[eerie music]
- Along a strip of southern highway,
A mysterious discovery is made.
[car chiming]
- And just hours later, the complete
And terrifying picture emerges.
- We removed the tarp.
We observed the body
With multiple stab wounds to the chest.
- And a series of sinful and scandalous revelations...
- The relationship turned intimate at some point.
- We find out he has a criminal record.
- At this point, we have three suspects.
- Leads police to the killer.
- He had this jekyll and hyde story to him.
- This case came about not for a robbery,
Not for greed, but lust.
["just another ghost"]
♪ ♪
- ♪ oh, child ♪
♪ come home to the gallows pole ♪
- ♪ oh, my lord, take this soul ♪
♪ meet me at the bottom of the river ♪
- Surrounded by the gently rolling hills
Of north carolina's piedmont region
Lies what locals refer to as the triangle.
That is raleigh, durham, and chapel hill.
These parts boast the finest educational institutions
South of the mason-dixon line.
- Raleigh has north carolina state university.
Durham has multiple universities.
Most people know duke university.
And also, north carolina central
Is a historically black university.
- Hbcus have a legacy of nurturing
African american students.
The importance of who they are
And their place in society,
That's valued.
- But all those campus bells aren't the only ones
You'll hear ringing around here.
- There are many, many churches.
- The buckle of the bible belt. Very religious.
Christianity, in particular, plays
A big role in people's lives.
- But in 2008, something so sinful
Happens here in the triangle,
You'd think satan himself was pulling at the strings.
[phone rings]
- That morning, I was on my way downtown to my office
When I received a call from my supervisor.
He told me that several commuters that morning
Reported seeing a body laying just off the road...
And a female had been found deceased on the side of I-540.
I got on scene just after 8:00.
I walked off the side of the road
To where the victim was located,
Concealed by a tarp,
Just to preserve the crime scene.
We removed the tarp,
And we observed a black female
With multiple-- what I would describe as--
Stab wounds to the chest.
It appeared that somebody had put just a lot of anger
Into the offense.
- Before getting to work on the crime scene,
Detective lilyquist places a call to his boss,
The sheriff.
- At first, you know, when I heard it, I thought,
Oh, my god, this is somebody that's done killed her
And thrown her out of the car and gone on.
So I told him to talk with the da.
- Police noted that her pants
Were sort of pulled down a little bit.
Her shirt was all the way up.
It was surmised that likely the pants
Were pushed down because the body is being dragged.
- As a result of these findings,
Detective lilyquist notes that the victim
Was likely killed elsewhere.
He continues to search the crime scene
For additional clues.
- As I looked around, there was no murder weapon
Found at the scene.
- Police also can't find any form of identification
On or near the body.
- And we were not able to identify her.
At that point, we contact our local
Crime scene investigators.
They come out, and they are responsible for processing
The crime scene.
- Detective lilyquist has his hands full
With the active crime scene
When an unexpected person arrives.
- Approximately an hour after we had been on the scene,
We were notified that a male subject
Had approached one of the deputies
At the perimeter of our crime scene.
He identified himself as darin curtis
And told us that he had just filed
A missing person report for his wife,
And he believes he located her vehicle
At the top of a nearby exit ramp--
A nissan sentra,
Approximately 100 to 150 yards away.
He looked inside the vehicle
And noted a large amount of blood in there.
Darin is visibly concerned that his wife,
Who he has just reported missing,
That she could potentially be involved in our investigation.
- But he has no idea that she's underneath the tarp.
- At the time, we were not able
To give him any information.
We didn't know what his involvement was.
- After all, detectives still don't know
The identity of the victim.
- Darin was able to give us a photograph of his wife.
We used that photograph at the scene
To positively identify our victim
As 21-year-old latrese curtis.
But we didn't give him the death notification.
It would not be something we would give
On the side of the road.
- Instead, detective lilyquist asks him
To remain at the perimeter of the crime scene
While they check out the vehicle.
- We approach the nissan sentra
And observe a large amount of blood
In the driver's side area of the vehicle.
Based off of the significant amount of blood in the vehicle,
It was pretty obvious that the attack
At least started inside latrese's vehicle.
- We want to tow it in and get it inside
The police department, where they can work on it
And be able to see a little bit more of what they're doing.
- While a patrol cop sorts out towing the vehicle,
Detectives double back to darin
At the perimeter of the crime scene
To get more information.
- Darin said that both of them are
Students at nearby universities
And lived at a residence nearby.
Mrs. Curtis went
To north carolina central university.
He said at approximately 10:00 p.M. Last night,
Latrese called him
And said that she was leaving the library.
She'd be home shortly.
Mr. Curtis says that he goes to bed
Approximately 11:00 p.M.
Latrese was not at home at the time,
Which is not abnormal.
But about 6:30 this following morning,
He woke up-- latrese was not there.
He was concerned.
He tried to call her phone several times.
[line trilling] no answer.
He says that he had to go to work that morning.
So he had plans to continue to try to reach her
By telephone on the way to work.
He leaves to go to work, and at that point,
He does pass by heavy police presence.
He drives further up 540,
And he notices latrese's vehicle parked
On the exit ramp of louisburg road.
From that point, he goes back to his house,
And he makes a phone call
To the durham police department
To report latrese missing.
And the officer instructs him to turn back around,
Get back to the crime scene.
- But darin tells police that before he left,
He tried to figure out where latrese could be
By looking up who she last spoke with.
- Then he accesses the couple's joint cell phone account,
And he notes that there are several calls made to and from
Her phone number the late hours of the 29th
Into the 30th from the same number.
He picks up the phone, and he calls the number.
[line trilling]
He tells us that a male subject answers the telephone
And never identifies himself.
He asks the male subject, "how do you know latrese?"
Male subject says, "hey, I go to school with her
"at north carolina central.
Is she okay?"
And at that point,
They discontinue the telephone call.
This additional information makes things more complicated,
And it's sending up red flags to everybody.
- Is this mystery man connected to the murder
Of latrese curtis, or is her husband just trying
To throw police off his scent?
- Our first instinct is to get mr. Curtis to a location
Where we can get a better interview with him.
So we ask darin if he'll accompany us downtown
For a more structured interview.
He agrees.
- Detective lilyquist leaves the crime scene investigators
To do their work
And heads back to the station with darin.
Darin is placed in an interview room
When another one of latrese's family members
Who was worried about not being able
To contact latrese arrives.
- That morning, I kept calling latrese.
Couldn't get in touch with her.
Wasn't even going to voicemail. Just making this noise, man.
"doo-doo-doo-doo-doo-doo." what in the world?
- So latrese's father called darin,
And darin, who was still at home getting ready for work,
Informed him latrese never came home last night.
Worried, latrese's father sprung into action.
- So I called the school
Because she had a parking spot there.
Asked them to go out and see if her car was there.
They told me, "sir, I can't tell you any more.
You need to get in touch with the sheriff's department."
Man, you can't imagine.
Oh, my god.
[groans] okay.
[breathing heavily]
[somber music]
♪ ♪
I kept trying to call my wife.
[phone ringing]
I picked her up.
[sniffles, breathing shakily]
We went down to the sheriff's department.
[indistinct radio chatter]
- When detectives find latrese's parents waiting,
They break the gut-wrenching news to them.
- And that's when latrese's father puts together
The pieces of what happened that morning.
- I got really, really angry at darin.
She didn't come home that night.
And you went to bed. [sniffles]
You didn't worry about your wife not--
Not being in bed when you got up?
And then you-- you got up, and you--
You went to work.
- Darin, he was the last person they knew of at the time
Who talked to her.
- It was too early in the investigation
To not consider mr. Curtis a suspect.
- I kept telling the police, "look at the husband.
Look at the husband."
- Coming up...
- On that night, a state trooper had located
A vehicle very close to the proximity
Of where the victim was located.
- There wasn't no doubt in my mind
He knew what he had done.
- Then latrese's cell phone records come back,
And the name sent up big red flags to us.
- ♪ come home to the gallows pole ♪
- ♪ judgment day shall come ♪
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Hours after 21-year-old latrese curtis is found
Savagely stabbed to death,
Her father tells police he believes
She was murdered by the very man
That vowed to protect her-- her husband, darin curtis.
- There wasn't no doubt in my mind.
This man didn't check on his wife.
This man got up and went to work.
He knew what he had done.
- At this point, we didn't know what darin's involvement was
Or if he was even involved.
- So we need all the information that we can get.
- Detectives turn to her grieving father
To learn more about latrese curtis
And her husband, darin.
- She was a daddy's girl,
And believe me when I tell you that.
You knew that she was going to be special,
Because she was a go-getter.
- And no one was prouder of latrese
When she got into the local hbcu than her daddy.
- She loved that school, man.
Oh, my god. [scoffs]
I think if she'd had the choice of nccu and duke,
She still would have picked nccu.
- During her freshman year, latrese met darin.
- At first, he actually gave me a very good impression.
Then I gave him a rundown of what I expected
From him and from my daughter.
You know, that's my daughter. That's my pride and joy.
Don't hurt her.
- But after darin and latrese eloped in the spring of 2007,
Sherman's feelings towards darin soured.
- Didn't know she had got married.
When she told me that, of course it upset me,
You know?
He should have been a man.
By him not coming and talking to us,
I think he took a part of me away...
Because...
Now that wasn't daddy's little girl anymore.
- Detectives promise to keep sherman apprised
Of their investigation,
Especially in regards to darin,
Who they're fixing to sit down with.
- At the beginning of the interview,
Mr. Curtis was given the official death notification
And told that latrese was the victim.
He appeared extremely distraught.
- Detectives are curious to learn more
About darin's relationship with latrese.
- Like any other couple, they had little quirks,
But he said for the most part, he overall thought
They had a great marriage.
- My investigator thought he was pretty straight
But didn't want to make the wrong decision too quickly.
- So we also asked him if he consents
To being fingerprint, dna swabbed, and he agrees.
And we took photographs.
- Operating under the assumption
That latrese was stabbed to death,
Detective lilyquist suspects the killer might have
Physical signs of an altercation.
- They checked him for any injuries,
Defensive wounds or anything like that,
And he didn't have anything.
- Detectives have no grounds to hold him,
So darin is free to go, for now.
- Next, we obtain search warrants
For latrese and darin's residence,
As well as their two vehicles.
- The bulk of the forensic evidence
Came from latrese's car.
There was blood in the car.
So that and the steering wheel was swabbed for dna,
And it was sent to the crime lab for analysis.
- And investigators were sent to the residence
To conduct a search.
And upon searching the apartment,
No significant items of evidence
Were located inside.
Investigators on scene also spoke with management
At the apartment complex.
They did view surveillance,
And nothing of significance was located on the footage.
So, around this time, we've got several other things going on.
We have court orders for latrese curtis's phone
To attempt to identify the unknown number
That darin said she had correspondence with
Last night.
And we reach out to partners, local agencies
In an attempt to see if anybody has observed
Suspicious activity near the crime scene
Between the 29th and the 30th.
And at that point, we were notified that a state trooper
Had located a chrysler pacifica the early-morning hours
Of January 30th very close to the proximity
Of where the victim was located.
- Detectives learn the trooper's name
Is isaac cooper,
And they make arrangements to talk to him about the car
He observed near the crime scene.
- So, about 1:30 that morning,
I pulled over about this location here.
The chrysler pacifica would be in front
Of where my patrol vehicle.
I notice that the driver's side window is halfway rolled down.
I try the door. It's unlocked.
When I open the door, you can hear the chime
Of the keys in the ignition. [car chiming]
It was just unusual.
Then I get back in my vehicle, run the tag on the vehicle
To see if it is stolen.
It comes back not stolen.
But at that time, I'm given another call on I-40,
So I leave the scene and go handle the call on I-40.
[tense music]
- So we start background on the vehicle tags,
Determine that the vehicle is registered to a robert reaves.
He's a bishop at a local church.
But there's a lot of components that are coming into play
Right around this time.
Latrese's cell phone records come back,
And we're able to determine
That the unknown telephone number
That she had correspondence with
Is associated with steven randolph,
Who was a student
At north carolina central university.
♪ ♪
I made contact with campus police.
They were able to locate mr. Randolph.
We asked him if he would be willing
To come for an interview.
So mr. Randolph agrees, but he told the investigator
That he would like his mentor and roommate
To accompany him downtown.
And he said his mentor was robert reaves.
- The very same robert reaves police want to talk to.
- Obviously the name sent up big red flags to us.
- Steven randolph, the man latrese called
Before her murder, and robert reaves,
The man whose car was at the crime scene,
Are roommates.
Surely that is no coincidence.
- We got some connections here.
But it's like a puzzle,
And we've got to fix that puzzle.
- ♪ come home to the gallows pole ♪
- ♪ judgment day shall come ♪
[dramatic music]
- Within 48 hours of latrese curtis's death,
The mystery surrounding her murder
Takes a surprising turn when detectives discover
That two of the men they're questioning in connection
With the case, steven randolph and bishop robert reaves,
Are closely connected.
- While speaking with mr. Randolph,
He told investigators that robert reaves
Was his mentor and roommate.
And he agreed to an interview but with the stipulation
That robert reaves accompany him as well.
- Steven contacts reaves,
And he joins him at the station.
- He cannot accompany steven into an interview,
But we did ask him if he would be willing to speak
With us while he was down there.
And he agreed.
- Detective lilyquist sits down with robert reaves
While another detective interviews steven.
And the first question they ask steven is,
How exactly did he know latrese?
- So steven described meeting latrese curtis in the beginning
Of the semester at north carolina central,
Said they had a class together.
He said latrese described being married,
But she was currently separated from her husband.
They developed a relationship over time.
It turned intimate at some point.
We asked about latrese
And the last time she was over.
He said that she had been at the residence
On the evening of the 29th.
- Detectives note that puts latrese with steven
Just hours before her body was discovered
The next morning.
- He said the two of them have sexual intercourse,
And about 10:00, she says that she's going to leave,
And she's heading home.
He leaves from there and goes to some friend's house
That he goes to school with, and they basically hang out,
Watch tv, play video games,
Like a typical college kid.
He said that while he's over at his friend's house,
He gets a call from latrese.
She wants to talk about furthering their relationship.
And he said it kind of caught him off guard.
He said he told her that he didn't really want to talk
About it over the phone-- rather speak in person.
He returns home at approximately 1:30
In the morning.
And approximately 9:00 in the morning,
He gets a call from an unknown number.
He answered.
It is a male subject asking questions about latrese.
That information corroborates the information
That darin curtis gave us regarding
Trying to make contact with an unknown number.
- Steven insists he wasn't aware of latrese's murder
Until that morning when he saw it on the news.
Detectives can't help but wonder,
Did steven and latrese's affair turn deadly?
As they press him for more information, down the hall,
Detective lilyquist gets straight to the point
With bishop robert reaves.
- We asked him why his vehicle was located
On the side of I-540 near louisburg road
On the early-morning hours of the 30th.
He immediately claimed
He did not know where that was.
He tells us that earlier in the evening
That he leaves to go to church.
He said he comes home, and steven is not home.
He does not see steven's vehicle there.
- Even though he and steven are roommates,
Reaves says he never met latrese curtis,
And his alibi seems easy enough to verify.
But first, detectives want to get
A better understanding
Of his relationship with steven.
- They met at a car wash.
Steven randolph was kind of going through some hard times.
He didn't have a place to live,
And so robert reaves offered to let him stay with him
Until he could get back on his feet.
He said that he was pastor of a church
And that he can look after him.
- He said that they agreed on paying $300 a month
For him to stay in a room.
We asked him who else resides there.
Reaves says that his sister willie mae
Is also a tenant at the residence.
We ask him about the car,
If steven's got a key or if he uses it.
He said, yes, he does.
So we further asked him if steven drove his vehicle
On the night of the 29th into the 30th,
And he said, to his knowledge, he did not know that he did.
- It all seems innocent enough,
Until out of nowhere,
The bishop makes a startling confession.
- This is the first time in my career
That I am going down one way of an interview
And something like this is brought out.
And I'm still not able to describe or comprehend
Why this was brought up.
Robert reaves tells us
That he has inappropriately touched steven
On occasion.
- Coming up...
- Someone is being arrested who seems like
They have very little connection to this woman.
- Why would he kill my daughter?
- He told police within the last month or two,
He had gotten some mysterious phone calls
From an unknown number.
- ♪ come home to the gallows pole ♪
- ♪ judgment day shall come ♪
[tense music]
[sirens wailing]
- Detectives are interrogating bishop robert reaves
About the death of latrese curtis,
When he makes a sinful admission.
He says one night when he and steven randolph
Were hanging out,
Things got a little out of control.
- Robert reaves said he approached steven
About starting an escort service.
He said that it'd be a way for him to make some money.
He said he asked steven to pull out his genitalia.
He said he needed to measure it
For the business.
Steven agreed.
He said he described taking a piece of paper out
And a marker in an attempt to measure it.
I'm scratching my head
With a lot of the information that he's telling me
Because it's not really lining up
With the questions that I'm asking.
- Steven is still being questioned in another room,
So detective lilyquist decides to get his side of the story.
- Steven randolph gives details very similar
To robert reaves' details.
But he said mr. Reaves grabbed and pulled him closer to him.
He said he pushed back.
He said a short time later, mr. Reaves apologizes
For the instance, said that he was out of line,
And further agreed to letting him live there for free
From there on.
- The relationship between steven and reaves
Is strange, to say the least.
But detectives can't connect the dots
Between reaves' unholy behavior
And the mystery of why his car was at the crime scene
The night of the murder.
So detective lilyquist continues to collect evidence
That could provide some answers.
- We apply for a search warrant for this person
For the purpose of gathering evidence--
Dna, fingerprints, photographs...
And fresh injuries were noted,
Scratches and scrapes on his arms,
As well as scrapes on his knees.
- His explanation for the injuries
Was that he got that
When he was moving furniture
At some point within the last few days.
- And we obtain and execute a search warrant
For steven randolph.
But no injuries are noted on his body.
- The interviews with bishop reaves
And steven randolph are over,
But both men are asked to remain at the station.
- At this point, we have three suspects--
Darin curtis, steven randolph, and robert reaves.
So we were basically just on a search for evidence
Leading us in the right direction.
- So all of the swabs that they took from darin, steven,
And the bishop were sent
To the crime lab for comparison
To forensic evidence from latrese's car.
- And when the autopsy report comes in shortly after,
Detective lilyquist looks it over
For any additional evidence
- Latrese curtis suffered between 30 and 40 stab wounds
To her chest area.
- Why would you...
Kill this child in such a savage manner?
- And there was one stab wound
That was very chilling,
Because it went from about the victim's navel
All the way up the middle.
And it was superficial, and it appeared
To be postmortem because there was no active blood.
And she surmised that that likely
Was the person who killed her
Testing to see if she was dead.
- Knowing they're looking for a cold-blooded killer,
Detective lilyquist starts running down the alibis
For their suspects.
Darin said he was home alone all night,
So nothing to check there.
Next up is steven randolph.
- So we make contact with all of steven randolph's friends
That he described as being with on that evening.
Everybody verified that he was there.
Everything checked out.
- Finally, detectives turn their attention
To robert reaves' alibi.
- Reaves had indicated
That he had gone to church that night,
Said that sister willie mae had gone to the same church
That they attended.
But willie mae told police
She had gone to church that night
And said she never saw him at the church service.
- We reached out to fellow congregation members
In an attempt to verify that he was at the church.
Nobody saw robert reaves that evening
Or could verify that he was there.
He has no alibi.
- His vehicle clearly was at the scene
Of the death.
- And the injuries observed on his body...
I feel like we had the right man.
We got the blessing for the arrest warrant.
- Three days after latrese was brutally stabbed to death,
Bishop robert reaves is arrested
And charged with her murder.
- So, when we hear about the arrest,
I'm thinking,
Someone is being arrested who seems like
They have very little connection to this woman.
[phone rings]
- ♪ come home to the gallows pole ♪
- ♪ judgment day shall come ♪
[tense music]
♪ ♪
- Southern preacher robert reaves
Is behind bars awaiting trial on murder charges
For the brutal slaying of latrese curtis.
But the mystery of what happened,
And why, remains.
- At that point, we're not seeing
Any kind of relationship between robert reaves
And latrese curtis.
- Even though no one knows
Why bishop reaves would kill latrese,
Dna test results further convince authorities
They've arrested the right man.
- The dna, it came back to be...
They don't like to say a match,
But the chances of it not being robert reaves
Was one in millions.
Both darin curtis and steven randolph
Did not match.
- The men are officially cleared
As suspects in the case,
As detectives try to figure out reaves' motive,
Especially now that the news of his arrest has spread.
[bell tolling] - this is north carolina.
Church has a heavy influence.
I think it was really troubling
For a lot of people.
- He was well-regarded and well-respected
In the church community.
It sounded like it would have been
So out of character for him.
- In search of answers, detective lilyquist
Does a deep dive on bishop robert reaves.
- As we dig further into his background,
We start seeing a couple different past offenses
Of sexual misconduct.
- And law enforcement aren't the only ones
Trying to dig up dirt on reaves.
- We find out he has a criminal record
Dating back to 1987 in south carolina,
Where he's charged with a sex crime,
And convicted, involving a minor.
Then he has another charge in brooklyn,
Again, involving a minor, a boy, in that area.
We learn from some of the pastors
That he has worked with
That these are the reasons he's been moving around.
- Since it seems steven randolph
Was his last known victim,
Detectives want to know
If there's any more to his story
That might shed light on latrese's murder.
- We brought steven randolph in to conduct
Several additional interviews to see if he recollects
Any additional information.
- He told police, within the last month or two,
He had gotten some mysterious phone calls
From an unknown number...
And that he had spoken to another girlfriend of his,
And she also said, "I also have been getting
Phone calls from that same number."
- In December, just a month before the murder,
The mysterious phone calls turned violent,
When steven and his friend went to a party.
[phone vibrating] - both of them received a call
From the mysterious number alluding to slashed tires.
And both randolph
And her vehicle's tires had been slashed.
And police were able to pull the phone records
For that number,
And it came back to a name of a church.
But the address was robert reaves' address.
That opened up this
Jekyll and hyde story to him
And really showed
That he was also
This completely different, sinister person
At the same time that he is this pastor.
- The new information
Also shows reaves' propensity for violence,
Especially when it comes to the women
In steven randolph's life,
And a motive begins to emerge.
- He had an obvious attraction for steven randolph.
- And so he's making all these odd advances at him.
But steven had said, "I'm not interested."
- But they think the bishop didn't take rejection well,
So he turned his anger on the woman
In steven's life.
- And I think he was upset because he didn't like
That latrese was going with randolph.
- He wasn't just interested in steven randolph,
He was obsessed.
- That night, she came to the house
To have sex with randolph,
And I think that he knew what was going on.
He got really angry over that, and the anger took over.
- And he felt latrese was in the way.
And he wanted to get rid of this obstruction,
So he murders her.
- As they head towards trial, the district attorney's office
Is starting to gain some traction.
But they aren't the only ones working this case.
So is reaves' defense attorney,
George kelly.
- The state's theory in this case
Was that this case came about not for a robbery,
Not for greed, not for money, but lust.
What's missing is no indication
That steve randolph had any interest in robert reaves.
If robert kills latrese,
It doesn't mean that steve now is going to have
A continuing relationship with him--there wasn't one.
- There's always two sides to every story.
The question is, which one is the jury going to believe?
♪ ♪
When the trial of robert reaves
Finally begins,
The people of raleigh-durham are ready for answers,
While latrese's loved ones want justice.
- It was not a slam dunk.
It was...
Mostly circumstantial.
- There was tension from the prosecution side
And from latrese's family,
Worried that there would not be a conviction.
- There was no knife.
Nobody saw him there.
Nobody saw it happen.
It was a lot to ask the jury to put together.
I was scared.
- ♪ come home to the gallows pole ♪
- ♪ judgment day shall come ♪
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
- When the murder trial of robert reaves kicks off,
Everyone is on pins and needles,
Especially latrese's loved ones.
- So it was very tense.
It was very tense in that courtroom.
People worried that there would not be a conviction.
- In opening arguments, prosecutors come out swinging.
- More than pointing to actual, direct evidence,
Which we didn't have a whole lot of, besides the dna,
It was the compilation of all of the circumstantial evidence,
And that there really was
No other reasonable explanation
Except for the fact
Reaves obviously had feelings for steven randolph,
And she was in the way, and he must have killed her.
- He was jealous, and he let
Anger get the best of him.
- But robert reaves' defense hits back hard...
And they take aim at the dna evidence.
- If latrese curtis is handling doorknobs in the house
Where robert reaves lived, she could pick up his dna,
Walk out to her car,
And transfer it to the steering wheel when she touched it.
- As for reaves' car being at the scene,
They have an answer for that as well.
- It didn't have to be
Robert reaves' with his vehicle.
It could have been steve randolph
Operating robert reaves' car.
- The defense argues it was steven
Who had the real means and the motive
To kill latrese.
- Latrese was talking to steve randolph about,
Let's take our relationship to the next level.
That might be a motive right there
For him to get wild and mad and lose it and stab her.
- To refute any reasonable doubt,
Prosecutors call a trove of witnesses to the stand,
Starting with darin curtis and steven randolph.
- Latrese curtis' husband testifies about where he was
And the timing of the phone calls
And the fact he was at home.
- Steven randolph was important to the case,
Because it was crucial for the jury to hear
His interactions with reaves
And what his relationship was with latrese.
- But the prosecution's secret weapon
Turns out to be reaves' own sister willie mae.
- She did not come across
As someone who was trying to nail him,
But she testified that she didn't see him at church
At the time of the murder.
- Once again, reaves' lack of an alibi
Comes back to haunt him.
And it only gets worse as the prosecution lays out
What they think happened the night of the murder.
- Prosecutors said, "we believe robert reaves
"followed latrese curtis that night from the home
With the intention to kill her."
- He wound up getting her attention
That she stopped to see what was happening.
And then he got to the car.
He lost it.
[suspenseful music]
♪ ♪
He killed her and drug her out of the car across the road.
- But in the wake of damning evidence
And words against him, the bishop remained silent.
- Robert reaves decided not to testify.
Nobody can make that decision for you.
Your lawyer can't decide it for you.
You decide whether to testify or not.
- When all is said and done,
The jury delivers a verdict.
- I was pleasantly surprised...
When the jury came back with a guilty verdict.
- All I could do, man,
Was lift my head up like this and just...
[scoffs]
I didn't know whether to jump up.
I didn't know what to do.
And he never looked at me.
He never looked at me.
- Robert reaves is sentenced to life in prison
Without the chance of parole.
- It's chilling, man,
To think that a member of the clergy
Could be that warped and that selfish,
That if I can't have what I want,
Then I'll murder for it, and I'll murder savagely.
- It really is kind of the end of some innocence.
This is not something we're used to seeing here.
[somber music]
- ♪ say a prayer for the lonely hearts ♪
♪ for the ones who are with us ♪
♪ for the ones who depart ♪
- But now, years later,
Robert reaves and his evil sins
Have no place in the hearts and minds
Of latrese's loved ones.
They only carry cherished memories
Of a beautiful young woman gone way too soon.
- In my house, we got one room,
And there's nothing but pictures of her.
I just stand there sometime,
And I just see all the pictures,
All the baby pictures.
I go in that room, she's in that room with me.
And I just--just do like that.