1 00:00:32,574 --> 00:00:34,200 March 4th, 1980. 2 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:37,620 Um, I had just... was finishing a graveyard shift working patrol. 3 00:00:37,620 --> 00:00:39,789 My partner and I, we're about to get off, 4 00:00:39,789 --> 00:00:43,084 and we got a call of a possible body down at RAT Beach. 5 00:00:47,505 --> 00:00:51,134 It was a beach accessible through Malaga Cove. 6 00:00:51,634 --> 00:00:53,970 You get the call of a possible body on the beach, 7 00:00:53,970 --> 00:00:56,514 right away you start thinking, "We have a drunk." 8 00:00:56,514 --> 00:00:59,893 "Somebody that stumbled and fell. Might have an injured person." 9 00:00:59,893 --> 00:01:01,519 I wasn't prepared for what we found. 10 00:01:03,229 --> 00:01:05,648 This was an unsolved homicide case, 11 00:01:05,648 --> 00:01:07,275 a complete whodunit, 12 00:01:07,275 --> 00:01:10,445 complete mystery with zero witnesses. 13 00:01:10,445 --> 00:01:13,156 Thirty-three years later, I was assigned the case. 14 00:01:13,156 --> 00:01:16,409 You have to wonder what the person who did it has been up to 15 00:01:16,409 --> 00:01:18,078 for the last 33 years. 16 00:01:19,412 --> 00:01:21,831 And you don't know what else they've gotten away with. 17 00:01:24,667 --> 00:01:27,587 The LA County Sheriff's Department 18 00:01:27,587 --> 00:01:29,339 is the best of the best. 19 00:01:33,384 --> 00:01:36,554 Some of the highest-profile cases are tried in Los Angeles. 20 00:01:39,432 --> 00:01:42,602 You have to be dedicated 110%. 21 00:01:45,438 --> 00:01:48,358 This is murder. There's no more serious crime. 22 00:01:50,443 --> 00:01:55,365 It boils down to a passion and a sense of duty. 23 00:01:57,700 --> 00:01:59,994 Justice comes from finding the truth. 24 00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:11,047 In 2013, I went to my team lieutenant. 25 00:02:11,047 --> 00:02:13,758 {\an8}I said, "I would like to catch some cases." 26 00:02:13,758 --> 00:02:16,845 {\an8}So he had on his desk, sitting there, a case from 1980. 27 00:02:18,346 --> 00:02:21,558 I was hooked just reading through the reports on this case. 28 00:02:22,058 --> 00:02:24,769 Anytime a female's victimized, I think of my daughters. 29 00:02:26,521 --> 00:02:28,231 I start reading through the reports, 30 00:02:28,231 --> 00:02:31,943 thinking, "This is gonna take me to a lot of different places." 31 00:02:31,943 --> 00:02:35,822 'Cause I gotta find all these people in the original reports. 32 00:02:37,073 --> 00:02:41,411 And I find David Byington, the first responder. 33 00:02:42,579 --> 00:02:45,790 We talk on the phone. What a great memory he had of this case. 34 00:02:45,790 --> 00:02:47,959 He remembered this case because, 35 00:02:47,959 --> 00:02:51,212 back in 1980, he was a rookie on the department. 36 00:03:07,604 --> 00:03:11,691 {\an8}In 1980, I'm a police officer for the City of Palos Verdes Estates. 37 00:03:12,859 --> 00:03:16,571 Palos Verdes Estates is a little suburb south of Los Angeles. 38 00:03:16,571 --> 00:03:19,199 Beautiful cliffs, mansions. 39 00:03:19,199 --> 00:03:21,075 High-income folks live there, 40 00:03:21,075 --> 00:03:24,537 and most houses there go well into the multi-millions, 41 00:03:24,537 --> 00:03:26,080 even back in the '70s. 42 00:03:26,080 --> 00:03:28,666 As far as murders in Palos Verdes Estates, 43 00:03:28,666 --> 00:03:30,418 they were rare if ever. 44 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,339 At the time, I was 21 years of age. 45 00:03:34,923 --> 00:03:39,302 I had been actually on my own for only a month or two in patrol. 46 00:03:40,053 --> 00:03:44,641 When I responded to the scene and realized that we actually had a potential homicide, 47 00:03:44,641 --> 00:03:45,975 I started shaking. 48 00:03:50,647 --> 00:03:55,735 There was a female found dead on the beach at Palos Verdes Estates on Malaga Cove, 49 00:03:55,735 --> 00:03:59,530 and she apparently had been sexually assaulted, 50 00:03:59,530 --> 00:04:01,699 and she had been beaten about the head. 51 00:04:03,409 --> 00:04:07,247 A surfer had found her purse, which had her identification in it. 52 00:04:07,247 --> 00:04:11,334 {\an8}We were able to learn right away she was Teresa Broudreaux from Wilmington, 53 00:04:11,334 --> 00:04:12,877 just 12 miles away, 54 00:04:14,003 --> 00:04:15,755 and she was only 20 years old. 55 00:04:17,715 --> 00:04:22,512 We tried to check for signs of life, and I remember I had initially tried. 56 00:04:22,512 --> 00:04:24,722 The body was warm to the touch, 57 00:04:25,223 --> 00:04:27,850 but I could not tell if I was getting a pulse 58 00:04:27,850 --> 00:04:29,936 or if I was feeling my own pulse. 59 00:04:30,520 --> 00:04:32,438 I think part of that was nerves. 60 00:04:32,939 --> 00:04:35,525 I could see that the young lady was completely nude 61 00:04:35,525 --> 00:04:37,819 except for a pair of knee-high socks. 62 00:04:38,653 --> 00:04:43,408 She appeared to be posed in some position where her feet were facing the ocean. 63 00:04:44,492 --> 00:04:48,246 She had a large amount of blood covering her face. 64 00:04:48,246 --> 00:04:50,331 Her hair was matted down in the blood. 65 00:04:50,331 --> 00:04:53,584 It was difficult to see her face completely without moving the hair. 66 00:04:53,584 --> 00:04:56,838 She had what appeared to be a laceration on her forehead 67 00:04:56,838 --> 00:05:00,300 as well as some bruising and fresh injuries on her abdomen. 68 00:05:04,095 --> 00:05:06,431 Ultimately, the beach is a crime scene. 69 00:05:07,807 --> 00:05:10,685 The tide was coming in so quickly 70 00:05:10,685 --> 00:05:13,730 we had to pick her up physically and move her away. 71 00:05:14,230 --> 00:05:17,734 As we did this, my partner was trying to support her head. 72 00:05:18,985 --> 00:05:21,446 As we moved up the beach, my partner told me, 73 00:05:21,446 --> 00:05:24,449 "Oh no, my hand just disappeared in her head." 74 00:05:26,659 --> 00:05:29,078 She's got a large wound to the back of her head. 75 00:05:30,204 --> 00:05:32,248 We knew that this was not an accident. 76 00:05:35,084 --> 00:05:38,129 Ms. Broudreaux was my first homicide victim. 77 00:05:38,713 --> 00:05:41,716 It's the ultimate crime, the taking of another human life. 78 00:05:41,716 --> 00:05:43,885 The last thing you want to do is mess that up. 79 00:05:47,472 --> 00:05:50,767 The Palos Verdes Estates Police Department's a smaller agency. 80 00:05:51,267 --> 00:05:53,102 The sheer magnitude of this crime 81 00:05:53,102 --> 00:05:55,813 mandated that we would reach out to an agency 82 00:05:55,813 --> 00:05:58,316 that could adequately handle a murder investigation, 83 00:05:58,316 --> 00:06:01,694 and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department, they were known to be the best. 84 00:06:03,738 --> 00:06:06,324 When the Los Angeles sheriff's homicide unit showed up, 85 00:06:06,324 --> 00:06:08,826 I was taking note of everything they did. 86 00:06:10,286 --> 00:06:12,288 Any prosecutor will tell you 87 00:06:12,288 --> 00:06:15,208 our job isn't just to convict people. 88 00:06:15,208 --> 00:06:19,545 It's also to make sure that the procedure that you go through 89 00:06:19,545 --> 00:06:22,757 to investigate a case is done correctly. 90 00:06:23,466 --> 00:06:25,718 You're left having to turn to... 91 00:06:26,636 --> 00:06:31,015 surveillance cameras, or witnesses, or scientific evidence. 92 00:06:31,015 --> 00:06:34,852 And in 1980, you didn't have anywhere near 93 00:06:34,852 --> 00:06:38,356 as much of... or as many of those things as you do now. 94 00:06:42,985 --> 00:06:45,905 The victim had no clothing recovered anywhere in the scene. 95 00:06:45,905 --> 00:06:49,158 We found a bottle of alcohol and a couple glasses. 96 00:06:49,158 --> 00:06:51,702 One of 'em still had, it appeared, some alcohol in it, 97 00:06:51,702 --> 00:06:54,705 near where this purse had been apparently dumped. 98 00:06:55,665 --> 00:06:57,708 That would lead me to believe at that time 99 00:06:57,708 --> 00:07:00,086 that there was obviously someone else there 100 00:07:00,086 --> 00:07:03,297 that was drinking with the victim prior to the murder. 101 00:07:03,923 --> 00:07:06,300 We also saw there were tire tracks. 102 00:07:07,635 --> 00:07:11,973 They believed that this was tire tracks from the suspect's vehicle. 103 00:07:11,973 --> 00:07:14,475 But the tire was somewhat balding. 104 00:07:14,475 --> 00:07:17,478 The tread depth was not deep enough. 105 00:07:17,478 --> 00:07:19,439 So they couldn't cast the tracks. 106 00:07:23,693 --> 00:07:26,529 The LA County sheriff's homicide detectives 107 00:07:26,529 --> 00:07:29,866 immediately hit the ground running, trying to contact family members, 108 00:07:29,866 --> 00:07:31,451 people closest to your victim, 109 00:07:32,535 --> 00:07:36,080 and find out anything that could lead you to a potential suspect, 110 00:07:36,080 --> 00:07:38,666 that you could start following those leads. 111 00:07:38,666 --> 00:07:43,671 And they determined she was married to a gentleman named Ronnie Fematt. 112 00:07:48,843 --> 00:07:53,764 When I met Teresa, she was maybe 18, 19. I was about 20. 113 00:07:54,348 --> 00:07:59,061 Me and my friend were on the east side of Wilmington, just hanging out, whatever. 114 00:07:59,687 --> 00:08:02,231 {\an8}And one of the girls brought Teresa. 115 00:08:02,982 --> 00:08:05,318 {\an8}And when I saw her, I just went, "Whoa." 116 00:08:06,152 --> 00:08:09,864 She was very independent, very strong-willed. 117 00:08:11,657 --> 00:08:13,743 I don't know what she saw in me. 118 00:08:16,078 --> 00:08:18,664 Me and my friends, we started doing drugs. 119 00:08:18,664 --> 00:08:20,750 You know, dabbling in it. 120 00:08:22,502 --> 00:08:27,215 But when me and Terri got together, she gave me an ultimatum. 121 00:08:27,715 --> 00:08:29,717 Said, "Hey, buddy, you gotta stop." 122 00:08:30,593 --> 00:08:32,094 I...It was a no-brainer. 123 00:08:33,387 --> 00:08:37,058 Two and a half years we're together, and then I thought, 124 00:08:37,058 --> 00:08:38,976 "This is the girl I want to marry." 125 00:08:39,602 --> 00:08:42,897 I wanted her. I wanted to have a family. I wanted to settle down. 126 00:08:42,897 --> 00:08:44,982 So I did. I married her. 127 00:08:44,982 --> 00:08:47,360 Then she got pregnant shortly after. 128 00:08:47,944 --> 00:08:49,695 They said, "It's gonna be a girl." 129 00:08:50,696 --> 00:08:51,948 So I was elated. 130 00:08:54,116 --> 00:08:59,747 The manner in which Teresa was killed was extremely upsetting. 131 00:08:59,747 --> 00:09:02,792 It was a violent death with her head bashed in, 132 00:09:02,792 --> 00:09:04,919 and likely sexually assaulted. 133 00:09:06,587 --> 00:09:10,174 And to then find out that she was several months pregnant, 134 00:09:10,174 --> 00:09:16,639 there was yet another life that was also derailed and ended, 135 00:09:16,639 --> 00:09:18,516 is incredibly sad. 136 00:09:19,809 --> 00:09:24,063 On top of that tragedy, she actually already was a mom. 137 00:09:24,063 --> 00:09:26,440 She had a four-year-old daughter named Linda. 138 00:09:32,196 --> 00:09:37,910 March 4th, 1980 was one of the worst days of my life. 139 00:09:38,411 --> 00:09:42,748 My grandmother told me my mother drowned at the beach. 140 00:09:49,255 --> 00:09:52,258 And that she was going to Heaven with the angels. 141 00:09:54,468 --> 00:09:56,596 And she wasn't gonna come back. 142 00:10:00,016 --> 00:10:01,726 I became too much to handle. 143 00:10:03,978 --> 00:10:07,064 I didn't want to be with my... my aunt. 144 00:10:07,064 --> 00:10:10,693 I didn't want to be with my grandmother. I didn't wanna be with my dad. 145 00:10:10,693 --> 00:10:12,153 I just wanted my mom. 146 00:10:16,282 --> 00:10:19,118 And I couldn't understand why she couldn't come back. 147 00:10:19,702 --> 00:10:23,539 It felt like the only person that ever loved and protected me was gone. 148 00:10:25,666 --> 00:10:28,085 And now there was nobody left to love me. 149 00:10:36,927 --> 00:10:40,473 When I first met Linda, she was probably two years old. 150 00:10:40,473 --> 00:10:44,685 She was still baby talk, you know? She wasn't too vocal. 151 00:10:44,685 --> 00:10:48,064 Cute as a bug, you know? She really was. 152 00:10:48,856 --> 00:10:51,233 Being that she wasn't mine, it didn't bother me. 153 00:10:51,233 --> 00:10:52,693 Didn't bother me one bit. 154 00:10:53,736 --> 00:10:56,656 We used to play "cafe." She would take my order, 155 00:10:56,656 --> 00:10:58,991 then go to the kitchen, act like she made me food. 156 00:10:59,992 --> 00:11:01,369 She was a good kid. 157 00:11:02,536 --> 00:11:06,332 I just used to love it. I used to make the menu with Ronnie. 158 00:11:06,332 --> 00:11:08,084 Then I used to take it to my mom. 159 00:11:08,084 --> 00:11:10,378 She was like, "How many do you want, ma'am?" 160 00:11:10,378 --> 00:11:12,505 And I would be like, "Two, please." 161 00:11:12,505 --> 00:11:16,342 And she'll just be making my little grilled cheese by candlelight. 162 00:11:16,342 --> 00:11:20,096 I don't know why... I don't know why it was candlelight, but yeah. 163 00:11:30,106 --> 00:11:32,441 Ronnie married this woman, allegedly loved her, 164 00:11:32,441 --> 00:11:35,778 was raising her... her daughter as his own. 165 00:11:35,778 --> 00:11:38,447 {\an8}But that doesn't exclude him from being a suspect. 166 00:11:39,907 --> 00:11:43,744 He could have snapped, had a bad moment, bad week. Who knows? 167 00:11:43,744 --> 00:11:45,621 Ronnie was one of the first people 168 00:11:45,621 --> 00:11:47,832 the sheriff's homicide detectives spoke to. 169 00:11:52,378 --> 00:11:55,381 The sheriffs, they interrogated me, 170 00:11:55,381 --> 00:11:56,882 and I answered everything. 171 00:11:58,175 --> 00:12:01,178 On March 3rd, I was attending Harbor College. 172 00:12:01,178 --> 00:12:04,598 Not taking anything special. I was doing art. I was good with art. 173 00:12:05,516 --> 00:12:07,226 I came home. I said to my wife, 174 00:12:07,226 --> 00:12:10,271 "Come on. Let's go to my friend George's house." 175 00:12:10,271 --> 00:12:13,149 We used to hang out in the garage, drink and smoke. 176 00:12:14,275 --> 00:12:15,276 We went. 177 00:12:16,110 --> 00:12:17,611 She didn't participate. 178 00:12:18,529 --> 00:12:19,655 She was pregnant. 179 00:12:19,655 --> 00:12:22,283 She didn't want to stand up all night in a garage. 180 00:12:22,283 --> 00:12:24,618 So I understand she wanted to go home. 181 00:12:27,413 --> 00:12:28,414 We went home. 182 00:12:28,414 --> 00:12:31,667 I told her, "I'mma go back." She goes, "I don't want you to go back." 183 00:12:31,667 --> 00:12:34,003 "You can't go back." I go, "I'mma go back." 184 00:12:34,003 --> 00:12:37,715 "No, you better not go." I go, "Terri, I'm going back." 185 00:12:38,758 --> 00:12:40,676 That's when I went out the door. 186 00:12:42,303 --> 00:12:44,388 I went this way toward my friend's house. 187 00:12:46,140 --> 00:12:49,935 I heard the door slam and I turned back. She was going toward the alley. 188 00:12:49,935 --> 00:12:53,481 We had a gate in the alley that would take you to the other street. 189 00:12:54,398 --> 00:12:56,692 That's where her sister lived, down the block. 190 00:12:56,692 --> 00:12:57,943 I go, "She's mad." 191 00:12:57,943 --> 00:13:02,031 "She'll go to her sister's, and complain, and talk shit about me." 192 00:13:02,031 --> 00:13:03,115 "She'll be okay." 193 00:13:05,034 --> 00:13:06,035 But then... 194 00:13:06,744 --> 00:13:08,120 I never seen her again. 195 00:13:13,709 --> 00:13:19,089 {\an8}How many times does a wife disappear and the husband says, you know, 196 00:13:19,632 --> 00:13:22,510 "She left. I don't know what happened to her." 197 00:13:23,010 --> 00:13:25,763 And nine times out of ten, that's bullshit. 198 00:13:25,763 --> 00:13:27,306 It's gonna be the husband. 199 00:13:28,224 --> 00:13:29,809 They asked to take my shirt off. 200 00:13:29,809 --> 00:13:34,522 They're looking for scratches or defensive wounds, and I had nothing. 201 00:13:35,064 --> 00:13:37,817 They kept asking, "You didn't do it?" "No, I didn't do it." 202 00:13:38,484 --> 00:13:42,530 When they interviewed Ronnie, he was concerned, he was nervous. 203 00:13:43,030 --> 00:13:45,991 When your wife is found murdered... 204 00:13:47,868 --> 00:13:51,789 either you're gonna be devastated, in shock, et cetera, 205 00:13:52,790 --> 00:13:56,043 or terrified they're gonna figure out you're the one who did it. 206 00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:01,090 After I left the sheriff's, I went back to my house, 207 00:14:01,090 --> 00:14:03,509 and there's cop cars stationed around the block. 208 00:14:03,509 --> 00:14:05,052 They're looking at my house. 209 00:14:05,803 --> 00:14:11,475 Very quickly, he became concerned that he was the suspect, 210 00:14:11,475 --> 00:14:12,893 and he was. 211 00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:17,231 I called my uncle, Henry Salcido, criminal lawyer. 212 00:14:17,815 --> 00:14:21,193 And my uncle just told me, "Don't talk to 'em, avoid 'em." 213 00:14:22,194 --> 00:14:23,362 So that's what I did. 214 00:14:30,452 --> 00:14:33,747 My father was absent, so when my mom got married to Ronnie 215 00:14:33,747 --> 00:14:35,833 and I found out I was gonna have a sibling, 216 00:14:35,833 --> 00:14:39,295 I immediately thought we were gonna have a full and complete family now 217 00:14:39,295 --> 00:14:43,173 with Ronnie, the new baby, my mom, and I. 218 00:14:43,173 --> 00:14:45,217 So I was super excited. 219 00:14:45,968 --> 00:14:46,802 So excited. 220 00:14:47,970 --> 00:14:50,306 But when everything happened with my mother, 221 00:14:50,306 --> 00:14:51,765 I did not stay with Ronnie. 222 00:14:52,975 --> 00:14:55,769 My dad's family came and got me right away. 223 00:14:57,271 --> 00:15:00,274 I really missed her when they took her. It destroyed me. 224 00:15:09,116 --> 00:15:13,329 During the autopsy, essentially, a rape kit was taken. 225 00:15:13,329 --> 00:15:18,250 {\an8}But a rape kit back in 1980 is nothing like it is today. 226 00:15:18,751 --> 00:15:21,545 There were clippings taken from her fingernails, 227 00:15:21,545 --> 00:15:25,925 because it appeared that there was material underneath her fingernails, 228 00:15:25,925 --> 00:15:29,345 and they could potentially compare that to blood type. 229 00:15:31,055 --> 00:15:33,849 There was also swabs that were taken, 230 00:15:33,849 --> 00:15:38,228 which we're not testing for DNA, but could test for the presence of sperm. 231 00:15:40,856 --> 00:15:42,483 They brought her to the mortuary. 232 00:15:42,483 --> 00:15:48,364 {\an8}I went back there and asked to see her, 'cause I had to make arrangements. 233 00:15:49,990 --> 00:15:52,826 They pulled back the thing. They only got the sheet halfway, 234 00:15:52,826 --> 00:15:55,162 and I already just... My knees buckled. 235 00:15:55,162 --> 00:15:57,247 I just couldn't believe what I saw. 236 00:15:59,500 --> 00:16:01,418 As far as her features, there was none. 237 00:16:01,418 --> 00:16:05,381 It was just total darkness, a big hole for a face. 238 00:16:05,381 --> 00:16:09,176 And right away, I told the people, "I want this casket closed." 239 00:16:09,176 --> 00:16:12,096 "And I want the baby swaddled and put in her arms, 240 00:16:12,596 --> 00:16:14,723 so they're together for eternity." 241 00:16:25,275 --> 00:16:30,489 {\an8}The investigators spoke with a lot of friends, a lot of family, 242 00:16:30,489 --> 00:16:32,825 and that's really all they had to go on. 243 00:16:34,743 --> 00:16:38,747 They learned that the last person to see Teresa was her sister. 244 00:16:39,331 --> 00:16:41,834 She gets to her sister's house. 245 00:16:41,834 --> 00:16:46,547 Her sister wanted her to stay there, and she didn't. 246 00:16:48,215 --> 00:16:50,634 Teresa Broudreaux left her sister's house middle of the night 247 00:16:50,634 --> 00:16:52,386 and started walking down the street. 248 00:16:53,012 --> 00:16:58,183 There was a cousin who remembers that, that day of, before she was found dead, 249 00:16:58,183 --> 00:17:00,060 she wanted to go to the beach. 250 00:17:05,482 --> 00:17:08,027 Neither Teresa nor Ronnie had a car. 251 00:17:08,819 --> 00:17:10,571 It wouldn't be unreasonable 252 00:17:10,571 --> 00:17:13,532 that she would hitchhike to go get to the beach. 253 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:19,204 They were really at the mercy of anybody seeing anything, 254 00:17:19,204 --> 00:17:22,958 and it happened at night, and she was discovered early morning, 255 00:17:22,958 --> 00:17:25,711 and so there were no witnesses that ever came forward. 256 00:17:27,046 --> 00:17:30,507 There wasn't a whole lot of investigative tools 257 00:17:30,507 --> 00:17:34,136 that could be used to figure out who her killer was. 258 00:17:35,679 --> 00:17:38,724 They were looking at Ronnie, Teresa Broudreaux's husband, 259 00:17:38,724 --> 00:17:40,392 as a potential suspect. 260 00:17:41,685 --> 00:17:44,021 After a thorough investigation, they were able to determine 261 00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:45,689 that Ronnie had an alibi. 262 00:17:46,565 --> 00:17:49,860 Ronnie had been in a friend's garage with several eyewitnesses 263 00:17:49,860 --> 00:17:52,279 on the night his wife had been murdered. 264 00:17:52,279 --> 00:17:56,700 And that basically cleared him from the murder of his wife. 265 00:17:57,284 --> 00:18:01,246 And even though the police investigators might exclude Ronnie, 266 00:18:01,830 --> 00:18:04,583 you can't unring that bell with family members and loved ones, 267 00:18:04,583 --> 00:18:07,628 that thought and belief that he was responsible 268 00:18:07,628 --> 00:18:11,256 for their daughter, their mother, their sister's death. 269 00:18:14,384 --> 00:18:18,472 {\an8}When I was about eight or nine years old, 270 00:18:19,098 --> 00:18:24,770 {\an8}my cousin and I were going through her mother's boxes, her drawers, 271 00:18:24,770 --> 00:18:27,064 and we found the autopsy of my mother. 272 00:18:30,818 --> 00:18:33,362 And I'm like, "What? They said she drowned!" 273 00:18:33,362 --> 00:18:38,575 And I'm still, you know, in that mode where they said she drowned. 274 00:18:38,575 --> 00:18:40,369 I'm like, "All this happened to her?" 275 00:18:42,496 --> 00:18:48,210 Everyone in her family was saying Ronnie's the one that killed my mother. 276 00:18:48,210 --> 00:18:52,631 I believed it right away because they used to fight a lot, 277 00:18:53,340 --> 00:18:55,676 and I was there to see all of that. 278 00:18:55,676 --> 00:18:58,679 I was right there watching every single day. 279 00:19:00,973 --> 00:19:04,101 They made their choice that I wasn't a suspect, sheriffs did. 280 00:19:04,685 --> 00:19:08,147 But they had nobody else, so everybody thought I did it. 281 00:19:10,232 --> 00:19:12,359 Couldn't explain how many times I got shot at 282 00:19:13,068 --> 00:19:14,653 'cause people thought I did it. 283 00:19:15,154 --> 00:19:17,865 Whether it be her family or friends, I don't know. 284 00:19:17,865 --> 00:19:20,576 Nobody ever shot at me before until after her death. 285 00:19:21,577 --> 00:19:24,079 I was so traumatized, I didn't want to live. 286 00:19:26,874 --> 00:19:29,751 If your wife disappears in the middle of an argument, 287 00:19:30,335 --> 00:19:34,631 {\an8}and we don't have any evidence 288 00:19:35,883 --> 00:19:37,926 pointing to somebody else who did it, 289 00:19:37,926 --> 00:19:43,223 and what you have is an alibi by people that you are close to, 290 00:19:43,724 --> 00:19:47,186 either that's a legitimate alibi or it's not, 291 00:19:48,228 --> 00:19:50,731 but you have no other suspects. 292 00:19:50,731 --> 00:19:52,649 We didn't have an eyewitness. 293 00:19:52,649 --> 00:19:57,196 We didn't really have any... any evidence at the time that could be used. 294 00:19:57,196 --> 00:19:59,865 There wasn't anything else they could do. 295 00:19:59,865 --> 00:20:03,869 Ultimately, the Teresa Broudreaux murder was never solved. 296 00:20:03,869 --> 00:20:08,498 It was put on the back bench as a cold case for decades. 297 00:20:18,300 --> 00:20:21,303 When I was little, I used to cry for my mom. 298 00:20:21,303 --> 00:20:23,513 And I'd ask questions over the years. 299 00:20:23,513 --> 00:20:27,559 There was so many questions I had that no one was willing to answer. 300 00:20:27,559 --> 00:20:29,686 No one wanted to talk about her. 301 00:20:29,686 --> 00:20:32,272 No one wanted to talk about what happened. 302 00:20:34,483 --> 00:20:35,943 No one told me anything. 303 00:20:36,652 --> 00:20:40,405 They would tell me to be quiet. "She's not gonna come back." 304 00:20:42,074 --> 00:20:44,660 I kinda got used to not having any parents. 305 00:20:46,161 --> 00:20:48,997 The void from my mother has never been filled. 306 00:20:48,997 --> 00:20:51,041 I don't think it'll ever be filled. 307 00:20:52,501 --> 00:20:54,962 I went through years of people pointing, 308 00:20:54,962 --> 00:20:57,381 and avoiding me, or talking behind my back. 309 00:20:57,381 --> 00:20:58,674 I didn't deal with it. 310 00:20:59,591 --> 00:21:02,135 I didn't think about my daughter. I didn't think about Terri. 311 00:21:02,135 --> 00:21:03,887 I'd work just to get high, 312 00:21:03,887 --> 00:21:06,014 so I didn't have to deal with all the pressure 313 00:21:06,014 --> 00:21:10,519 of people walking around town going, "Hey, that's him. He killed his wife." 314 00:21:12,104 --> 00:21:13,313 As I got older, 315 00:21:13,313 --> 00:21:15,983 I used to see him sometimes walking around. 316 00:21:17,442 --> 00:21:21,029 I did not want to talk to Ronnie. I didn't know what to feel, you know? 317 00:21:22,155 --> 00:21:24,324 I was like, "Did he really..." 318 00:21:24,324 --> 00:21:25,951 "Could he have really..." 319 00:21:26,451 --> 00:21:29,913 I started questioning people, 'cause they were the ones telling me. 320 00:21:30,789 --> 00:21:34,584 I seen them fighting a lot, but could he really kill her? 321 00:21:55,188 --> 00:21:58,400 When I got the case, the cultural background, 322 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:00,319 there was a connection there. 323 00:22:03,155 --> 00:22:06,158 In the '80s, culture in Wilmington was very much the same 324 00:22:06,158 --> 00:22:08,327 as culture in East LA, the area I grew up in. 325 00:22:09,453 --> 00:22:11,872 It was predominately Hispanic, 326 00:22:11,872 --> 00:22:16,460 lowrider culture, gangs, crime. 327 00:22:16,460 --> 00:22:18,962 Seeing sometimes how my parents were afraid... 328 00:22:18,962 --> 00:22:20,589 They were afraid to call the police. 329 00:22:22,382 --> 00:22:25,177 1980, I'm 13 years old. I'm in the eighth grade. 330 00:22:25,677 --> 00:22:28,096 If you would've told me I was gonna get involved 331 00:22:28,096 --> 00:22:31,183 in a homicide investigation that happened in Palos Verdes Estates, 332 00:22:31,183 --> 00:22:35,604 which was a world away from East LA, I would've told you you were nuts. 333 00:22:38,899 --> 00:22:42,069 I never was a kid who said, "I want to be a cop." 334 00:22:43,945 --> 00:22:46,031 That was the last thing I thought I'd be. 335 00:22:46,907 --> 00:22:51,328 The passion really came once I started the job 336 00:22:51,328 --> 00:22:56,124 and started to notice the difference that you could make. 337 00:22:58,085 --> 00:23:01,296 {\an8}Ralph's was more of a subdued, subtle kind of approach. 338 00:23:02,255 --> 00:23:05,425 He challenged himself and made a name for himself. 339 00:23:06,218 --> 00:23:09,763 Ralph never wanted to promote. He wanted to be a damn good detective. 340 00:23:12,474 --> 00:23:16,228 People always ask me, "What is this job like, working homicide?" 341 00:23:17,145 --> 00:23:19,231 It's like juggling balls in the ocean. 342 00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:22,150 You don't want to drown, but you don't want to drop the ball. 343 00:23:24,027 --> 00:23:25,904 When you look at a cold case, 344 00:23:25,904 --> 00:23:31,535 there are so many different things that you have to... to overcome. 345 00:23:31,535 --> 00:23:35,539 Investigations change after ten, 15, 20 years. 346 00:23:35,539 --> 00:23:39,418 Different techniques evolve. Different thought processes evolve. 347 00:23:42,504 --> 00:23:45,590 Ultimately, you have to do a little gumshoe detective work, right? 348 00:23:45,590 --> 00:23:48,301 You gotta go and find people, find witnesses. 349 00:23:49,094 --> 00:23:52,848 But technology is a tremendous, tremendous asset for us now 350 00:23:52,848 --> 00:23:54,474 on these unsolved cases. 351 00:23:54,975 --> 00:24:00,439 In this case, in 1980, that was years before DNA. 352 00:24:01,565 --> 00:24:05,360 There's different investigative avenues that can be explored. 353 00:24:05,861 --> 00:24:08,780 Now we can go back, and we can take that evidence, 354 00:24:08,780 --> 00:24:11,199 and we can develop DNA profiles. 355 00:24:13,076 --> 00:24:17,706 {\an8}There were several items of evidence that had been kept from the scene. 356 00:24:19,166 --> 00:24:21,168 We knew that there were enough there 357 00:24:21,168 --> 00:24:24,337 that there were things we could potentially test. 358 00:24:25,630 --> 00:24:29,217 The sheriff's department had a criminalist who was excellent. 359 00:24:29,718 --> 00:24:32,596 As the criminalist is working on this evidence 360 00:24:32,596 --> 00:24:36,099 and trying to determine if there's enough genetic material, 361 00:24:36,099 --> 00:24:39,936 what we're realizing is she has very little to work with. 362 00:24:41,021 --> 00:24:45,650 The fingernails turned out not to be as helpful as we were hoping they'd be. 363 00:24:45,650 --> 00:24:48,737 The other evidence at the scene also was not as helpful. 364 00:24:48,737 --> 00:24:52,365 There were no prints or DNA on the bottle of alcohol. 365 00:24:52,365 --> 00:24:55,076 Only Teresa's fingerprint was on the cup. 366 00:24:55,076 --> 00:24:59,915 And contrary to what you see on CSI, the TV shows, you know, 367 00:24:59,915 --> 00:25:03,835 unfortunately, people don't sprinkle their DNA everywhere 368 00:25:03,835 --> 00:25:05,837 at whatever crime scene they go to. 369 00:25:05,837 --> 00:25:07,255 So we had to pivot. 370 00:25:07,255 --> 00:25:10,759 We had to think of a different way to try to identify her killer. 371 00:25:10,759 --> 00:25:13,094 That's when we turn to the coroner's evidence. 372 00:25:17,682 --> 00:25:23,021 The coroner's office was able to obtain the DNA found on the victim. 373 00:25:24,189 --> 00:25:28,026 The criminalist took the pubic hair combings 374 00:25:28,026 --> 00:25:30,320 and basically washed them. 375 00:25:30,904 --> 00:25:35,408 And from that washing, she's able to put it into a centrifuge 376 00:25:35,408 --> 00:25:39,996 that spins and essentially churns out a pellet. 377 00:25:40,497 --> 00:25:44,918 And from that pellet, she's able to look at it microscopically 378 00:25:44,918 --> 00:25:48,588 and determine if there's any genetic material in the pellet, 379 00:25:48,588 --> 00:25:51,508 and she found one sperm head. 380 00:25:52,425 --> 00:25:56,429 And so that's what she was able to end up testing for DNA. 381 00:25:57,472 --> 00:26:01,184 The goal there is that they would be able to develop an actual DNA profile. 382 00:26:01,184 --> 00:26:04,104 'Cause sometimes you can have bodily fluid, 383 00:26:04,104 --> 00:26:07,524 but that doesn't mean you have enough to come up with a complete DNA profile. 384 00:26:07,524 --> 00:26:10,485 Sometimes you have a partial profile. Sometimes you get nothing. 385 00:26:10,485 --> 00:26:14,614 If there's not sufficient evidence there, it's a dead end. 386 00:26:24,874 --> 00:26:28,920 Detective Ralph Hernandez got my case and gave me a call. 387 00:26:31,006 --> 00:26:33,842 {\an8}I felt at ease that he understood me. 388 00:26:34,342 --> 00:26:37,679 {\an8}He knew my style of life, what I've been through. 389 00:26:37,679 --> 00:26:40,390 You know, the addiction, the gangs, the everything. 390 00:26:40,390 --> 00:26:43,977 'Cause being from East LA, you're familiar with that stuff. 391 00:26:43,977 --> 00:26:47,772 Being a cop, you're more familiar. You probably see it more than I see it. 392 00:26:49,024 --> 00:26:51,568 He treated me just like he would anybody. 393 00:26:52,152 --> 00:26:55,030 Wasn't 'cause I was Chicano. He treated me 'cause I was human. 394 00:26:56,573 --> 00:27:00,785 So I talked to him, and I let him know I have some more information. 395 00:27:04,998 --> 00:27:06,458 Ronnie tells us the story 396 00:27:06,458 --> 00:27:10,211 about how this female acquaintance from the neighborhood 397 00:27:10,211 --> 00:27:13,632 approached him one evening and said, "Hey, I feel bad." 398 00:27:13,632 --> 00:27:16,551 "I held on to this for a few years. I want you to know." 399 00:27:18,261 --> 00:27:20,972 In the late '90s, I was still spiraling out of control, 400 00:27:21,931 --> 00:27:23,141 and I was in a bar. 401 00:27:23,933 --> 00:27:27,896 One of my friends walked in who I hadn't seen in quite a while. 402 00:27:28,521 --> 00:27:29,856 She came up to me. 403 00:27:29,856 --> 00:27:32,942 "Ronnie, I know who killed your wife." 404 00:27:39,157 --> 00:27:40,909 People's lives continue on, 405 00:27:40,909 --> 00:27:43,203 and they remember vivid details 406 00:27:43,203 --> 00:27:46,790 {\an8}of what traumatically happened to them in the past. 407 00:27:46,790 --> 00:27:48,667 They realize, "You know what?" 408 00:27:48,667 --> 00:27:51,544 "This has caught up to me. I need to tell somebody." 409 00:27:53,630 --> 00:27:57,884 When I met Detective Ralph Hernandez, I had been sober a while. 410 00:27:59,094 --> 00:28:02,263 For so long I've been feeling so bad about this. 411 00:28:02,263 --> 00:28:05,392 I thought it was time I could handle some answers. 412 00:28:06,267 --> 00:28:08,812 She was my homeboy's old lady. 413 00:28:08,812 --> 00:28:11,064 She'd been gone so long I wondered what happened to her. 414 00:28:11,064 --> 00:28:13,358 I didn't know because I didn't keep tabs on her. 415 00:28:13,358 --> 00:28:16,945 We started talking, she started crying, she goes, "I know who killed her." 416 00:28:18,196 --> 00:28:23,076 And then I was just like, "What do you mean?" 417 00:28:24,077 --> 00:28:29,499 She said, "I was abducted by two guys and sexually tortured." 418 00:28:31,292 --> 00:28:36,047 These guys picked her up. They told her, "Put some of this on your tongue." 419 00:28:36,047 --> 00:28:40,468 She said immediately when she put that liquid on her tongue, she went numb. 420 00:28:41,678 --> 00:28:44,848 She said she could hear and see, but couldn't move. 421 00:28:44,848 --> 00:28:46,307 She's, like, paralyzed. 422 00:28:47,308 --> 00:28:49,227 They tortured her, sexually abused her, 423 00:28:50,019 --> 00:28:52,939 and then she told me that she heard 'em say, 424 00:28:53,606 --> 00:28:55,900 "What are we gonna do with her body?" 425 00:28:56,693 --> 00:28:58,653 "We'll take her where we dumped Terri." 426 00:29:03,241 --> 00:29:06,244 But she jumped out the window of the car while it was moving, 427 00:29:07,203 --> 00:29:10,290 and a passerby stopped and helped, and they took off. 428 00:29:12,375 --> 00:29:14,711 The person she mentioned, I knew him. 429 00:29:15,378 --> 00:29:16,463 Knew him well. 430 00:29:17,297 --> 00:29:20,508 With some of his characteristics, it fit. 431 00:29:24,012 --> 00:29:25,847 It's secondhand information, right? 432 00:29:25,847 --> 00:29:28,224 This girl's told Ronnie. Ronnie's telling us. 433 00:29:28,224 --> 00:29:30,727 We need to find this girl. 434 00:29:31,311 --> 00:29:34,564 I had some addresses that were listed in the original reports 435 00:29:34,564 --> 00:29:36,816 of people who lived in the neighborhood. 436 00:29:36,816 --> 00:29:39,194 So I knocked on a few doors. 437 00:29:40,111 --> 00:29:42,655 I find out that she's living out of state. 438 00:29:43,865 --> 00:29:46,951 I come up with a phone number and we start talking. 439 00:29:46,951 --> 00:29:49,245 And she was very, uh, very cooperative, 440 00:29:49,245 --> 00:29:50,747 and willing to meet with us, 441 00:29:50,747 --> 00:29:51,831 which is huge. 442 00:29:56,461 --> 00:29:59,255 We fly out to her. 443 00:30:01,049 --> 00:30:03,802 Ralph actually went to Texas to go talk to her. 444 00:30:03,802 --> 00:30:06,805 That right there at that moment let me know, 445 00:30:06,805 --> 00:30:08,765 "This guy's gonna do whatever it takes." 446 00:30:08,765 --> 00:30:11,392 And I felt really good about this. 447 00:30:11,392 --> 00:30:17,148 I definitely felt that, after 33 years, I finally had somebody in my corner. 448 00:30:19,984 --> 00:30:23,738 We had just flown in, and I get a phone call from the crime lab. 449 00:30:24,239 --> 00:30:25,615 The crime lab's telling me, 450 00:30:25,615 --> 00:30:29,911 {\an8}"We got a hit in CODIS for your evidence for DNA from your scene." 451 00:30:31,788 --> 00:30:33,081 That was incredible. 452 00:30:33,915 --> 00:30:36,209 But it was a little confusing 453 00:30:36,709 --> 00:30:39,546 because it wasn't the person that we thought 454 00:30:40,046 --> 00:30:41,923 that we were being steered toward 455 00:30:41,923 --> 00:30:45,009 from the information we were going to get from our informant. 456 00:30:45,760 --> 00:30:47,971 It was a completely different person. 457 00:30:50,098 --> 00:30:52,934 Thanks to the criminalist, we now had a name. 458 00:30:53,434 --> 00:30:56,312 It came back as a match to a man named Robert Yniguez. 459 00:30:58,481 --> 00:31:00,775 Who was Robert Yniguez? Where'd he come from? 460 00:31:00,775 --> 00:31:04,612 What did he do? Where was he? Where was he 34 years ago? 461 00:31:12,662 --> 00:31:15,164 Robert Yniguez was nowhere in the file. 462 00:31:15,164 --> 00:31:17,709 {\an8}He was nobody who had been interviewed. 463 00:31:17,709 --> 00:31:20,211 He was no one whose name had even been mentioned. 464 00:31:20,211 --> 00:31:23,298 There were a ton of names in those original reports. 465 00:31:23,298 --> 00:31:24,841 His was not one of them. 466 00:31:25,425 --> 00:31:27,886 But it was very exciting. 467 00:31:30,221 --> 00:31:34,100 So we get back from our out-of-state trip and interview with the informant, 468 00:31:34,100 --> 00:31:36,936 which turned out to be a dead end. 469 00:31:36,936 --> 00:31:39,272 We quickly begin to conduct 470 00:31:39,272 --> 00:31:41,691 a background investigation on Robert Yniguez, 471 00:31:41,691 --> 00:31:45,403 and I also pulled crime reports from his previous arrests. 472 00:31:45,403 --> 00:31:49,824 And in 1981, Robert Yniguez was arrested for rape. 473 00:31:52,785 --> 00:31:57,248 The victim in that case had been a hitchhiker that he picked up, 474 00:31:57,248 --> 00:31:59,626 and he proceeded to rape her. 475 00:31:59,626 --> 00:32:01,628 That victim reports it. 476 00:32:02,211 --> 00:32:04,297 He gets arrested immediately after that rape. 477 00:32:05,048 --> 00:32:06,466 He was charged in court. 478 00:32:06,466 --> 00:32:08,593 He was held to answer on preliminary hearing. 479 00:32:08,593 --> 00:32:10,803 The victim actually came to testify. 480 00:32:10,803 --> 00:32:13,097 And some time before the trial, 481 00:32:13,598 --> 00:32:16,267 it became difficult to find the victim, 482 00:32:16,267 --> 00:32:19,228 and the case was dismissed, and he was let go. 483 00:32:20,605 --> 00:32:22,899 Then fast-forward to 1982. 484 00:32:24,233 --> 00:32:26,569 He was arrested for another rape 485 00:32:26,569 --> 00:32:29,530 in which he was actually convicted, and he went to prison. 486 00:32:29,530 --> 00:32:34,494 And that conviction is what actually brought his DNA into the CODIS database. 487 00:32:35,370 --> 00:32:40,291 Because the CODIS hit is only an investigative tool and lead, 488 00:32:40,291 --> 00:32:44,170 we're ethically required to get what's called a "confirmatory sample." 489 00:32:45,213 --> 00:32:49,384 We needed to try to get a DNA sample from him in order to confirm 490 00:32:49,384 --> 00:32:52,971 and run it against the evidence found from the coroner's kit. 491 00:32:52,971 --> 00:32:56,516 So our next step had to be locating Mr. Yniguez. 492 00:32:58,434 --> 00:33:03,231 Detective Ralph Hernandez asked if I knew who this Robert Yniguez guy was. 493 00:33:04,232 --> 00:33:07,276 And I said no, but I was very hopeful. 494 00:33:08,069 --> 00:33:10,238 The DNA always catches the bad guy. 495 00:33:10,238 --> 00:33:12,281 And now there was DNA. 496 00:33:12,865 --> 00:33:15,159 Now they just had to find the guy. 497 00:33:15,159 --> 00:33:18,454 Sex offenders are required to register on their birthday. 498 00:33:18,454 --> 00:33:22,125 With Mr. Yniguez, his birthday was about four months away 499 00:33:22,125 --> 00:33:26,004 from when Detective Hernandez learned he was a potential suspect. 500 00:33:27,088 --> 00:33:30,591 So the easiest place to find Mr. Yniguez 501 00:33:30,591 --> 00:33:33,428 was going to be when he went to register. 502 00:33:42,228 --> 00:33:46,733 Yniguez is at Harbor Station getting ready to register as a sex offender. 503 00:33:48,109 --> 00:33:51,988 At that point, I want to find out more about him. 504 00:33:51,988 --> 00:33:53,948 We wanted to confirm where he lived, 505 00:33:53,948 --> 00:33:56,909 where he'd been, who his family was, who his friends were, 506 00:33:56,909 --> 00:34:00,079 because maybe there is some connection to Teresa. 507 00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:04,250 Also, I want to obtain a sample of his DNA. 508 00:34:05,084 --> 00:34:08,046 And so I told him who we were, where we were from, 509 00:34:08,046 --> 00:34:10,423 and he was willing to talk to us. 510 00:34:10,423 --> 00:34:13,634 - You went to prison in '80 or was it-- - I think it was '80. 511 00:34:14,343 --> 00:34:16,345 Before prison, where were you living? 512 00:34:20,308 --> 00:34:21,142 Hmm. 513 00:34:22,935 --> 00:34:26,522 I believe I was living in Wilmington at my... 514 00:34:27,899 --> 00:34:30,526 my stepmom's house with my dad. 515 00:34:30,526 --> 00:34:33,613 I didn't know too many people from Wilmington. 516 00:34:33,613 --> 00:34:34,697 I mean... 517 00:34:34,697 --> 00:34:37,116 I would cruise around there, but... 518 00:34:37,116 --> 00:34:39,577 I didn't really know anybody over there. 519 00:34:39,577 --> 00:34:43,831 I actually didn't really have a big game plan. 520 00:34:43,831 --> 00:34:48,628 My first thought was just, "Be yourself. Talk to him, put him at ease." 521 00:34:48,628 --> 00:34:52,799 And it just kind of evolved from there. 522 00:34:53,382 --> 00:34:55,927 - Did you ever go partying at the beach? - No. 523 00:34:55,927 --> 00:34:58,513 - Never used to go out there? - No. 524 00:34:58,513 --> 00:35:02,225 And you've never been to Malaga Cove, Palos Verdes Estates? 525 00:35:03,518 --> 00:35:04,352 Mm-mm. 526 00:35:05,436 --> 00:35:09,899 {\an8}Ralph's approach was to be very... 527 00:35:10,900 --> 00:35:12,610 {\an8}non-confrontational. 528 00:35:12,610 --> 00:35:17,031 So he tries to get Yniguez to be comfortable, 529 00:35:17,532 --> 00:35:22,036 and then he tries to go through the information that he has 530 00:35:22,036 --> 00:35:27,166 and to see if he can lock him in to a certain story. 531 00:35:27,166 --> 00:35:29,585 Tell me about that case when you got arrested. 532 00:35:31,129 --> 00:35:32,547 Took her to Redondo. 533 00:35:33,381 --> 00:35:35,716 - And, you know, we had sex. - Mm-hmm. 534 00:35:35,716 --> 00:35:38,094 Yeah, she refused, but then... 535 00:35:38,594 --> 00:35:41,139 after that she gave in, and... 536 00:35:41,806 --> 00:35:43,891 - And they charged you with rape. - Yeah. 537 00:35:43,891 --> 00:35:46,102 You got off because she didn't show up. 538 00:35:46,102 --> 00:35:47,395 - Mm-hmm. - Okay. 539 00:35:47,979 --> 00:35:49,856 Does Teresa ring a bell to you? 540 00:35:51,566 --> 00:35:54,360 - No. - No? Nothing at all? 541 00:35:54,944 --> 00:35:56,988 I could see it in his chest. 542 00:35:57,572 --> 00:36:00,449 Kind of the heavy breathing people describe. 543 00:36:00,449 --> 00:36:02,702 They see people pounding their heart rate, 544 00:36:02,702 --> 00:36:04,996 or their heart's beating through their shirt. 545 00:36:05,580 --> 00:36:10,084 You could see the deep breaths, and he was obviously nervous. 546 00:36:11,252 --> 00:36:13,880 Let me show you some pictures. 547 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:14,964 Okay. 548 00:36:18,718 --> 00:36:21,888 Do you know that girl right there or remember her at all? 549 00:36:21,888 --> 00:36:23,139 - No. - No? 550 00:36:23,139 --> 00:36:24,223 Mm-mm. 551 00:36:24,724 --> 00:36:28,436 This lady was found dead on the beach. 552 00:36:28,436 --> 00:36:31,564 You sure she's nobody that looks familiar to you? 553 00:36:31,564 --> 00:36:33,357 Teresa Broudreaux. 554 00:36:34,025 --> 00:36:36,944 - No. - And this is 1980, March of 1980. 555 00:36:38,112 --> 00:36:39,113 No, not at all. 556 00:36:39,697 --> 00:36:44,160 The denials were so important because we had such powerful DNA evidence. 557 00:36:44,160 --> 00:36:46,037 If he came to us and said, 558 00:36:46,037 --> 00:36:49,290 "I... I dated Teresa behind her husband's back," 559 00:36:49,290 --> 00:36:51,292 "I had sex with her that night," 560 00:36:52,043 --> 00:36:54,128 it would have complicated our case. 561 00:36:54,128 --> 00:36:55,463 No. Mm-mm. 562 00:36:55,463 --> 00:36:56,797 - No? - Mm-mm. 563 00:36:56,797 --> 00:37:00,468 That's why the denial was so much more powerful. 564 00:37:01,177 --> 00:37:07,683 Would there be any reason for your DNA to be at the scene? 565 00:37:11,771 --> 00:37:12,897 Not that... 566 00:37:12,897 --> 00:37:14,607 No, there shouldn't be. 567 00:37:14,607 --> 00:37:15,900 - Shouldn't be? - Yeah. 568 00:37:16,400 --> 00:37:17,401 We're here. 569 00:37:17,902 --> 00:37:19,320 We know you can help us. 570 00:37:20,112 --> 00:37:23,282 Because your DNA was at the scene. 571 00:37:24,283 --> 00:37:26,202 I don't know... I can't see how. 572 00:37:26,202 --> 00:37:28,371 I don't even know that girl. 573 00:37:28,829 --> 00:37:30,915 If you want good rapport with your suspect, 574 00:37:30,915 --> 00:37:32,333 you gotta give 'em something. 575 00:37:32,333 --> 00:37:35,711 I had information for him, and he needed to know that information, 576 00:37:35,711 --> 00:37:39,799 and it might stimulate something for him to say something 577 00:37:39,799 --> 00:37:42,093 to help us get to the truth, right? 578 00:37:42,093 --> 00:37:44,887 Because what if he had a plausible explanation? 579 00:37:44,887 --> 00:37:46,931 What if he didn't do it, right? 580 00:37:46,931 --> 00:37:50,810 So, 100%, you're not gonna have any issues with your DNA there? 581 00:37:52,061 --> 00:37:53,646 - No. - And so then... 582 00:37:53,646 --> 00:37:57,149 you'd be willing to give us a sample of your oral swabs? 583 00:37:57,149 --> 00:37:58,234 Okay. 584 00:37:58,234 --> 00:37:59,986 And so I appreciate that. 585 00:38:01,946 --> 00:38:04,240 I came away from that interview with Yniguez 586 00:38:04,240 --> 00:38:06,659 firmly believing that we had our guy, 587 00:38:08,119 --> 00:38:11,122 but it was more important to build a case and to know for sure, 588 00:38:11,122 --> 00:38:14,208 "Okay, this is our guy," and then go out and arrest him. 589 00:38:15,710 --> 00:38:18,963 Getting a buccal swab of DNA from Mr. Yniguez 590 00:38:18,963 --> 00:38:22,800 allowed the sheriff's department to do confirmatory testing. 591 00:38:26,345 --> 00:38:28,014 He was in fact a match, 592 00:38:28,014 --> 00:38:30,808 and the match was proven through a statistic, 593 00:38:30,808 --> 00:38:34,895 which was one in 82.5 trillion, 594 00:38:34,895 --> 00:38:38,733 and there's only seven billion people on the planet. 595 00:38:38,733 --> 00:38:44,322 So to be one in 80-something trillion 596 00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:46,615 is quite a significant match. 597 00:38:49,952 --> 00:38:54,415 In this case, it's very clear that he's your killer. 598 00:38:54,915 --> 00:38:56,459 So now it's a question of, 599 00:38:56,459 --> 00:38:59,420 "What can you do to make the case even better?" 600 00:39:00,796 --> 00:39:04,050 The rape case in 1981 was extremely important 601 00:39:04,050 --> 00:39:07,428 because Yniguez came upon a female 602 00:39:07,428 --> 00:39:12,141 who was in Wilmington at the bus stop and offered her a ride. 603 00:39:12,141 --> 00:39:15,770 We had the fact that Teresa was last seen in Wilmington, 604 00:39:15,770 --> 00:39:19,023 and there are potential similarities in the MO, 605 00:39:19,023 --> 00:39:21,901 and, luckily, I was able to locate and interview 606 00:39:21,901 --> 00:39:23,778 the victim from the 1981 rape. 607 00:39:25,696 --> 00:39:29,033 When I met the guy, I wasn't hitchhiking. I was just walking. 608 00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:32,328 He pulled up in his car and asked me if I wanted a ride, and I said yeah. 609 00:39:33,037 --> 00:39:34,372 The circumstances she's telling us 610 00:39:34,372 --> 00:39:38,084 is similar to what we believe happened to Teresa. 611 00:39:38,084 --> 00:39:42,797 How sure are you that this man forced you... raped you? 612 00:39:42,797 --> 00:39:44,131 100%. 613 00:39:44,632 --> 00:39:47,551 I stopped resisting because he started threatening to kill me. 614 00:39:51,180 --> 00:39:53,766 She was threatened. She gave in. 615 00:39:55,351 --> 00:39:57,186 Teresa was beaten and killed. 616 00:40:00,523 --> 00:40:02,441 I believe Teresa fought back, 617 00:40:02,942 --> 00:40:05,569 and Yniguez followed through with his threat. 618 00:40:06,404 --> 00:40:08,989 So that was extremely powerful, 619 00:40:08,989 --> 00:40:14,703 and just tied our case that much more together. 620 00:40:18,040 --> 00:40:21,085 Whenever I am looking at a cold case, 621 00:40:21,710 --> 00:40:26,340 I always want to sit down with the suspect if I can. 622 00:40:28,342 --> 00:40:31,595 I want to myself evaluate them. 623 00:40:31,595 --> 00:40:34,390 I want to see how they respond to my questioning. 624 00:40:34,390 --> 00:40:38,185 I want to see if they're gonna end up making things worse. 625 00:40:38,185 --> 00:40:41,939 What are they going to admit to? Where are my issues gonna be? 626 00:40:41,939 --> 00:40:46,152 It's the only chance that I will ever have to have a conversation with them. 627 00:40:46,152 --> 00:40:49,822 Once the case is filed, I can't talk to them. 628 00:40:51,532 --> 00:40:56,579 Robert Yniguez told Ralph Hernandez that he had never met the victim, 629 00:40:56,579 --> 00:40:58,122 he never had sex with her, 630 00:40:58,122 --> 00:41:02,751 that he'd never been to Palos Verdes Estates, 631 00:41:02,751 --> 00:41:04,336 and Malaga Cove, and that beach. 632 00:41:04,336 --> 00:41:08,174 The more adamant he was gonna be in denying it, 633 00:41:08,174 --> 00:41:11,844 the better it was gonna be for the case going forward, 634 00:41:11,844 --> 00:41:14,763 because I could prove that that just wasn't true. 635 00:41:14,763 --> 00:41:19,393 John wanted to come with me to interview Robert Yniguez again. 636 00:41:20,311 --> 00:41:22,438 So we both went and talked to him. 637 00:41:26,775 --> 00:41:30,112 Hi, I wanted to talk... I need to talk to Robert, please. 638 00:41:30,696 --> 00:41:32,323 Who are you? - My name's Ralph. 639 00:41:32,323 --> 00:41:33,491 He knows who I am. 640 00:41:33,991 --> 00:41:34,992 And this is John. 641 00:41:35,659 --> 00:41:37,578 That second interview was not ideal. 642 00:41:37,578 --> 00:41:40,998 Part of it was his wife and his daughter were there. 643 00:41:40,998 --> 00:41:42,208 His family's there. 644 00:41:42,708 --> 00:41:43,709 Come on in. 645 00:41:45,336 --> 00:41:46,670 Thank you. 646 00:41:46,670 --> 00:41:48,839 You guys look like you're gonna arrest him. 647 00:41:48,839 --> 00:41:50,883 God, no. We're gonna... - Okay. 648 00:41:50,883 --> 00:41:54,887 No, we're gonna leave here. I just was hoping for ten minutes. 649 00:41:54,887 --> 00:41:57,806 And maybe just a little bit of privacy if that's okay with you. 650 00:41:57,806 --> 00:42:00,518 Why? He ain't got nothing to hide from me. 651 00:42:00,518 --> 00:42:02,811 I don't have nothing to hide. - Nothing. 652 00:42:02,811 --> 00:42:05,147 We tell each other everything. 653 00:42:05,147 --> 00:42:10,277 We wanted to give him the respect of being able to talk to him 654 00:42:10,277 --> 00:42:12,988 without other people here if that's what he wanted. 655 00:42:12,988 --> 00:42:15,574 - But if this is how-- - No, she can be here. 656 00:42:15,574 --> 00:42:21,372 It was highly unlikely that he would have told his wife, 657 00:42:22,248 --> 00:42:26,794 who was not with him at the time of the murder, 658 00:42:26,794 --> 00:42:30,506 "By the way, you realize I raped and murdered people 659 00:42:30,506 --> 00:42:32,216 prior to our relationship." 660 00:42:33,050 --> 00:42:35,469 So we wanted to do it in private, 661 00:42:35,469 --> 00:42:39,515 and no matter how much we suggested it, 662 00:42:39,515 --> 00:42:43,143 his position was, "No, we have no secrets," et cetera. 663 00:42:43,143 --> 00:42:45,271 So we had to do the interview in front of her. 664 00:42:45,271 --> 00:42:47,606 Hear me out. - I had nothing to do with that case. 665 00:42:47,606 --> 00:42:49,066 Robert, just hear me out. 666 00:42:49,066 --> 00:42:53,779 He doesn't want to admit all of this in front of them, 667 00:42:53,779 --> 00:42:58,409 and when John began to press him in a bit more detail about the incident, 668 00:42:58,409 --> 00:43:00,119 he starts to deny. 669 00:43:00,119 --> 00:43:01,954 He became very defensive. 670 00:43:01,954 --> 00:43:04,873 And I'm gonna stay with that story. I do not know her. 671 00:43:04,873 --> 00:43:07,001 I've never seen her. I never met her. 672 00:43:07,001 --> 00:43:10,838 John did, in the interview, accuse Yniguez of committing the murder. 673 00:43:10,838 --> 00:43:13,799 You said you never met this girl. - No! 674 00:43:13,799 --> 00:43:15,968 So what do you think of yours... 675 00:43:16,719 --> 00:43:19,054 What kind of DNA do you think we found? 676 00:43:22,891 --> 00:43:24,643 Probably my sperm. 677 00:43:25,144 --> 00:43:28,814 Yeah. So can you tell me how that could possibly be, Robert? 678 00:43:29,607 --> 00:43:32,901 It shouldn't be, because I don't even know her. 679 00:43:32,901 --> 00:43:34,612 I never met her. I never seen her. 680 00:43:34,612 --> 00:43:36,572 Robert-- - I had nothing to do with that. 681 00:43:37,156 --> 00:43:41,619 We've got your semen on the pubic hair of this dead woman. 682 00:43:41,619 --> 00:43:46,290 This dead woman was picked up near the same place 683 00:43:46,290 --> 00:43:50,419 where, within a year of that time, you picked up Lori [bleep]. 684 00:43:52,212 --> 00:43:55,215 This woman had her head bashed. 685 00:43:55,716 --> 00:43:58,677 Pressing him just led to more denials, 686 00:43:59,303 --> 00:44:03,098 but John got him to admit he wouldn't believe his own denials. 687 00:44:03,098 --> 00:44:04,850 So it kind of came back full circle. 688 00:44:40,302 --> 00:44:44,890 He had a look on his face of resignation 689 00:44:45,474 --> 00:44:48,686 that he knew where it was going. 690 00:44:49,269 --> 00:44:52,731 I'll be goddamned if I'm gonna go back to prison for something I didn't do. 691 00:44:52,731 --> 00:44:54,441 Okay, so, listen. 692 00:44:54,441 --> 00:44:55,526 Your DNA-- 693 00:44:55,526 --> 00:44:59,363 I know what you're saying. My DNA is on her, but I don't know how. 694 00:44:59,363 --> 00:45:01,448 Are we done? This is starting to piss me off. 695 00:45:01,448 --> 00:45:03,992 Yeah, I'm gonna get a lawyer. We're gonna get a lawyer. 696 00:45:03,992 --> 00:45:06,537 Wait. Listen. - Are we finished? 697 00:45:06,537 --> 00:45:09,248 - We're finished. We're done. Robert-- No, listen to me. 698 00:45:09,248 --> 00:45:10,666 There's nothing more to say. 699 00:45:10,666 --> 00:45:13,335 If you tell me that you want us to leave, we'll leave. 700 00:45:13,335 --> 00:45:14,253 Yeah. - Yeah. 701 00:45:14,253 --> 00:45:15,754 Ma'am, I'm talking to him. 702 00:45:15,754 --> 00:45:17,506 - I want you to leave. Okay. 703 00:45:18,298 --> 00:45:20,259 All right. That's your option. 704 00:45:21,510 --> 00:45:23,971 We were confident at that point that we had enough. 705 00:45:23,971 --> 00:45:27,099 We had the DNA. We had Yniguez's denials. 706 00:45:27,099 --> 00:45:30,185 We have some of his admissions. We got him. 707 00:45:41,780 --> 00:45:44,575 September of 2017, we finally make our move. 708 00:45:45,743 --> 00:45:49,663 We have a surveillance team follow Yniguez away from his home. 709 00:45:51,081 --> 00:45:53,250 We get a black-and-white to make a stop. 710 00:45:54,168 --> 00:45:57,129 And they place him under arrest for murder. 711 00:45:58,130 --> 00:46:00,758 He didn't say much, but it didn't matter at that point. 712 00:46:00,758 --> 00:46:04,344 We had quite a bit of evidence and quite a bit of information to present. 713 00:46:06,972 --> 00:46:10,392 I still remember walking out and calling Ronnie. 714 00:46:12,102 --> 00:46:14,855 The phone rings. It says, "Detective Ralph." 715 00:46:15,773 --> 00:46:16,774 I go, "Oh, shit." 716 00:46:17,399 --> 00:46:18,609 "It's too early." 717 00:46:19,902 --> 00:46:23,197 I get nervous, and my... my feet start tapping. 718 00:46:23,906 --> 00:46:24,907 I answered. 719 00:46:26,325 --> 00:46:28,619 He goes, "Ronnie." I go, "Ralph, what's up?" 720 00:46:28,619 --> 00:46:31,747 He goes, "Are you sitting down?" And right then, my heart went boom. 721 00:46:31,747 --> 00:46:33,582 I tell him, "We got him." 722 00:46:34,291 --> 00:46:35,709 "We're charging him." 723 00:46:39,254 --> 00:46:40,380 I just cried. 724 00:46:40,380 --> 00:46:43,467 I sat in my car and cried and cried, 45 minutes. 725 00:46:44,802 --> 00:46:47,012 It was a very emotional phone call for us. 726 00:46:49,807 --> 00:46:52,226 I get a phone call saying, 727 00:46:52,226 --> 00:46:54,853 "In one hour, we're gonna do a press conference." 728 00:46:54,853 --> 00:46:57,773 "They found the person that killed your mother." 729 00:46:58,524 --> 00:47:01,151 And I just started crying. I couldn't believe it. 730 00:47:01,151 --> 00:47:03,445 They were like, "We need you in downtown LA now." 731 00:47:05,864 --> 00:47:07,366 I couldn't make it there. 732 00:47:08,575 --> 00:47:12,704 But my stepdad was there, of course. He was there for everything. 733 00:47:16,250 --> 00:47:18,752 The press conference really was for Ronnie 734 00:47:19,294 --> 00:47:21,880 to be able to tell the story to the press 735 00:47:21,880 --> 00:47:24,091 and let them know what he had been through. 736 00:47:24,091 --> 00:47:25,175 Detective. 737 00:47:25,676 --> 00:47:26,885 Thank you. 738 00:47:28,428 --> 00:47:31,390 The day of the press conference, you can see me in the back. 739 00:47:31,390 --> 00:47:33,058 {\an8}I'm sort of edgy. 740 00:47:33,058 --> 00:47:36,770 {\an8}I was sweating, and I was starting to look like Rudy Giuliani up there. 741 00:47:37,479 --> 00:47:40,899 At this point, we wanted to introduce Ronnie Fematt, 742 00:47:41,400 --> 00:47:45,070 who was married at that time to Teresa Broudreaux. 743 00:47:45,988 --> 00:47:47,364 {\an8}- Ronnie. - Thank you. 744 00:47:51,201 --> 00:47:52,202 Hello. 745 00:47:53,370 --> 00:47:56,832 {\an8}It's been 37 years... longer than 37 years, 746 00:47:56,832 --> 00:47:59,877 {\an8}and I've been waiting a long time for this day. 747 00:48:00,794 --> 00:48:04,214 {\an8}I want to thank my family for always believing in me, 748 00:48:04,798 --> 00:48:07,676 {\an8}always being by my side, and I want to thank these people here. 749 00:48:08,552 --> 00:48:11,221 {\an8}'Cause without them, I wouldn't be here today. 750 00:48:11,889 --> 00:48:14,224 {\an8}It's been a long time for what I've been through. 751 00:48:14,933 --> 00:48:18,812 {\an8}And the noncertainty of not knowing why or how, you know? 752 00:48:19,771 --> 00:48:20,772 {\an8}And, uh... 753 00:48:22,149 --> 00:48:23,817 {\an8}I'm just glad this day came. 754 00:48:24,693 --> 00:48:25,903 {\an8}Thank you very much. 755 00:48:26,486 --> 00:48:28,822 Now everybody knows it wasn't me. 756 00:48:29,573 --> 00:48:31,033 They took the burden off me. 757 00:48:32,618 --> 00:48:34,494 Now people knew the truth. 758 00:48:37,581 --> 00:48:42,044 It was important for me for Ronnie to have that. 759 00:48:45,589 --> 00:48:48,759 Once they told me it wasn't him, this other guy did it, 760 00:48:48,759 --> 00:48:50,218 I was like, "Oh, my goodness." 761 00:48:53,096 --> 00:48:56,058 We did try to build a relationship. 762 00:48:57,142 --> 00:48:57,976 But... 763 00:48:59,061 --> 00:49:01,146 Yeah, things don't always work out. 764 00:49:10,238 --> 00:49:12,658 On October 2nd, 2017, 765 00:49:12,658 --> 00:49:16,495 I filed the complaint against Robert Yniguez. 766 00:49:16,995 --> 00:49:21,667 The first count was murder, and the second count was rape. 767 00:49:22,876 --> 00:49:26,505 Based on the circumstances, the law, and evidence at the time, 768 00:49:26,505 --> 00:49:30,133 we weren't able to file a charge for the baby. 769 00:49:32,552 --> 00:49:36,431 Before we could pick a jury and try the case, 770 00:49:36,431 --> 00:49:38,976 the defendant, through his attorney, 771 00:49:38,976 --> 00:49:41,770 indicated that he wanted to enter a plea agreement. 772 00:49:41,770 --> 00:49:45,148 He was willing to plead to second-degree murder, 773 00:49:45,148 --> 00:49:48,235 which carries a sentence of 15 to life, 774 00:49:48,235 --> 00:49:51,446 and admit that he had in fact killed Teresa. 775 00:49:53,031 --> 00:49:57,786 My feeling is that he probably did not want his wife 776 00:49:57,786 --> 00:50:03,000 and his stepdaughter to hear all of the details of the crime. 777 00:50:03,000 --> 00:50:08,547 So, if you're in his position, and you're gonna get convicted either way, 778 00:50:09,047 --> 00:50:11,633 then you maybe choose an option 779 00:50:11,633 --> 00:50:17,472 where you can maintain your innocence in your private conversations with them. 780 00:50:20,726 --> 00:50:23,270 Yniguez was sentenced in October of 2019. 781 00:50:24,604 --> 00:50:27,024 You're talking 37-and-a-half years, 782 00:50:27,899 --> 00:50:29,985 40 to the day he got convicted. 783 00:50:30,902 --> 00:50:34,156 And I live with torment every day. 784 00:50:37,325 --> 00:50:39,828 Had the defendant been convicted at trial, 785 00:50:39,828 --> 00:50:44,374 there would have been a mandatory sentence of life without parole as the minimum. 786 00:50:44,875 --> 00:50:49,296 With a plea and pleading to 15 to life, 787 00:50:49,296 --> 00:50:51,298 he will be eligible for parole. 788 00:50:52,007 --> 00:50:55,135 But because you never know what's gonna happen with a jury, 789 00:50:55,135 --> 00:50:56,470 it's a risk. 790 00:50:59,056 --> 00:51:01,933 I figure at his age, 15 to life... 791 00:51:03,018 --> 00:51:04,311 he ain't getting out. 792 00:51:04,311 --> 00:51:05,896 Now I get to sleep at night 793 00:51:05,896 --> 00:51:08,648 knowing he's not gonna be around to hurt anybody else. 794 00:51:09,149 --> 00:51:12,736 I was very relieved when it was all over with. 795 00:51:12,736 --> 00:51:14,738 It was very overwhelming for me. 796 00:51:14,738 --> 00:51:17,407 Now I can, um, start healing. 797 00:51:27,000 --> 00:51:31,004 I made arrangements to have a flower shop close by Malaga Cove 798 00:51:31,004 --> 00:51:33,590 to make her a real nice wreath in a cross. 799 00:51:36,843 --> 00:51:39,679 I picked it up. Everybody, we caravaned all the way over there. 800 00:51:41,431 --> 00:51:43,934 We're with the family. They're putting up this wreath, 801 00:51:43,934 --> 00:51:45,894 and on the banner, it says, "It's over." 802 00:51:48,313 --> 00:51:49,731 It was a weird feeling to be there. 803 00:51:50,982 --> 00:51:55,529 I'd been there a couple of times, but now we had Yniguez convicted. 804 00:51:55,529 --> 00:51:57,030 We had answers. 805 00:52:02,160 --> 00:52:05,372 Ralph Hernandez, he did me right. 806 00:52:05,372 --> 00:52:06,540 He did me justice. 807 00:52:06,540 --> 00:52:10,377 He gave me everything I needed to put this behind me. 808 00:52:11,002 --> 00:52:13,255 I can't thank him enough for the hard work he did. 809 00:52:15,048 --> 00:52:18,885 He's a Chicano done good. I go, "That's you, Ralph." 810 00:52:18,885 --> 00:52:20,554 "You should be proud of yourself." 811 00:52:23,014 --> 00:52:24,266 I'm very proud. 812 00:52:24,975 --> 00:52:28,186 It felt great to be able to get answers for the family. 813 00:52:29,062 --> 00:52:31,565 It was, um, very satisfying, 814 00:52:31,565 --> 00:52:33,483 'cause you realize the fruit of your hard labor, 815 00:52:33,483 --> 00:52:35,360 all those hours, all those years... 816 00:52:36,987 --> 00:52:38,530 You made a difference. 817 00:52:53,295 --> 00:52:56,006 All missing person cases come through Homicide. 818 00:52:56,840 --> 00:52:59,426 If you're missing, the big question is... 819 00:53:00,218 --> 00:53:01,219 "Why?" 820 00:53:01,219 --> 00:53:04,931 Father of three, the 6'6"-tall Smith has disappeared. 821 00:53:06,057 --> 00:53:08,602 Gavin Smith was a Fox executive. 822 00:53:08,602 --> 00:53:09,978 He was larger-than-life. 823 00:53:10,937 --> 00:53:13,773 It was highly irregular that somebody like him 824 00:53:13,773 --> 00:53:15,942 would just vanish into thin air. 825 00:53:16,526 --> 00:53:19,654 - There's some weird stuff going on here. He was in turmoil. 826 00:53:19,654 --> 00:53:22,616 Gavin had a pretty torrid affair. 827 00:53:22,616 --> 00:53:26,411 It's a mystery, but somebody out there knows something.