19:41,348 --> 00:19:43,308
♪
435
00:19:43,308 --> 00:19:45,853
And police find that this same guy
436
00:19:45,853 --> 00:19:47,938
has a connection to Candice Parchment.
437
00:19:47,938 --> 00:19:49,731
♪
438
00:19:49,731 --> 00:19:53,110
- We did some interviews
and we did some background on him
439
00:19:53,110 --> 00:19:57,281
and we determined that somehow or another
Candice knew this guy.
440
00:19:57,281 --> 00:19:59,908
They had some communications
and he had been arrested
441
00:19:59,908 --> 00:20:02,077
for some sexual assault-related crimes.
442
00:20:02,077 --> 00:20:05,289
♪
443
00:20:05,289 --> 00:20:08,041
NARRATOR:
There's a possibility
investigators can't ignore.
444
00:20:09,293 --> 00:20:11,086
Did Trey assault Candice?
445
00:20:12,171 --> 00:20:15,382
Did he escalate from rape to murder?
446
00:20:15,382 --> 00:20:17,759
♪
447
00:20:17,759 --> 00:20:19,761
- He's suspect number one
at this point in time.
448
00:20:19,761 --> 00:20:22,848
So we looked at him, attempted interviews.
449
00:20:23,765 --> 00:20:27,477
We had to make arrangements
to communicate with this individual.
450
00:20:27,477 --> 00:20:29,188
[line ringing]
451
00:20:30,939 --> 00:20:33,942
NARRATOR:
But can detectives place Trey
at the scene of the crime?
452
00:20:36,361 --> 00:20:37,779
It's a lot of work.
[knock on door]
453
00:20:37,779 --> 00:20:39,489
[telephone ringing]
Phone calls,
454
00:20:39,489 --> 00:20:40,782
endless files...
455
00:20:42,075 --> 00:20:43,368
pounding the pavement.
456
00:20:44,077 --> 00:20:46,038
And after all that?
457
00:20:46,038 --> 00:20:48,123
♪
458
00:20:48,123 --> 00:20:51,210
- Ultimately we determined
that he was not in the area
459
00:20:51,210 --> 00:20:52,586
the whole time she was missing.
460
00:20:53,629 --> 00:20:55,923
He likely had some words with her,
461
00:20:55,923 --> 00:20:58,926
but was not the person
who she met in the woods that night
462
00:20:58,926 --> 00:21:00,302
or took her to the woods that night.
463
00:21:00,302 --> 00:21:01,803
♪
464
00:21:01,803 --> 00:21:03,263
So he was eliminated.
465
00:21:03,263 --> 00:21:06,099
♪
466
00:21:06,099 --> 00:21:08,977
So now with Candice's case,
I'm back to square one.
467
00:21:10,729 --> 00:21:12,105
It's not looking good.
468
00:21:12,105 --> 00:21:14,441
It stinks, 'cause I got nothing.
469
00:21:15,067 --> 00:21:17,778
♪
470
00:21:17,778 --> 00:21:21,657
♪ You should be treated like royalty... ♪
471
00:21:21,657 --> 00:21:24,034
NARRATOR:
It's been almost a year
since they found Candice.
472
00:21:25,244 --> 00:21:28,372
There's only
a couple of months left in 2011.
473
00:21:29,706 --> 00:21:32,000
Detectives are frustrated.
474
00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,002
They still got a whole lot of nothing.
475
00:21:34,545 --> 00:21:36,088
And Candice's loved ones?
476
00:21:37,422 --> 00:21:39,299
Maybe they'll never get answers.
477
00:21:40,092 --> 00:21:43,262
How do you make peace with something
if you don't even know what happened?
478
00:21:45,347 --> 00:21:47,766
If Candice was still with us in 2011,
479
00:21:48,475 --> 00:21:51,436
she probably would've wanted to see
the new Harry Potter movie.
480
00:21:52,354 --> 00:21:54,898
She would've been dancing
to Rihanna's new album.
481
00:21:55,566 --> 00:21:58,402
Instead... she's a memory.
482
00:21:59,444 --> 00:22:02,698
A memory of joy for some,
pain for others...
483
00:22:03,490 --> 00:22:05,784
and a haunting figure for investigators.
484
00:22:05,784 --> 00:22:08,787
♪ Hard to break a habit ♪
485
00:22:08,787 --> 00:22:12,833
♪ When it's hard to break a heart ♪
486
00:22:13,292 --> 00:22:16,044
NARRATOR:
They work hard to find any leads.
487
00:22:16,044 --> 00:22:17,838
And then one day...
488
00:22:17,838 --> 00:22:20,048
[telephone ringing]
489
00:22:20,048 --> 00:22:23,093
Our detective gets a call that changes
490
00:22:25,053 --> 00:22:26,263
everything.
491
00:22:26,263 --> 00:22:28,557
♪
492
00:22:32,853 --> 00:22:34,855
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
On October 18th, 2011,
493
00:22:34,855 --> 00:22:36,523
I get a frantic phone call
494
00:22:36,523 --> 00:22:39,193
as I am leaving the police station
for the day.
495
00:22:39,818 --> 00:22:41,069
It's Candice's mom.
496
00:22:41,778 --> 00:22:43,947
And she's like,
"Detective Melvin, Detective Melvin.
497
00:22:43,947 --> 00:22:44,823
I found something."
498
00:22:44,823 --> 00:22:46,241
And I have to calm her down.
499
00:22:46,241 --> 00:22:47,826
Like, "Slow down, tell me what you found."
500
00:22:48,535 --> 00:22:50,954
She says, "I found Candice's diary.
I have to give it to you."
501
00:22:54,291 --> 00:22:56,210
So Candice's mom
comes to the police department.
502
00:22:56,210 --> 00:23:00,297
♪
503
00:23:00,297 --> 00:23:03,050
Months and months and months
of dead ends have come to this.
504
00:23:03,050 --> 00:23:04,384
Like this, it's all or nothing.
505
00:23:04,384 --> 00:23:06,803
♪
506
00:23:06,803 --> 00:23:07,804
And I crack it open.
507
00:23:07,804 --> 00:23:12,267
♪
508
00:23:12,267 --> 00:23:13,519
And I start reading.
509
00:23:13,519 --> 00:23:18,023
♪
510
00:23:18,023 --> 00:23:19,983
NARRATOR:
There's one entry,
511
00:23:19,983 --> 00:23:21,485
one dark secret...
512
00:23:23,737 --> 00:23:26,198
that catches Detective Melvin's attention.
513
00:23:26,198 --> 00:23:28,075
♪
514
00:23:28,075 --> 00:23:32,371
- This is from Candice's diary
dated January 5th, 2010,
515
00:23:32,371 --> 00:23:34,873
that she titled
"A frightening experience."
516
00:23:34,873 --> 00:23:38,961
♪
517
00:23:38,961 --> 00:23:41,255
"I snuck out of the house
to go meet with two friends.
518
00:23:42,506 --> 00:23:43,841
Both were guys."
519
00:23:45,592 --> 00:23:47,302
- "I went walking down the road.
520
00:23:47,302 --> 00:23:48,637
It was dark."
521
00:23:53,517 --> 00:23:56,895
♪
522
00:23:56,895 --> 00:23:58,438
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
"There's an abandoned house
523
00:23:58,438 --> 00:24:00,148
"where one of my schoolmates used to live.
524
00:24:01,984 --> 00:24:04,444
Jermaine and Marshae
set me up to go to the house."
525
00:24:07,781 --> 00:24:09,783
MY'LIK:
"So at that moment I wasn't thinking."
526
00:24:11,243 --> 00:24:13,161
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
"In the house, it was dark.
527
00:24:13,996 --> 00:24:15,789
Only light I had was my phone light."
528
00:24:15,789 --> 00:24:21,336
♪
529
00:24:23,630 --> 00:24:24,882
[scream echoes]
530
00:24:25,632 --> 00:24:27,426
MY'LIK:
"Jermaine hit me with a rake
531
00:24:27,426 --> 00:24:29,094
in the head."
532
00:24:29,636 --> 00:24:31,638
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
"At first I thought it was an accident.
533
00:24:31,638 --> 00:24:32,890
It wasn't."
534
00:24:34,558 --> 00:24:36,268
MY'LIK:
"Marshae was blocking the door
535
00:24:36,268 --> 00:24:37,686
"so I couldn't get out.
536
00:24:37,686 --> 00:24:40,772
"I tried to make up excuses,
but they didn't care.
537
00:24:42,316 --> 00:24:44,151
"Jermaine grabbed me and choked me.
538
00:24:44,943 --> 00:24:46,320
"I was struggling for air.
539
00:24:47,237 --> 00:24:49,489
"'Please let me go,' I said.
540
00:24:49,489 --> 00:24:50,949
"I tried to get away.
541
00:24:52,201 --> 00:24:53,702
"My pants unzipped.
542
00:24:54,453 --> 00:24:55,787
Really, I was scared."
543
00:24:55,787 --> 00:24:58,248
[ringing]
544
00:24:58,248 --> 00:25:01,502
♪
545
00:25:01,502 --> 00:25:03,170
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
"The boys, you know who,
546
00:25:03,170 --> 00:25:04,671
"tried to take my phone.
547
00:25:05,672 --> 00:25:06,673
"I put up a fight.
548
00:25:07,799 --> 00:25:09,009
"They couldn't get it.
549
00:25:10,511 --> 00:25:14,681
A few minutes later, we seen a car light
in front of the abandoned house."
550
00:25:17,893 --> 00:25:20,187
- "I was so excited yet scared.
551
00:25:21,939 --> 00:25:23,315
"They let me go.
552
00:25:24,483 --> 00:25:26,610
"They panicked and begged me not to tell.
553
00:25:26,610 --> 00:25:31,073
♪
554
00:25:31,740 --> 00:25:35,577
Well, diary, this night
has scared me to death."
555
00:25:36,078 --> 00:25:39,706
♪ Now's the time to ♪
556
00:25:39,706 --> 00:25:43,126
♪ Stand and fight through ♪
557
00:25:43,710 --> 00:25:47,923
♪ All the pain and misery ♪
558
00:25:49,758 --> 00:25:52,761
♪ We will stand tall ♪
559
00:25:52,761 --> 00:25:53,804
Hmm.
560
00:25:53,804 --> 00:25:55,931
♪ When the rain falls ♪
561
00:25:58,892 --> 00:26:00,477
- Yeah. Yeah, for sure.
562
00:26:02,271 --> 00:26:03,814
For sure, for sure.
563
00:26:06,483 --> 00:26:08,193
Yeah, it's the first time I read that.
564
00:26:08,986 --> 00:26:10,737
I didn't know the details of all this.
565
00:26:12,364 --> 00:26:15,242
It's sad situation right here.
566
00:26:16,743 --> 00:26:19,913
♪ Now's the time to stand and fight ♪
567
00:26:19,913 --> 00:26:24,001
NARRATOR:
Two names-- Marshae and Jermaine.
568
00:26:24,710 --> 00:26:25,711
But who are they?
569
00:26:26,837 --> 00:26:30,215
The investigators know
whose door to knock on.
570
00:26:30,799 --> 00:26:32,551
MY'LIK:
And they asked me about Marshae.
571
00:26:33,802 --> 00:26:36,805
Me and Marshae we probably met in 2008.
572
00:26:36,805 --> 00:26:39,349
The thing
that brought us together was music.
573
00:26:39,349 --> 00:26:43,353
He liked to produce music
and make instrumentals and beats.
574
00:26:43,353 --> 00:26:46,607
♪ electronic music playing ♪
575
00:26:47,107 --> 00:26:49,276
And I like to sing and rap.
576
00:26:49,276 --> 00:26:51,737
So naturally we came together.
577
00:26:52,237 --> 00:26:53,655
This is someone I trusted.
578
00:26:54,698 --> 00:26:56,867
My mind was going a million miles an hour.
579
00:26:56,867 --> 00:26:59,870
♪
580
00:27:01,622 --> 00:27:03,498
- I went to our jail system.
581
00:27:04,208 --> 00:27:05,542
On a, on a hunch.
582
00:27:06,251 --> 00:27:07,544
Typing "Marshae."
583
00:27:07,544 --> 00:27:12,424
♪
584
00:27:12,424 --> 00:27:14,927
And I find a name, Marshae Hickman.
585
00:27:14,927 --> 00:27:16,845
He's in jail for a burglary.
586
00:27:16,845 --> 00:27:18,430
He'd been there for several months.
587
00:27:18,430 --> 00:27:22,142
But during the time
that Candice disappeared, he was free.
588
00:27:22,142 --> 00:27:23,560
He was roaming around.
589
00:27:24,686 --> 00:27:26,980
And he lives on Sylvia Drive,
590
00:27:26,980 --> 00:27:29,608
right in the area
where we found Candice's body.
591
00:27:29,608 --> 00:27:32,569
♪
592
00:27:32,569 --> 00:27:34,446
NARRATOR:
So Marshae actually went
593
00:27:34,446 --> 00:27:36,365
to Forest Park High with Candice
594
00:27:36,365 --> 00:27:40,077
and Jermaine ran in his circle of friends.
595
00:27:40,077 --> 00:27:44,456
For authorities, this arouses
some troubling suspicions.
596
00:27:45,040 --> 00:27:46,834
CHIEF BILL DIXON:
My name is Bill Dixon.
597
00:27:46,834 --> 00:27:49,628
I was the deputy chief
assistant district attorney
598
00:27:49,628 --> 00:27:51,088
in Clayton County.
599
00:27:51,088 --> 00:27:54,925
If she began talking
about the rape at school,
600
00:27:54,925 --> 00:28:00,264
the motive for killing, uh, Candice
could be shut her up.
601
00:28:00,264 --> 00:28:03,100
♪
602
00:28:03,100 --> 00:28:04,560
NARRATOR:
But that's just a theory.
603
00:28:05,561 --> 00:28:07,729
Investigators need to know for sure
604
00:28:07,729 --> 00:28:09,940
if the assault
Candice wrote about in her diary
605
00:28:09,940 --> 00:28:12,526
is actually connected to her murder.
606
00:28:13,861 --> 00:28:17,489
Luckily, they have access
to the one person who'd know.
607
00:28:18,699 --> 00:28:21,159
Marshae Hickman is currently locked up.
608
00:28:21,827 --> 00:28:25,330
- I was able to arrange
for Marshae to come and talk to me.
609
00:28:25,330 --> 00:28:26,331
[beeps]
610
00:28:27,499 --> 00:28:30,502
We did question Marshae
about the sexual assault
611
00:28:31,879 --> 00:28:33,755
and what we found in Candice's diary.
612
00:28:35,007 --> 00:28:37,092
"Tell me when the last time
you saw Candice."
613
00:28:38,260 --> 00:28:40,888
"Oh, well I was playing basketball
614
00:28:40,888 --> 00:28:45,058
in a cul-de-sac at 415 Sylvia Drive,"
615
00:28:45,058 --> 00:28:47,019
where she was last seen alive.
616
00:28:48,353 --> 00:28:50,355
"And she was walking home.
617
00:28:50,355 --> 00:28:52,482
♪
618
00:28:52,482 --> 00:28:54,109
There was this guy following her."
619
00:28:54,109 --> 00:28:59,072
♪
620
00:28:59,072 --> 00:29:01,575
Marshae tells me it was a Hispanic guy.
621
00:29:02,784 --> 00:29:03,952
"It was dark.
622
00:29:05,078 --> 00:29:06,163
"He was creepy looking.
623
00:29:07,748 --> 00:29:10,876
Then she went in the woods
and I guess she went home."
624
00:29:12,794 --> 00:29:14,171
"So while you were there
625
00:29:14,171 --> 00:29:16,340
"and you watched this guy
follow her into the woods,
626
00:29:16,340 --> 00:29:18,300
did you hear anything?
Did you see anything?"
627
00:29:18,300 --> 00:29:20,135
♪
628
00:29:24,014 --> 00:29:25,849
"No, I didn't hear or see anything."
629
00:29:25,849 --> 00:29:27,726
♪
630
00:29:27,726 --> 00:29:29,228
NARRATOR:
It's a description
631
00:29:29,228 --> 00:29:31,063
that gives investigators pause.
632
00:29:31,730 --> 00:29:34,942
That description
loosely fits another suspect,
633
00:29:34,942 --> 00:29:36,652
someone they spoke to before.
634
00:29:36,652 --> 00:29:38,570
♪
635
00:29:38,570 --> 00:29:41,573
Artemio Hernandez, a known killer.
636
00:29:42,741 --> 00:29:44,076
He denied everything.
637
00:29:44,993 --> 00:29:47,496
But people lie every day.
638
00:29:48,413 --> 00:29:51,708
The question is,
is Marshae telling the truth?
639
00:29:51,708 --> 00:29:54,169
♪
640
00:29:54,169 --> 00:29:56,630
There's only one way to find out.
641
00:29:56,630 --> 00:30:00,008
♪
642
00:30:02,010 --> 00:30:05,597
♪
643
00:30:05,597 --> 00:30:06,932
NARRATOR:
In his interrogation,
644
00:30:06,932 --> 00:30:09,226
Marshae Hickman claims
645
00:30:09,226 --> 00:30:11,895
that a man was following Candice
into the woods
646
00:30:11,895 --> 00:30:13,814
the day she disappeared.
647
00:30:16,358 --> 00:30:19,862
Investigators still have
Artemio Hernandez on their radar.
648
00:30:20,571 --> 00:30:22,948
Was he the man Marshae saw?
649
00:30:27,953 --> 00:30:29,621
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
I challenged Marshae.
650
00:30:29,621 --> 00:30:33,166
I said, "Well, if this person
is following her,
651
00:30:33,166 --> 00:30:35,836
why didn't you walk her
in the woods, walk her home?"
652
00:30:36,837 --> 00:30:38,422
"Well, she said she was fine.
653
00:30:38,422 --> 00:30:40,382
She said she had pepper spray."
654
00:30:40,382 --> 00:30:43,677
Marshae is trying to play
the dancing game with me
655
00:30:43,677 --> 00:30:46,346
about where he saw Candice.
656
00:30:46,346 --> 00:30:49,975
♪
657
00:30:49,975 --> 00:30:52,352
NARRATOR:
But even though he's cast some doubt,
658
00:30:52,352 --> 00:30:54,438
after the interrogation...
659
00:30:55,022 --> 00:30:58,066
Marshae moves
to the top of the suspect list.
660
00:30:58,901 --> 00:31:00,861
♪
661
00:31:00,861 --> 00:31:02,237
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
Marshae lives in the area.
662
00:31:02,237 --> 00:31:06,283
He's less than a few feet
from where the body was found.
663
00:31:06,992 --> 00:31:09,453
He has a history with Candice.
664
00:31:09,453 --> 00:31:13,207
And he is mentioned by Candice as a person
who tried to sexually assault her.
665
00:31:13,207 --> 00:31:15,626
♪
666
00:31:16,543 --> 00:31:19,588
NARRATOR: But police
need another piece of the puzzle.
667
00:31:19,588 --> 00:31:21,924
They need Jermaine.
668
00:31:21,924 --> 00:31:24,468
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
We're making arrangements to get Jermaine
669
00:31:24,468 --> 00:31:26,136
to the police department.
670
00:31:26,136 --> 00:31:28,639
And we're gonna talk
to both of them at the same time.
671
00:31:32,100 --> 00:31:35,270
♪
672
00:31:35,270 --> 00:31:37,314
When we talk to Jermaine,
673
00:31:37,314 --> 00:31:40,108
we tell him Marshae's in a room next door.
674
00:31:41,151 --> 00:31:45,280
First thing that comes out
of Jermaine's mouth... was,
675
00:31:45,280 --> 00:31:46,740
"Man, Marshae killed that girl."
676
00:31:46,740 --> 00:31:50,869
♪
677
00:31:50,869 --> 00:31:52,204
"How you know he killed her?"
678
00:31:52,829 --> 00:31:54,873
"Because, man, Marshae is crazy."
679
00:31:55,874 --> 00:31:57,709
"I was scared of Marshae."
680
00:31:59,503 --> 00:32:01,880
And then I asked him
about the sexual assault.
681
00:32:03,048 --> 00:32:06,760
And of course Jermaine
put the blame squarely on Marshae.
682
00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:08,428
It was all Marshae's idea.
683
00:32:09,805 --> 00:32:11,974
NARRATOR:
And according to Jermaine,
684
00:32:11,974 --> 00:32:14,518
it all had to do with the assault,
685
00:32:14,518 --> 00:32:16,979
with exactly what
Candice wrote in her diary.
686
00:32:17,855 --> 00:32:21,733
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
One day, after the sexual assault,
687
00:32:21,733 --> 00:32:23,360
Marshae started freaking out
688
00:32:23,360 --> 00:32:26,029
thinking that
Candice was gonna tell people.
689
00:32:26,029 --> 00:32:30,284
♪
690
00:32:30,284 --> 00:32:32,995
Jermaine told us
Marshae typed on his phone,
691
00:32:32,995 --> 00:32:34,955
"Hey, we should go kill Candice."
692
00:32:41,378 --> 00:32:45,382
♪
693
00:32:45,382 --> 00:32:47,426
NARRATOR:
They were just neighborhood kids.
694
00:32:47,426 --> 00:32:50,929
Marshae and Jermaine from the apartments,
695
00:32:50,929 --> 00:32:53,056
just through the cut.
696
00:32:53,056 --> 00:32:55,851
Seemed harmless... until now.
697
00:32:55,851 --> 00:32:58,604
♪
698
00:32:58,604 --> 00:33:00,981
Police have Jermaine's side of the story,
699
00:33:00,981 --> 00:33:04,026
but what they really need
is a confession from Marshae,
700
00:33:04,818 --> 00:33:07,070
or it's all just hearsay.
701
00:33:07,070 --> 00:33:11,158
♪
702
00:33:12,910 --> 00:33:16,914
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
So I tell Marshae, "We found her body,
703
00:33:16,914 --> 00:33:19,917
"and we found some DNA on her body.
704
00:33:19,917 --> 00:33:22,669
"And when you were locked up,
705
00:33:22,669 --> 00:33:24,421
"they got your DNA.
706
00:33:24,421 --> 00:33:25,589
You remember that?"
707
00:33:27,382 --> 00:33:30,719
- We can actually make him think
that we already have his DNA.
708
00:33:32,513 --> 00:33:35,349
- Marshae thinks we found his DNA
on Candice's body.
709
00:33:40,270 --> 00:33:41,605
Then he started talking.
710
00:33:43,023 --> 00:33:44,942
NARRATOR:
That's when the truth comes out...
711
00:33:46,527 --> 00:33:47,778
the tragedy.
712
00:33:49,947 --> 00:33:51,823
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
Candice was walking home.
713
00:33:54,576 --> 00:33:58,872
Marshae started to admit
that he followed Candice into the woods
714
00:33:59,456 --> 00:34:01,959
as she was walking through the cut,
715
00:34:01,959 --> 00:34:04,044
and that he, you know--
716
00:34:04,044 --> 00:34:06,046
"I put my arm around her like this
717
00:34:06,046 --> 00:34:07,548
and I was just holding her
and hugging her."
718
00:34:07,548 --> 00:34:10,717
♪
719
00:34:10,717 --> 00:34:12,052
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
We have him act out
720
00:34:12,052 --> 00:34:14,930
where he's putting his arm around her neck
and actually,
721
00:34:14,930 --> 00:34:18,517
you know, lifting her feet
completely off the ground.
722
00:34:20,727 --> 00:34:24,898
- And at some point in time,
Candice fell limp.
723
00:34:24,898 --> 00:34:29,653
♪
724
00:34:37,286 --> 00:34:41,039
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
We asked, can you say 100% certain
725
00:34:41,039 --> 00:34:44,126
that you are the one
that hurt Candice in that cut?
726
00:34:45,961 --> 00:34:47,337
And he admitted yes.
727
00:34:49,756 --> 00:34:52,885
And he also told me that he's 100% sure
728
00:34:52,885 --> 00:34:55,888
that he is the only one that did this.
729
00:34:55,888 --> 00:34:57,681
♪
730
00:34:57,681 --> 00:34:59,808
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
Marshae went back several times
731
00:35:00,517 --> 00:35:02,436
throughout the course of months,
732
00:35:02,436 --> 00:35:05,731
checking on Candice's body
to ensure that it was still there
733
00:35:05,731 --> 00:35:07,316
and that no one had found it.
734
00:35:12,654 --> 00:35:14,740
NARRATOR:
Even with the confession,
735
00:35:14,740 --> 00:35:17,117
Detective Melvin
wants to do one more thing
736
00:35:17,117 --> 00:35:20,704
to help bring some peace
to Candice's mother.
737
00:35:20,704 --> 00:35:22,748
♪
738
00:35:22,748 --> 00:35:24,208
DETECTIVE MELVIN:
We talked to Marshae and I say,
739
00:35:24,208 --> 00:35:25,792
"Hey, do you want
the whole world to see you
740
00:35:25,792 --> 00:35:28,712
"as an uncaring monster
or do you want to
741
00:35:28,712 --> 00:35:31,131
"show people that you
really genuinely feel bad
742
00:35:31,131 --> 00:35:32,716
about the things that you did?"
743
00:35:33,592 --> 00:35:34,843
So he writes a letter.
744
00:35:40,140 --> 00:35:43,894
♪
745
00:35:46,271 --> 00:35:50,067
- "Dear Mrs. Parchment,
I'm sorry for what I've done.
746
00:35:51,568 --> 00:35:53,362
"I ask for you for forgiveness.
747
00:35:54,154 --> 00:35:56,990
"I feel so bad for this tragic accident.
748
00:35:57,658 --> 00:35:59,785
"I was in the wrong state of mind.
749
00:36:01,245 --> 00:36:03,580
"I know that you miss her
750
00:36:03,580 --> 00:36:05,874
"and I wish I could give her back to you.
751
00:36:07,876 --> 00:36:09,127
"Please forgive me.
752
00:36:09,878 --> 00:36:12,130
"I'm glad this is off my chest.
753
00:36:12,840 --> 00:36:14,758
Candice is forever missed."
754
00:36:16,844 --> 00:36:18,804
This guy can't be serious.
755
00:36:18,804 --> 00:36:20,764
Man.
756
00:36:20,764 --> 00:36:21,890
Me, me, me, me.
757
00:36:21,890 --> 00:36:24,351
Yeah, can you forgive me?
It's not about you.
758
00:36:26,562 --> 00:36:30,482
This-- Man, this-- Man--
Man, that's ridiculous right here, man.
759
00:36:31,358 --> 00:36:33,110
Sick, twisted individual.
760
00:36:33,777 --> 00:36:35,904
♪
761
00:36:35,904 --> 00:36:37,406
NARRATOR:
Even having confessed,
762
00:36:37,406 --> 00:36:40,576
this... isn't over.
763
00:36:40,576 --> 00:36:43,704
♪
764
00:36:43,704 --> 00:36:45,914
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
On July 11th, 2012,
765
00:36:45,914 --> 00:36:49,334
Marshae Hickman is indicted
for the murder of Candice Parchment.
766
00:36:50,169 --> 00:36:54,131
♪
767
00:36:54,131 --> 00:36:56,425
CHIEF DIXON:
When the case first started,
768
00:36:56,425 --> 00:36:59,720
police had skeletal remains
and some clothing.
769
00:37:01,263 --> 00:37:05,434
What we had going into the trial
was a world of difference.
770
00:37:07,436 --> 00:37:09,688
We had Candice's diary.
771
00:37:10,439 --> 00:37:12,274
The diary was huge.
772
00:37:17,070 --> 00:37:20,532
NARRATOR:
And when Candice's diary is read in court,
773
00:37:20,532 --> 00:37:23,577
members of the press can finally see
774
00:37:23,577 --> 00:37:26,622
how important this case really is.
775
00:37:28,498 --> 00:37:30,292
MARCUS GARNER:
I was a reporter
776
00:37:30,292 --> 00:37:32,085
for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
777
00:37:34,004 --> 00:37:36,465
When the diary entry was read,
778
00:37:36,465 --> 00:37:39,885
it was hushed in the courtroom.
779
00:37:39,885 --> 00:37:42,888
♪
780
00:37:42,888 --> 00:37:46,850
♪ You got something to hide ♪
781
00:37:46,850 --> 00:37:48,602
♪
782
00:37:48,602 --> 00:37:50,479
♪ Secrets behind these lies ♪
783
00:37:50,479 --> 00:37:53,732
MY'LIK:
"I tried to get away. My pants unzipped.
784
00:37:54,608 --> 00:37:56,693
Really, I was scared."
785
00:37:56,693 --> 00:38:00,364
♪ Danger follows behind ♪
786
00:38:00,364 --> 00:38:04,576
GARNER:
Candice's words, crying out from the dark,
787
00:38:05,869 --> 00:38:08,121
from so many months before.
788
00:38:09,248 --> 00:38:12,584
Finding justice for herself
and for her death.
789
00:38:12,584 --> 00:38:15,254
♪
790
00:38:15,254 --> 00:38:18,090
MY'LIK:
"Marshae was blocking the door
so I couldn't get out."
791
00:38:19,258 --> 00:38:21,343
GARNER:
I've been in a lot of courtrooms,
792
00:38:21,343 --> 00:38:24,513
and that was a moment that it kind of
793
00:38:24,513 --> 00:38:26,014
sent a chill up my bones.
794
00:38:26,723 --> 00:38:29,017
♪ I see trouble ♪
795
00:38:29,017 --> 00:38:31,562
MY'LIK:
"Jermaine grabbed me, he choked me.
796
00:38:31,562 --> 00:38:33,105
I was struggling for air."
797
00:38:34,481 --> 00:38:37,693
- People who weren't following this,
798
00:38:37,693 --> 00:38:40,946
I think after this did pay more attention.
799
00:38:42,155 --> 00:38:44,032
MY'LIK:
"Well, diary,
800
00:38:44,032 --> 00:38:45,742
this night had scared me to death."
801
00:38:50,622 --> 00:38:53,166
JURY MEMBER: [off screen]
We, the jury, find the defendant guilty
802
00:38:53,166 --> 00:38:55,419
of count one malice murder.
803
00:38:55,419 --> 00:38:58,046
NEWSCASTER:
The mother of a murdered teenager
804
00:38:58,046 --> 00:39:00,883
says her daughter's own words
helped convict her killer.
805
00:39:00,883 --> 00:39:03,719
A jury found Marshae Hickman guilty
of several charges,
806
00:39:03,719 --> 00:39:05,971
including murder and attempted rape
807
00:39:05,971 --> 00:39:07,848
of 15-year-old Candice Parchment.
808
00:39:09,391 --> 00:39:11,393
- That diary pinpointed the truth
809
00:39:11,393 --> 00:39:15,022
and landed the right perpetrators in jail.
810
00:39:16,523 --> 00:39:18,525
CAPTAIN GANDEE:
Marshae is sentenced to life in prison
811
00:39:18,525 --> 00:39:22,196
without parole, plus 20 years.
812
00:39:22,196 --> 00:39:25,282
Jermaine Robinson,
who was a cooperating witness,
813
00:39:25,282 --> 00:39:27,826
pleads guilty
to the attempted rape of Candice
814
00:39:27,826 --> 00:39:29,453
and is sentenced to ten years.
815
00:39:32,873 --> 00:39:35,959
♪
816
00:39:35,959 --> 00:39:39,296
NARRATOR:
This is a story of a 15-year-old girl
817
00:39:40,047 --> 00:39:42,341
and her diary.
818
00:39:42,341 --> 00:39:47,387
♪
819
00:39:47,387 --> 00:39:50,474
- Candice solved her own murder
from beyond the grave.
820
00:39:50,474 --> 00:39:53,352
♪ Show me ♪
821
00:39:53,352 --> 00:39:56,063
♪ Everything is clearer ♪
822
00:39:56,063 --> 00:40:00,651
- It would've just been another cold case
had it not been for the resilience
823
00:40:00,651 --> 00:40:04,279
and for the brilliance of our dear friend
Candice Parchment.
824
00:40:05,155 --> 00:40:08,825
♪ You ♪
825
00:40:08,825 --> 00:40:14,164
♪ It was always you ♪
826
00:40:14,164 --> 00:40:17,042
- I got to go to see her mother again.
827
00:40:17,584 --> 00:40:20,963
And I got to tell her
that I kept my promise.
828
00:40:22,130 --> 00:40:23,966
That I found out who killed her daughter.
829
00:40:24,633 --> 00:40:28,136
♪
830
00:40:28,136 --> 00:40:30,430
NARRATOR:
This is a story about how we see the world
831
00:40:30,430 --> 00:40:35,644
and what we choose not to see
to make our own lives easier.
832
00:40:35,644 --> 00:40:39,815
♪ And it took some time ♪
833
00:40:39,815 --> 00:40:43,527
♪ Just to realize ♪
834
00:40:44,111 --> 00:40:45,821
MY'LIK:
When it was first notified to us
835
00:40:45,821 --> 00:40:49,074
that she was missing,
no one took it serious.
836
00:40:50,450 --> 00:40:53,620
She just ran away from home.
837
00:40:54,413 --> 00:40:56,248
You know, it's just so unfortunate
838
00:40:56,248 --> 00:41:01,587
that so many stories
like Candice's story happens daily
839
00:41:01,587 --> 00:41:04,006
and it doesn't get the recognition
that it deserves.
840
00:41:04,006 --> 00:41:06,175
♪
841
00:41:06,175 --> 00:41:09,428
NARRATOR:
But mostly, this is a story about a girl
842
00:41:09,428 --> 00:41:13,140
that lived in a place
you've probably never heard of,
843
00:41:13,140 --> 00:41:16,768
a clever girl
with bright eyes and a big smile.
844
00:41:17,728 --> 00:41:19,771
It's about why we should
all know her name.
845
00:41:20,898 --> 00:41:26,278
It's a story about
how Candice Parchment caught her killer.
846
00:41:26,278 --> 00:41:28,739
♪ Running out of time ♪
847
00:41:28,739 --> 00:41:30,449
♪ Running through my mind ♪
848
00:41:30,449 --> 00:41:32,659
♪ I keep running ♪
849
00:41:32,659 --> 00:41:36,038
♪
850
00:41:38,123 --> 00:41:42,211
♪ I don't know where my head is lately ♪
851
00:41:42,211 --> 00:41:44,379
♪ Have I lost my mind? ♪
852
00:41:44,379 --> 00:41:49,968
♪
853
00:41:52,387 --> 00:41:55,933
♪ But I know that I have a secret ♪
854
00:41:55,933 --> 00:41:58,227
♪ And it's only mine ♪
855
00:41:58,227 --> 00:42:03,023
♪
856
00:42:06,026 --> 00:42:09,488
♪ And the only way to find me ♪
857
00:42:09,488 --> 00:42:13,492
♪ Is to go beneath the lies ♪
858
00:42:13,492 --> 00:42:16,495
♪