1 00:00:06,528 --> 00:00:09,139 He took me under his wing and said he was going to guide me. 2 00:00:09,226 --> 00:00:11,010 John Davis, the night manager, 3 00:00:11,011 --> 00:00:12,795 was this terrific guy. 4 00:00:12,925 --> 00:00:15,363 Somebody was lurking in the back of the van 5 00:00:15,493 --> 00:00:17,408 waiting for his opportunity 6 00:00:17,582 --> 00:00:19,627 to strike. 7 00:00:19,628 --> 00:00:22,283 Who has a motive to want this person dead? 8 00:00:22,413 --> 00:00:25,851 He is a prodigy. He is a talented musician. 9 00:00:26,026 --> 00:00:28,985 He had an opportunity to be in one of the best boy bands 10 00:00:29,072 --> 00:00:31,074 in the country or in the world. 11 00:00:31,161 --> 00:00:33,597 Boyz II Men become very successful 12 00:00:33,598 --> 00:00:35,339 and this causes some resentment. 13 00:00:35,426 --> 00:00:37,559 That is when everything turns. 14 00:00:37,646 --> 00:00:41,519 She tells us that the attack on John Davis 15 00:00:41,650 --> 00:00:43,782 was part of a contract 16 00:00:43,956 --> 00:00:46,481 where they had agreed with one another 17 00:00:46,568 --> 00:00:48,657 to kill five individuals. 18 00:00:48,744 --> 00:00:50,266 She was a black widow. 19 00:00:50,267 --> 00:00:51,615 She was a narcissistic woman 20 00:00:51,616 --> 00:00:53,182 that just wanted to eliminate men. 21 00:00:53,183 --> 00:00:57,057 He said to her, one down, four to go. 22 00:01:16,032 --> 00:01:18,208 The music scene in Philly has a long history 23 00:01:18,382 --> 00:01:21,559 and has influenced many musicians over the years. 24 00:01:21,646 --> 00:01:23,691 When a local talent hits it big, 25 00:01:23,692 --> 00:01:26,825 the whole city celebrates the win. 26 00:01:26,912 --> 00:01:28,870 But sometimes, artists make headlines 27 00:01:28,871 --> 00:01:30,393 for all the wrong reasons 28 00:01:30,394 --> 00:01:32,526 like in 2001 29 00:01:32,527 --> 00:01:35,703 when a murder turned the Philly music scene on its head. 30 00:01:44,495 --> 00:01:46,106 About a week before Christmas 31 00:01:46,236 --> 00:01:48,369 at the David's Bridal Warehouse 32 00:01:48,456 --> 00:01:50,631 in Whitemarsh Township, 33 00:01:50,632 --> 00:01:52,111 one of the employees 34 00:01:52,112 --> 00:01:53,330 opening up the building 35 00:01:53,417 --> 00:01:54,461 in the morning 36 00:01:54,462 --> 00:01:56,203 comes to the parking lot 37 00:01:56,333 --> 00:01:59,771 and sees the night manager's van parked there. 38 00:01:59,902 --> 00:02:04,949 The engine is running and that struck him as unusual. 39 00:02:04,950 --> 00:02:07,257 He thinks he's asleep. 40 00:02:07,388 --> 00:02:10,304 So he's banging on the window with no response. 41 00:02:12,219 --> 00:02:14,308 And then he opens the door and he can see 42 00:02:14,438 --> 00:02:15,526 that there's blood everywhere. 43 00:02:18,442 --> 00:02:19,834 And then calls 911. 44 00:02:22,707 --> 00:02:25,580 Whitemarsh Police get onto the scene. 45 00:02:25,754 --> 00:02:28,887 They see that the person that is still in the van, 46 00:02:29,018 --> 00:02:30,628 their foot is still on the brake. 47 00:02:30,802 --> 00:02:32,542 But they can see that 48 00:02:32,543 --> 00:02:36,417 the victim has been dead for a couple of hours. 49 00:02:38,462 --> 00:02:41,290 Montgomery County homicide detectives are notified. 50 00:02:41,291 --> 00:02:43,859 And now, a joint investigation commences. 51 00:02:45,948 --> 00:02:49,733 When the detectives arrive, they set up a perimeter 52 00:02:49,734 --> 00:02:54,434 so that there would be no entry anywhere near that van. 53 00:02:54,435 --> 00:02:55,696 There are certain things that they can notice 54 00:02:55,697 --> 00:02:58,439 by just quickly looking. 55 00:02:58,613 --> 00:03:00,354 There's a gunshot wound to the back of the head 56 00:03:00,484 --> 00:03:01,964 from relatively close range 57 00:03:02,138 --> 00:03:05,140 that looked like the shooter was in the van 58 00:03:05,141 --> 00:03:06,925 behind him in the back seat. 59 00:03:09,493 --> 00:03:12,235 The first thing you think about is was this a robbery? 60 00:03:13,323 --> 00:03:15,543 But he has his wallet, the van is still there, 61 00:03:15,630 --> 00:03:18,981 and he has $700 in cash in his pocket, 62 00:03:19,068 --> 00:03:21,635 so it's unlikely that it's a robbery. 63 00:03:21,636 --> 00:03:24,681 When the man who was coming to open the warehouse 64 00:03:24,682 --> 00:03:26,075 tells the police positively, 65 00:03:26,206 --> 00:03:28,947 this is my colleague, John Davis, 66 00:03:29,034 --> 00:03:31,211 then we of course get the identification from 67 00:03:31,298 --> 00:03:32,821 his wallet, matches up to the photograph 68 00:03:32,908 --> 00:03:34,125 on his driver's license. 69 00:03:34,126 --> 00:03:35,824 There's no question that it was John Davis. 70 00:03:40,437 --> 00:03:43,005 After confirming John Davis's identity, 71 00:03:43,135 --> 00:03:46,617 the forensic unit examines the inside of his van. 72 00:03:46,704 --> 00:03:49,141 The forensic people take photographs of everything 73 00:03:49,316 --> 00:03:52,101 and then begin to collect hairs, fibers, 74 00:03:52,232 --> 00:03:55,844 blood, DNA, things of that nature. 75 00:03:56,018 --> 00:03:57,802 The van itself is clean 76 00:03:57,976 --> 00:04:01,110 except for where the blood was located. 77 00:04:01,241 --> 00:04:04,634 We know that killers frequently leave behind forensic evidence, 78 00:04:04,635 --> 00:04:07,334 so we're looking for fingerprints. 79 00:04:07,421 --> 00:04:09,596 And there weren't any. 80 00:04:09,597 --> 00:04:11,642 It was very unusual. 81 00:04:11,729 --> 00:04:14,210 That tells us that the crime scene was wiped down 82 00:04:14,384 --> 00:04:16,037 with a specific intent 83 00:04:16,038 --> 00:04:18,345 to keep us from finding forensic evidence. 84 00:04:20,390 --> 00:04:24,219 Police officers realize that this seems very personal. 85 00:04:24,220 --> 00:04:26,440 The gunshot wound to the back of his head 86 00:04:26,570 --> 00:04:29,659 implies that somebody was lurking in the back of the van 87 00:04:29,660 --> 00:04:33,185 really waiting for his opportunity to strike. 88 00:04:37,102 --> 00:04:39,844 We were asking the owners of the warehouse, 89 00:04:39,975 --> 00:04:41,716 is there any surveillance video 90 00:04:41,803 --> 00:04:43,238 or anything of that nature? 91 00:04:43,239 --> 00:04:46,895 Mind you, this is 2001, so there wasn't. 92 00:04:46,982 --> 00:04:51,639 We were kind of operating in the blind here. 93 00:04:51,813 --> 00:04:56,121 Naturally, the first thing that we look for is motive. 94 00:04:56,208 --> 00:04:58,079 We want to know who this person is. 95 00:04:58,080 --> 00:04:59,908 Who was the last person to see him alive? 96 00:05:00,082 --> 00:05:02,302 And then who has a motive to want this person dead? 97 00:05:04,042 --> 00:05:06,218 Asking around his workplace, 98 00:05:06,306 --> 00:05:09,091 detectives are able to piece together a timeline 99 00:05:09,178 --> 00:05:10,831 of John's final hours. 100 00:05:10,832 --> 00:05:13,008 There was a fellow that he worked with, Mr. Woodson, 101 00:05:13,095 --> 00:05:16,490 that was the last person to see John alive. 102 00:05:18,622 --> 00:05:20,493 I first met John Davis 103 00:05:20,494 --> 00:05:23,192 when I applied for David's Bridal distribution. 104 00:05:23,279 --> 00:05:24,714 When I came in, 105 00:05:24,715 --> 00:05:27,282 he saw me and he said, ah, you're a tall guy. 106 00:05:27,283 --> 00:05:28,588 That's what we need, 107 00:05:28,589 --> 00:05:30,242 some tall guys with long arms around here. 108 00:05:30,373 --> 00:05:32,332 He thought I was a motivated guy, 109 00:05:32,506 --> 00:05:33,681 so he took me under his wing 110 00:05:33,768 --> 00:05:35,203 and he said he was going to guide me. 111 00:05:35,204 --> 00:05:36,553 And he was more like a father figure. 112 00:05:36,640 --> 00:05:37,859 He was older than me at the time. 113 00:05:37,989 --> 00:05:40,295 He was training me on life, 114 00:05:40,296 --> 00:05:43,081 work, and being a parent. 115 00:05:50,437 --> 00:05:54,091 December the 17th was brisk. It was cold. 116 00:05:54,092 --> 00:05:55,920 I was in there doing my p.m. duties, 117 00:05:56,007 --> 00:05:58,139 you know, cleaning up, making sure everything organized. 118 00:05:58,140 --> 00:05:59,620 John in the back. 119 00:05:59,750 --> 00:06:01,796 I see him back on his desk on the phone. 120 00:06:01,883 --> 00:06:03,450 He's talking. He said, "Give me a minute." 121 00:06:05,147 --> 00:06:07,584 Mr. Woodson told police 122 00:06:07,671 --> 00:06:10,456 that there's some SNAFU with setting the alarm, 123 00:06:10,457 --> 00:06:13,068 but they eventually get the alarm set. 124 00:06:13,198 --> 00:06:16,071 They left about 9:00, 9:05. 125 00:06:16,158 --> 00:06:19,030 They're conferring in the parking lot. 126 00:06:21,468 --> 00:06:22,730 He was like, man, love you, dude. 127 00:06:22,817 --> 00:06:25,297 Gave me a hug. He said, have a good night. 128 00:06:25,385 --> 00:06:27,996 As I'm backing up, I see him getting in the car. 129 00:06:28,083 --> 00:06:30,520 I see the doors shut. 130 00:06:30,651 --> 00:06:33,480 I backs up, I'm proceeding to leave the lot. 131 00:06:33,567 --> 00:06:36,177 I see his lights on. I'm thinking he cool. 132 00:06:36,178 --> 00:06:39,007 I leave, I go home, and I got in the shower. 133 00:06:39,094 --> 00:06:41,009 And me and my lady was in bed. 134 00:06:42,880 --> 00:06:45,405 Next morning, when they came to me and told me what happened. 135 00:06:45,579 --> 00:06:47,145 I was like, how? I just left him. 136 00:06:47,232 --> 00:06:48,625 There's no way in the world, man. 137 00:06:50,975 --> 00:06:53,586 Being the last person to see John alive, 138 00:06:53,587 --> 00:06:56,241 police want to confirm Woodson's whereabouts. 139 00:06:56,416 --> 00:06:59,897 His girlfriend is able to verify he was home all night. 140 00:06:59,984 --> 00:07:01,508 Me and John never had no issues. 141 00:07:01,682 --> 00:07:04,205 And I just was there for a short amount of time 142 00:07:04,206 --> 00:07:06,426 and I was doing good and me and John had good rapport. 143 00:07:08,036 --> 00:07:09,384 We talked to people that were working 144 00:07:09,385 --> 00:07:11,039 with him at David's Bridal. 145 00:07:11,169 --> 00:07:15,086 And we asked, is there some motive work-related? 146 00:07:15,217 --> 00:07:20,396 But what we got was a composite of this terrific guy. 147 00:07:23,834 --> 00:07:27,011 I would describe John Davis as a life-changing individual, 148 00:07:27,142 --> 00:07:29,536 and personality is off the charts. 149 00:07:30,580 --> 00:07:33,409 Very enthusiastic person. 150 00:07:33,496 --> 00:07:35,324 At work, if it was a boring moment, 151 00:07:35,411 --> 00:07:36,672 not when he was in the area. 152 00:07:36,673 --> 00:07:39,763 He was very good at team building 153 00:07:39,850 --> 00:07:42,896 and motivating people to feel like they can overachieve, 154 00:07:42,897 --> 00:07:46,030 even if they didn't have it in them. 155 00:07:46,161 --> 00:07:49,164 John was a very community-oriented person, 156 00:07:49,251 --> 00:07:51,861 very involved with youth development, 157 00:07:51,862 --> 00:07:54,299 doing community service at different YMCAs 158 00:07:54,430 --> 00:07:55,300 in the Philadelphia area. 159 00:07:55,431 --> 00:07:56,824 He said he loved everybody 160 00:07:56,911 --> 00:07:58,434 because he always see potential in people 161 00:07:58,521 --> 00:07:59,914 that they didn't even see potential in themselves. 162 00:08:01,481 --> 00:08:02,960 I come sometime after work, 163 00:08:03,091 --> 00:08:04,266 we'd go sit and have a beer or whatever, quick beer. 164 00:08:04,440 --> 00:08:06,486 He spoke highly of his family seven days a week. 165 00:08:08,575 --> 00:08:10,577 After speaking with John's colleagues, 166 00:08:10,707 --> 00:08:12,492 detectives want to contact his loved ones 167 00:08:12,666 --> 00:08:14,971 to notify them of his death. 168 00:08:18,323 --> 00:08:21,675 Cops speak to the owner of the distribution warehouse, 169 00:08:21,762 --> 00:08:23,719 and they're able to get his home address 170 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:26,287 where they're able to speak to his current girlfriend, 171 00:08:26,288 --> 00:08:27,985 Tamara Walls. 172 00:08:28,159 --> 00:08:30,771 And she is devastated. 173 00:08:31,989 --> 00:08:34,688 One of the things we try to do is create a timeline. 174 00:08:34,775 --> 00:08:36,516 We asked her, you know, where were you? 175 00:08:36,603 --> 00:08:38,212 And she was at a friend's house. 176 00:08:38,213 --> 00:08:40,302 And when did you last talk with John? 177 00:08:40,476 --> 00:08:42,086 I called him that night. 178 00:08:47,178 --> 00:08:50,354 She does tell police officers that she spoke with him 179 00:08:50,355 --> 00:08:52,096 from her friend's house. 180 00:08:52,227 --> 00:08:55,404 And police were able to verify this. 181 00:08:55,535 --> 00:08:57,187 That was done with a cell phone. 182 00:08:57,188 --> 00:09:00,235 We were able to determine that at about 9:40 p.m., 183 00:09:00,409 --> 00:09:02,933 that's when that call was made. 184 00:09:03,107 --> 00:09:05,196 So that fit in with the time frame 185 00:09:05,283 --> 00:09:06,807 for when he had set the alarm. 186 00:09:08,504 --> 00:09:10,157 John's girlfriend then tells detectives 187 00:09:10,158 --> 00:09:12,464 that the start of their relationship 188 00:09:12,552 --> 00:09:14,902 was less than ideal. 189 00:09:14,989 --> 00:09:18,382 She lets them know that John was in a previous relationship 190 00:09:18,383 --> 00:09:21,082 when they got together with a woman named Kimberly, 191 00:09:21,169 --> 00:09:24,215 John's ex-wife. 192 00:09:24,302 --> 00:09:25,956 They did meet at the time where 193 00:09:26,043 --> 00:09:27,915 him and Kimberly were still married, 194 00:09:28,089 --> 00:09:29,351 but John decided to leave Kimberly 195 00:09:29,525 --> 00:09:30,657 and be with Tamara. 196 00:09:30,787 --> 00:09:34,530 And according to Tamara, it was a little messy. 197 00:09:34,661 --> 00:09:37,054 She says the divorce from Kimberly Williams 198 00:09:37,185 --> 00:09:38,534 was very contentious, 199 00:09:38,621 --> 00:09:42,277 and perhaps, she wanted to hurt him. 200 00:09:42,364 --> 00:09:43,973 John had just recently decided that 201 00:09:43,974 --> 00:09:46,411 he was going to marry Ms. Wells. 202 00:09:46,498 --> 00:09:48,196 So we thought that maybe that would 203 00:09:48,370 --> 00:09:51,633 create a motive for the jilted wife to kill him. 204 00:09:55,551 --> 00:09:57,073 Coming up. 205 00:09:57,074 --> 00:10:00,295 Investigators realize that she has a prior record 206 00:10:00,382 --> 00:10:01,992 and they connect her to a firefighter 207 00:10:02,123 --> 00:10:04,821 who was recently shot in Philadelphia. 208 00:10:04,908 --> 00:10:06,910 His story sounds eerily similar 209 00:10:06,997 --> 00:10:09,739 to what happened to John Davis. 210 00:10:09,826 --> 00:10:12,394 Heaven knows the serial-killer-in-training, 211 00:10:12,524 --> 00:10:14,788 what he would have done had we not been able 212 00:10:14,918 --> 00:10:16,397 to move as rapidly as we did. 213 00:10:25,146 --> 00:10:27,017 The day after John Davis was shot to death 214 00:10:27,104 --> 00:10:29,106 in the parking lot of his workplace, 215 00:10:29,237 --> 00:10:31,631 detectives set out to talk to his ex-wife. 216 00:10:33,110 --> 00:10:35,678 Sounded as though the ex-wife, 217 00:10:35,765 --> 00:10:38,507 who also had children with John, 218 00:10:38,681 --> 00:10:40,900 would have a motive to want John dead 219 00:10:40,901 --> 00:10:41,728 because he had left her. 220 00:10:43,947 --> 00:10:45,383 Cops are beginning to wonder, 221 00:10:45,557 --> 00:10:48,648 was this a complicated love triangle? 222 00:10:48,735 --> 00:10:50,388 So they wanted to speak to Kimberly Williams 223 00:10:50,475 --> 00:10:52,782 to see if they had any leads there. 224 00:10:56,786 --> 00:10:59,702 We don't go in there assuming that she's the person. 225 00:10:59,789 --> 00:11:02,966 But we want to find out whether that motive is something 226 00:11:03,053 --> 00:11:03,924 that she might have acted upon. 227 00:11:08,015 --> 00:11:10,713 So police officers get to Kimberly Williams' house, 228 00:11:10,800 --> 00:11:12,497 and they're surprised to find out 229 00:11:12,672 --> 00:11:14,848 they had an amicable breakup. 230 00:11:16,719 --> 00:11:18,895 They were not resentful. 231 00:11:18,982 --> 00:11:21,289 He was still continuing to take care of the kids 232 00:11:21,376 --> 00:11:23,247 that he had in that relationship. 233 00:11:23,378 --> 00:11:26,860 And she has no idea who would want to do something like this. 234 00:11:28,557 --> 00:11:31,734 There was not the vitriol, not the anger, 235 00:11:31,908 --> 00:11:35,520 not the attitude that detectives expected 236 00:11:35,651 --> 00:11:39,220 she would have if she really were involved in the killing. 237 00:11:40,830 --> 00:11:43,398 Kimberly Williams was at work that night. 238 00:11:43,528 --> 00:11:46,444 She says that her kids were being watched by her mother, 239 00:11:46,531 --> 00:11:49,839 that after she finished with work, she came home. 240 00:11:49,926 --> 00:11:51,885 We were able to verify all these things 241 00:11:52,015 --> 00:11:54,278 not only with talking with the mother and with her, 242 00:11:54,365 --> 00:11:56,846 but with telephone records and the like. 243 00:11:59,501 --> 00:12:02,765 Homicide investigation is a process of elimination. 244 00:12:02,939 --> 00:12:05,899 So even when we eliminate the ex-wife 245 00:12:05,986 --> 00:12:07,944 and the current girlfriend, 246 00:12:08,031 --> 00:12:08,989 that's advancing the ball 247 00:12:09,076 --> 00:12:10,512 because those are people who are out. 248 00:12:12,470 --> 00:12:15,691 As detectives map out their next move, 249 00:12:15,778 --> 00:12:19,521 John's body is taken for autopsy. 250 00:12:19,608 --> 00:12:23,743 The autopsy on John Davis was December 18th, 251 00:12:23,830 --> 00:12:27,442 a few hours after the body had been found and processed. 252 00:12:27,529 --> 00:12:29,051 We were reasonably certain 253 00:12:29,052 --> 00:12:31,576 that he'd been shot before midnight December 17th 254 00:12:31,663 --> 00:12:33,274 because he was exhibiting rigor mortis, 255 00:12:33,361 --> 00:12:35,406 which is something that takes several hours to come on. 256 00:12:38,148 --> 00:12:40,237 He was the victim of a homicidal gunshot. 257 00:12:40,324 --> 00:12:42,936 And all the bullets that struck him stayed in. 258 00:12:44,589 --> 00:12:47,592 As we expected, Dr. Hood told us 259 00:12:47,679 --> 00:12:50,204 that John Davis had been shot in the back of the head. 260 00:12:50,334 --> 00:12:54,034 But also, Dr. Hood discovered two additional bullet holes 261 00:12:54,164 --> 00:12:55,513 in John's torso, 262 00:12:55,644 --> 00:12:57,951 which we did not know of at the time. 263 00:12:59,343 --> 00:13:01,955 All three bullets were retrieved. 264 00:13:02,042 --> 00:13:04,609 And they all appeared to be the same. 265 00:13:06,786 --> 00:13:08,831 The ballistics expert gave us the information 266 00:13:08,962 --> 00:13:11,399 that was obvious to him, that they were .38s 267 00:13:11,486 --> 00:13:14,968 and that they had fired from a .38 revolver 268 00:13:15,098 --> 00:13:16,491 and the same one. 269 00:13:16,621 --> 00:13:20,060 This, of course, becomes very important in our case. 270 00:13:22,410 --> 00:13:24,716 But for Dr. Hood, there is something 271 00:13:24,847 --> 00:13:29,025 about the pattern of John's wounds that is not adding up. 272 00:13:29,112 --> 00:13:31,505 Why do we have an execution-style wound 273 00:13:31,506 --> 00:13:32,767 in the back of the head 274 00:13:32,768 --> 00:13:34,944 and then these two rather unusual wounds 275 00:13:35,075 --> 00:13:37,381 that are shot into him in very different angles 276 00:13:37,468 --> 00:13:39,340 in the back and the chest? 277 00:13:39,427 --> 00:13:42,343 All three bullets were identified as having been 278 00:13:42,430 --> 00:13:44,867 fired from the same weapon. 279 00:13:44,998 --> 00:13:47,303 So now, we have somebody who was shot 280 00:13:47,304 --> 00:13:50,655 from three different directions with the same gun. 281 00:13:50,742 --> 00:13:52,787 Or if there's two shooters, 282 00:13:52,788 --> 00:13:54,834 it means that they've used one gun, 283 00:13:55,008 --> 00:13:57,879 which only adds another layer of weirdness to this case. 284 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:03,059 Realizing that there are now two possible killers 285 00:14:03,146 --> 00:14:05,669 on the loose, detectives expand their search 286 00:14:05,670 --> 00:14:07,368 to come up with a lead. 287 00:14:07,455 --> 00:14:09,892 We realize that this personal connection 288 00:14:09,979 --> 00:14:13,417 must be outside John's immediate group. 289 00:14:13,504 --> 00:14:16,856 So we wanted to find out if there was anything more 290 00:14:16,986 --> 00:14:18,727 we could learn from the employees 291 00:14:18,814 --> 00:14:20,642 that John worked with at the warehouse. 292 00:14:25,995 --> 00:14:27,474 Going back to people we've already interviewed 293 00:14:27,475 --> 00:14:29,085 is not uncommon. 294 00:14:29,216 --> 00:14:31,479 In the moments after a traumatic event, 295 00:14:31,609 --> 00:14:33,350 people's memories can be affected, 296 00:14:33,437 --> 00:14:36,223 so a second or even a third conversation with them 297 00:14:36,353 --> 00:14:38,572 can bring up new details. 298 00:14:40,488 --> 00:14:42,881 Detectives speak with Robert Woodson, 299 00:14:42,882 --> 00:14:44,796 John Davis's coworker, 300 00:14:44,884 --> 00:14:47,450 and he does recall a conversation 301 00:14:47,451 --> 00:14:48,496 at the end of the dinner shift. 302 00:14:51,847 --> 00:14:53,631 He's, like, got his phone in his hand, texting. 303 00:14:53,718 --> 00:14:55,023 And I said, John, what's up, man? 304 00:14:55,024 --> 00:14:56,243 Why are you-- you know, what's going on? 305 00:14:56,330 --> 00:14:57,199 Why you got that look on your face like that? 306 00:14:57,200 --> 00:14:58,288 What's going on? 307 00:14:58,375 --> 00:14:59,550 He said, nothing, just got a call 308 00:14:59,637 --> 00:15:00,725 from a chick I used to deal with. 309 00:15:00,856 --> 00:15:01,944 And she want to meet up with me. 310 00:15:02,031 --> 00:15:03,163 But I'm a little skeptical, man, 311 00:15:03,250 --> 00:15:05,295 'cause I ain't seen this girl in a minute. 312 00:15:05,382 --> 00:15:07,819 He said they had a sexual relationship at one time. 313 00:15:07,950 --> 00:15:09,604 John thought that she wanted to meet up 314 00:15:09,691 --> 00:15:12,955 to rekindle or try to go out. 315 00:15:13,042 --> 00:15:16,306 But he was very apprehensive about meeting her. 316 00:15:16,393 --> 00:15:18,569 Mr. Woodson told the police that 317 00:15:18,700 --> 00:15:20,789 none of this would have stuck in his mind 318 00:15:20,876 --> 00:15:23,748 but for the fact that John expressed fear 319 00:15:23,879 --> 00:15:27,578 and then said, "I wonder if I'm being set up." 320 00:15:29,232 --> 00:15:30,930 But Mr. Woodson didn't know who that was. 321 00:15:31,060 --> 00:15:33,933 He only knew that it was a former employee. 322 00:15:34,020 --> 00:15:35,716 I had no name. I had no familiarity with her. 323 00:15:35,717 --> 00:15:37,500 I never seen her. 324 00:15:37,501 --> 00:15:40,983 Her stint at David's Bridal was before I even got hired. 325 00:15:41,070 --> 00:15:44,204 John had a work line that had voicemail on it, 326 00:15:44,291 --> 00:15:46,683 so the IT people at David's Bridal were able 327 00:15:46,684 --> 00:15:50,862 to get us the information from John's work phone, 328 00:15:50,993 --> 00:15:53,648 get the recordings from the voicemails, 329 00:15:53,778 --> 00:15:54,910 and we did get a hit. 330 00:16:16,976 --> 00:16:19,151 Detectives investigating the murder of John Davis 331 00:16:19,152 --> 00:16:21,676 have discovered a voicemail on his work phone. 332 00:16:21,763 --> 00:16:23,111 The message is from a woman 333 00:16:23,112 --> 00:16:25,897 and was left hours before Davis was killed. 334 00:16:26,028 --> 00:16:29,118 For investigators, this is the first big break in the case. 335 00:16:39,172 --> 00:16:42,044 It became important to us to figure out who this woman was 336 00:16:42,131 --> 00:16:44,960 that John was supposed to meet that night. 337 00:16:45,091 --> 00:16:47,702 So we talked with other people who worked there 338 00:16:47,832 --> 00:16:52,576 and this employee remembered a specific incident 339 00:16:52,663 --> 00:16:55,884 where this Vernell girl left work. 340 00:16:56,058 --> 00:16:58,452 She left in her own car around 5:00. 341 00:16:58,539 --> 00:17:02,673 And around 6:30, a man drove up in the same car 342 00:17:02,760 --> 00:17:05,981 and asked to speak with Davis. 343 00:17:06,068 --> 00:17:07,896 The boyfriend had come there and said, 344 00:17:08,027 --> 00:17:09,463 stay away from my girl. 345 00:17:11,769 --> 00:17:14,728 So there was no fireworks or anything. 346 00:17:14,729 --> 00:17:16,035 Then the boyfriend leaves. 347 00:17:17,819 --> 00:17:21,736 The coworker's account feels like a promising lead. 348 00:17:21,823 --> 00:17:24,608 But there is one problem. 349 00:17:24,739 --> 00:17:28,133 They don't know if Vernell is a name, if it's a nickname. 350 00:17:28,134 --> 00:17:30,091 This is not a David's Bridal store, 351 00:17:30,092 --> 00:17:32,486 which would typically have about eight to ten employees, 352 00:17:32,573 --> 00:17:34,314 this is a warehouse. 353 00:17:34,401 --> 00:17:36,664 There's hundreds and hundreds of employees that work there, 354 00:17:36,838 --> 00:17:39,580 so detectives have a lot of names to go through. 355 00:17:41,364 --> 00:17:42,800 While one team of investigators 356 00:17:42,887 --> 00:17:45,019 pores over the employee records, 357 00:17:45,020 --> 00:17:48,632 another focus is on John Davis's phone. 358 00:17:48,719 --> 00:17:50,546 Police have this phone number 359 00:17:50,547 --> 00:17:53,855 and they find that it goes to an insurance company 360 00:17:53,942 --> 00:17:55,422 in King of Prussia. 361 00:17:55,509 --> 00:17:58,555 So Whitemarsh detectives show up and try to find out 362 00:17:58,686 --> 00:18:01,341 where does this number lead them to? 363 00:18:01,428 --> 00:18:03,864 A woman does come forward and she says, hey, 364 00:18:03,865 --> 00:18:07,303 this is my extension, but I did not make the call. 365 00:18:07,390 --> 00:18:08,565 But I can tell you who did. 366 00:18:10,437 --> 00:18:11,916 She allowed a person 367 00:18:12,047 --> 00:18:15,006 named Vernell Jones to use her extension, 368 00:18:15,094 --> 00:18:17,357 that she made several phone calls, 369 00:18:17,487 --> 00:18:20,273 one of which she overheard her telling a person 370 00:18:20,360 --> 00:18:22,710 that she would meet them that evening 371 00:18:22,797 --> 00:18:25,713 between 9:30 and 10:00. 372 00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,194 Then she heard Vernell say, 373 00:18:28,281 --> 00:18:29,803 Don't tell anybody I'm coming, 374 00:18:29,804 --> 00:18:32,022 or words to that effect. 375 00:18:32,023 --> 00:18:34,503 She also then witnessed, or overheard, 376 00:18:34,504 --> 00:18:37,768 Vernell get off the phone and immediately make a phone call 377 00:18:37,899 --> 00:18:39,465 to her boyfriend and says, 378 00:18:39,466 --> 00:18:41,381 I'm going up there and I'm going to meet with him. 379 00:18:44,297 --> 00:18:47,256 Well, by this point, Vernell Jones is now somebody 380 00:18:47,343 --> 00:18:49,083 that we're very interested in, 381 00:18:49,084 --> 00:18:52,521 so we wanted to get a background on her. 382 00:18:52,522 --> 00:18:55,176 This is when we discover that Vernell Jones 383 00:18:55,177 --> 00:18:57,875 was in the Philadelphia music scene 384 00:18:57,962 --> 00:19:01,487 and had been a singer for years, 385 00:19:01,488 --> 00:19:05,273 part of a locally well-known group called Surprise. 386 00:19:08,973 --> 00:19:11,105 They reach out to her. 387 00:19:11,106 --> 00:19:12,673 They ask her to come down to the station, 388 00:19:12,760 --> 00:19:14,109 but she doesn't come alone. 389 00:19:14,196 --> 00:19:16,416 She brings her boyfriend/manager, 390 00:19:16,503 --> 00:19:17,939 Kenneth Burno. 391 00:19:21,595 --> 00:19:23,988 It's not unusual for people to bring someone 392 00:19:24,075 --> 00:19:25,207 to the police station with them 393 00:19:25,294 --> 00:19:26,948 while they're being questioned, 394 00:19:27,035 --> 00:19:29,168 but they're thinking in the back of their head, 395 00:19:29,342 --> 00:19:31,604 this could be a love triangle. 396 00:19:31,605 --> 00:19:34,173 And what does Burno have to do with it? 397 00:19:36,218 --> 00:19:37,611 We make the decision to go ahead 398 00:19:37,785 --> 00:19:42,137 and interview Vernell Jones with him there. 399 00:19:42,268 --> 00:19:46,575 She says that, yes, she worked at David's Bridal 400 00:19:46,576 --> 00:19:49,797 and that she was friendly with John Davis, 401 00:19:49,884 --> 00:19:52,234 dating on and off casually, 402 00:19:52,365 --> 00:19:55,933 and that she had made calls and set up a meeting 403 00:19:56,064 --> 00:19:59,241 for after work on the 17th of December 404 00:19:59,372 --> 00:20:00,460 to have a drink with him. 405 00:20:02,375 --> 00:20:05,073 She admitted that she tried to make her boyfriend, 406 00:20:05,204 --> 00:20:07,683 Kenneth Burno, jealous, 407 00:20:07,684 --> 00:20:09,556 and did set up a meeting to meet with John Davis, 408 00:20:09,643 --> 00:20:11,558 but that she chickened out in the end. 409 00:20:13,168 --> 00:20:14,648 Kenny's acting all sympathetic, 410 00:20:14,735 --> 00:20:16,649 squeezing her hand and whatnot, 411 00:20:16,650 --> 00:20:19,740 but he actually was kind of in the way. 412 00:20:21,307 --> 00:20:23,657 And was making it more difficult for us 413 00:20:23,744 --> 00:20:25,006 to do our job. 414 00:20:25,093 --> 00:20:27,574 He seemed to be more interested in the details 415 00:20:27,704 --> 00:20:30,445 of the crime than we think somebody who's just there 416 00:20:30,446 --> 00:20:32,535 for moral support ought to be. 417 00:20:32,622 --> 00:20:37,758 He put himself into the mix and put himself on our radar. 418 00:20:37,888 --> 00:20:40,195 Vernell's alibi is that she was with Kenneth, 419 00:20:40,282 --> 00:20:43,850 and the only time that she was not with Kenneth 420 00:20:43,851 --> 00:20:45,808 was for about a period of a half an hour, 421 00:20:45,809 --> 00:20:47,811 but that she didn't go anywhere. 422 00:20:47,942 --> 00:20:50,552 Detectives are beginning to feel that 423 00:20:50,553 --> 00:20:53,425 there's something suspicious going on with Vernell, 424 00:20:53,426 --> 00:20:54,775 but they can't keep her 425 00:20:54,862 --> 00:20:56,211 because they don't have any evidence. 426 00:21:02,826 --> 00:21:06,568 Vernell Jones is now somebody that we're very interested in, 427 00:21:06,569 --> 00:21:11,182 so we went and talked with her sisters and her family. 428 00:21:11,270 --> 00:21:15,403 We wanted to ascertain whether Vernell Jones had been violent 429 00:21:15,404 --> 00:21:17,841 in the past toward any other boyfriends. 430 00:21:19,974 --> 00:21:22,846 So when we spoke with her family and friends, 431 00:21:22,977 --> 00:21:25,501 they gave us a list of various relationships with other men 432 00:21:25,632 --> 00:21:29,940 in the past, one of whom was Ronald Humphrey, 433 00:21:30,027 --> 00:21:32,595 who was a Philadelphia fireman 434 00:21:32,726 --> 00:21:34,771 who worked next door to where she lived. 435 00:21:36,599 --> 00:21:39,602 Investigators are now talking to Ronald Humphrey. 436 00:21:39,689 --> 00:21:44,651 And they discover that between July of 2001 and August, 437 00:21:44,781 --> 00:21:47,000 Humphrey had a relationship with Vernell Jones. 438 00:21:50,396 --> 00:21:51,658 We're trying to find out 439 00:21:51,745 --> 00:21:53,703 was she violent in any way toward him? 440 00:21:55,792 --> 00:21:57,924 Just for background information. 441 00:21:57,925 --> 00:21:59,186 And when we asked him... 442 00:22:02,973 --> 00:22:05,585 He said, "That bitch shot me." 443 00:22:05,759 --> 00:22:09,719 Which was a, you know, quite a surprise to us. 444 00:22:17,510 --> 00:22:19,773 It's been four days since John Davis was found 445 00:22:19,860 --> 00:22:22,514 shot to death, and detectives' prime suspect 446 00:22:22,515 --> 00:22:25,866 is his former lover, Vernell Jones. 447 00:22:25,996 --> 00:22:29,609 Now they're learning that she shot another one of her exes. 448 00:22:29,696 --> 00:22:31,480 Could be a coincidence, 449 00:22:31,567 --> 00:22:34,222 but detectives rarely believe in coincidences. 450 00:22:36,964 --> 00:22:39,880 On December 21st, 2001, 451 00:22:39,967 --> 00:22:42,578 our detectives interviewed Ronald Humphrey. 452 00:22:42,709 --> 00:22:47,104 And he tells us that Vernell Jones, 453 00:22:47,235 --> 00:22:49,542 the previous October, had shot him. 454 00:22:53,807 --> 00:22:56,940 Between July of 2001 and August, 455 00:22:57,071 --> 00:22:58,986 Humphrey had a sexual relationship 456 00:22:59,116 --> 00:23:01,118 with Vernell Jones, 457 00:23:01,205 --> 00:23:03,338 but Kenneth Burno gets wind of it 458 00:23:03,425 --> 00:23:06,646 and comes to the fire station and confronts him 459 00:23:06,733 --> 00:23:08,952 in front of everyone. 460 00:23:09,039 --> 00:23:12,434 After that, Humphrey had no contact with Vernell Jones 461 00:23:12,521 --> 00:23:14,088 until October. 462 00:23:14,175 --> 00:23:16,699 And that's when she called him out of the blue. 463 00:23:18,658 --> 00:23:21,095 Saying that she wants to hook up. 464 00:23:21,182 --> 00:23:22,836 And finally, he agrees to meet with her. 465 00:23:26,187 --> 00:23:29,756 It was a specifically arranged date by her, 466 00:23:29,886 --> 00:23:31,627 which is of great significance. 467 00:23:31,714 --> 00:23:33,977 They buy some beer. 468 00:23:34,064 --> 00:23:37,371 Then they drive to a secluded area in Fairmont Park, 469 00:23:37,372 --> 00:23:40,070 which is in Philadelphia. 470 00:23:40,157 --> 00:23:44,291 It turns into a sexual encounter. 471 00:23:44,292 --> 00:23:46,773 She performs oral sex on him. 472 00:23:46,860 --> 00:23:49,906 And he thinks that it's going to go further. 473 00:23:49,993 --> 00:23:52,431 Vernell Jones, according to the fireman, 474 00:23:52,518 --> 00:23:54,345 says she has to go to the bathroom 475 00:23:54,433 --> 00:23:57,523 and she gets out of the fireman's truck. 476 00:23:59,133 --> 00:24:00,308 She leaves the truck. 477 00:24:00,395 --> 00:24:01,962 He goes to the back seat of the truck, 478 00:24:02,049 --> 00:24:03,964 anticipating that they're going to have sex. 479 00:24:06,619 --> 00:24:09,535 She opens the door. 480 00:24:09,622 --> 00:24:11,754 With a silver revolver, 481 00:24:11,885 --> 00:24:13,669 fires a shot right at him. 482 00:24:15,192 --> 00:24:17,020 Hits him in the right upper arm. 483 00:24:19,719 --> 00:24:21,547 The Philadelphia Police Department investigated 484 00:24:21,634 --> 00:24:23,157 the shooting incident. 485 00:24:23,244 --> 00:24:25,812 At that time, Ron doesn't tell them 486 00:24:25,899 --> 00:24:27,291 that it was Vernell that shot him because 487 00:24:27,378 --> 00:24:29,511 he was in a relationship with someone else. 488 00:24:29,642 --> 00:24:32,340 But his story sounds eerily similar 489 00:24:32,427 --> 00:24:34,690 to what happened to John Davis. 490 00:24:37,737 --> 00:24:40,043 The conversation with Ronald Humphrey 491 00:24:40,217 --> 00:24:42,959 is of critical importance because we have 492 00:24:43,046 --> 00:24:47,094 his eyewitness testimony that it was a silver revolver. 493 00:24:47,181 --> 00:24:50,924 We know from the three bullets we took out of John Davis... 494 00:24:53,622 --> 00:24:56,059 That they came from a revolver. 495 00:24:59,454 --> 00:25:02,805 Philadelphia Police were able to turn that bullet 496 00:25:02,892 --> 00:25:05,808 that they had dug out of the truck over to our expert, 497 00:25:05,895 --> 00:25:07,201 compare that to the three bullets 498 00:25:07,288 --> 00:25:09,246 that came out of John Davis. 499 00:25:11,248 --> 00:25:13,120 With all signs pointing to Vernell's involvement 500 00:25:13,207 --> 00:25:15,339 in both shootings, 501 00:25:15,426 --> 00:25:17,385 detectives go back to her family 502 00:25:17,472 --> 00:25:20,867 to understand why she would want two men dead. 503 00:25:23,652 --> 00:25:28,439 Vernell Jones was 32 years old at the time of this crime. 504 00:25:28,527 --> 00:25:30,659 Her and her sisters used to perform all the time. 505 00:25:32,052 --> 00:25:35,882 And after a while, they formed a girl group called Surprise. 506 00:25:35,969 --> 00:25:38,885 Vernell was the lead singer of Surprise. 507 00:25:38,972 --> 00:25:41,887 And she was going to become, really, the talent. 508 00:25:44,194 --> 00:25:46,457 Vernell really wanted to pursue music, 509 00:25:46,588 --> 00:25:50,157 but the gigs were not coming often enough. 510 00:25:50,244 --> 00:25:54,596 So she had to work a 9:00 to 5:00 at the bridal warehouse. 511 00:25:54,727 --> 00:25:56,990 As the group was getting better and better 512 00:25:57,120 --> 00:25:59,862 and getting more and more opportunities to play, 513 00:25:59,949 --> 00:26:02,385 her hours at the bridal warehouse 514 00:26:02,386 --> 00:26:04,214 were getting in the way. 515 00:26:04,345 --> 00:26:07,695 And it was the habitual missing of work that led to her firing 516 00:26:07,696 --> 00:26:10,699 earlier that year. 517 00:26:10,830 --> 00:26:14,181 Kenneth Burno was a manager of musicians. 518 00:26:14,311 --> 00:26:17,880 And he meets this charismatic, very attractive, 519 00:26:17,967 --> 00:26:19,926 talented woman, Vernell Jones. 520 00:26:20,013 --> 00:26:23,973 And he decides, I'm going to make her a star. 521 00:26:24,060 --> 00:26:27,455 But Kenneth Burno was somewhat of a celebrity himself. 522 00:26:30,110 --> 00:26:34,418 I'm Lamar Burno, youngest brother of Kenneth Burno, Jr. 523 00:26:34,505 --> 00:26:37,204 At an early age, he had a gift. 524 00:26:37,334 --> 00:26:39,554 Kenny entered into 525 00:26:39,685 --> 00:26:42,339 Creative and Performing Arts high school. 526 00:26:42,426 --> 00:26:46,343 And the choir picked certain members to be part of a group 527 00:26:46,430 --> 00:26:48,388 called Unique Attractions. 528 00:26:48,389 --> 00:26:51,217 And they would go to churches all around Philadelphia 529 00:26:51,218 --> 00:26:54,177 singing, making a name for themselves. 530 00:26:54,308 --> 00:26:57,354 And they sang for Michael Bivins. 531 00:26:57,441 --> 00:27:01,620 And that's what made history, because he enjoyed the sound 532 00:27:01,707 --> 00:27:03,796 and changed their name to Boyz II Men. 533 00:27:05,711 --> 00:27:08,235 When it came right down to the contract time, 534 00:27:08,365 --> 00:27:10,324 he found out his girlfriend was pregnant 535 00:27:10,411 --> 00:27:13,370 and decided to let go of show business. 536 00:27:13,457 --> 00:27:16,286 Kenny was OK with it 'cause he was in college. 537 00:27:16,417 --> 00:27:20,290 No one ever knows how long your singing career will last. 538 00:27:20,377 --> 00:27:23,467 But if you go to college and get a degree, 539 00:27:23,554 --> 00:27:25,948 you have something to fall back on. 540 00:27:26,079 --> 00:27:28,516 So that was his focus. 541 00:27:28,603 --> 00:27:31,258 Boyz II Men become very successful, 542 00:27:31,345 --> 00:27:35,523 selling over 60 million albums. 543 00:27:35,610 --> 00:27:37,917 And this causes some resentment in Kenny. 544 00:27:39,309 --> 00:27:41,398 There's always some regret. 545 00:27:41,485 --> 00:27:44,053 But Kenny said, well, look, it was their time. 546 00:27:44,140 --> 00:27:46,229 It was just their time. 547 00:27:46,360 --> 00:27:48,057 I'm not going to say he wasn't hurt. 548 00:27:48,144 --> 00:27:51,191 He never took his hurt to a point 549 00:27:51,321 --> 00:27:55,282 that it destroyed anyone else. 550 00:27:58,589 --> 00:28:00,940 Burno decided, I still want to be in music, 551 00:28:01,027 --> 00:28:03,551 but he decided to be in a different capacity. 552 00:28:03,638 --> 00:28:07,076 He decided to contribute to somebody else's stardom, 553 00:28:07,207 --> 00:28:09,035 and that was the stardom of Vernell Jones. 554 00:28:11,341 --> 00:28:15,476 When Kenny met Vernell, 555 00:28:15,606 --> 00:28:19,523 that changed Kenny. 556 00:28:19,610 --> 00:28:21,916 She was a different type of woman. 557 00:28:21,917 --> 00:28:23,266 Vernell wasn't his only artist. 558 00:28:23,397 --> 00:28:24,790 He was just-- she was just the main artist 559 00:28:24,877 --> 00:28:26,269 that he was working with. 560 00:28:26,400 --> 00:28:30,230 Vernell had the potential that he saw 561 00:28:30,360 --> 00:28:32,798 that he could help her grow. 562 00:28:32,885 --> 00:28:37,497 And she just thought he just was the king of music. 563 00:28:37,498 --> 00:28:39,761 At this time, Kenny was still married. 564 00:28:39,848 --> 00:28:42,285 But I would always see Kenny 565 00:28:42,416 --> 00:28:45,114 taking care of Vernell financially. 566 00:28:45,201 --> 00:28:47,987 I would see Vernell 567 00:28:48,074 --> 00:28:51,817 acting like she was his queen. 568 00:28:53,862 --> 00:28:56,256 After a while, his marriage is dwindling. 569 00:28:56,343 --> 00:28:58,474 It eventually ends. 570 00:28:58,475 --> 00:29:00,999 Then, Kenny and Vernell do have 571 00:29:01,000 --> 00:29:02,958 a tumultuous five-year relationship. 572 00:29:09,269 --> 00:29:10,704 Friends and family often provide us 573 00:29:10,705 --> 00:29:12,794 with background info on a suspect, 574 00:29:12,968 --> 00:29:15,449 but that doesn't always give us a motive. 575 00:29:15,536 --> 00:29:18,407 As detectives work out the why in a case, 576 00:29:18,408 --> 00:29:21,760 physical evidence can help us figure out the how. 577 00:29:21,890 --> 00:29:24,850 Ballistics take the bullet taken out of Humphrey's truck 578 00:29:24,937 --> 00:29:27,940 and see if there's anything consistent with the bullets 579 00:29:28,070 --> 00:29:32,422 that they've already recovered from John Davis' injuries. 580 00:29:32,509 --> 00:29:35,338 And lo and behold, they find out 581 00:29:35,469 --> 00:29:38,037 that it is the same type of bullet 582 00:29:38,124 --> 00:29:42,302 and the same type of casing shot from the same gun. 583 00:29:42,432 --> 00:29:45,522 This is a huge break in the case. 584 00:29:45,609 --> 00:29:48,743 That links the killing of John Davis 585 00:29:48,830 --> 00:29:52,747 to the wounding of Mr. Humphrey, the fireman. 586 00:29:52,834 --> 00:29:55,184 And the linchpin, the thing that connects the two of them, 587 00:29:55,315 --> 00:29:57,186 is Vernell Jones. 588 00:30:07,806 --> 00:30:09,851 Ballistic testing has linked the same gun and bullets 589 00:30:09,982 --> 00:30:14,202 to both John Davis and Ron Humphrey's shootings. 590 00:30:14,203 --> 00:30:17,380 Since Ron Humphrey has already confirmed that Vernell Jones 591 00:30:17,467 --> 00:30:20,949 was his shooter, authorities are ready to make an arrest. 592 00:30:22,646 --> 00:30:24,300 It is two days before Christmas, 593 00:30:24,431 --> 00:30:27,303 and police believe they have their woman. 594 00:30:27,390 --> 00:30:29,436 They go get Vernell Jones 595 00:30:29,523 --> 00:30:32,656 and they find her at Kenneth Burno's house. 596 00:30:32,743 --> 00:30:36,008 She is charged with conspiracy and third-degree murder. 597 00:30:37,966 --> 00:30:40,403 She is taken to Montgomery County Jail 598 00:30:40,490 --> 00:30:43,711 and she continues to deny that she has any connection 599 00:30:43,842 --> 00:30:45,713 with John Davis's death. 600 00:30:48,934 --> 00:30:53,372 The community's reaction to Vernell's arrest is shock. 601 00:30:53,373 --> 00:30:56,419 And the press goes wild. 602 00:30:56,506 --> 00:30:57,594 The only thing I know about her 603 00:30:57,681 --> 00:30:59,118 is from what I heard on the news. 604 00:30:59,205 --> 00:31:01,641 I just heard that she was a black widow. 605 00:31:01,642 --> 00:31:03,599 She was a narcissistic woman 606 00:31:03,600 --> 00:31:04,601 that just wanted to eliminate men. 607 00:31:09,345 --> 00:31:11,521 Vernell's already in jail for the murder of John Davis. 608 00:31:11,652 --> 00:31:14,655 And on January 10th, 2002, 609 00:31:14,785 --> 00:31:17,353 the Philadelphia Police Department add the charge 610 00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:20,356 of aggravated assault for the October shooting 611 00:31:20,443 --> 00:31:22,141 of Ronald Humphrey. 612 00:31:25,535 --> 00:31:27,102 Despite having physical evidence 613 00:31:27,189 --> 00:31:29,321 to connect Vernell to both cases, 614 00:31:29,322 --> 00:31:31,498 the Ronald Humphrey shooting will be pursued first 615 00:31:31,585 --> 00:31:33,500 in the courts. 616 00:31:33,630 --> 00:31:36,720 We now know we have a guaranteed strong case 617 00:31:36,807 --> 00:31:40,376 against Vernell Jones for the wounding of the fireman 618 00:31:40,463 --> 00:31:42,508 because he's still alive and can tell us what happened. 619 00:31:44,554 --> 00:31:48,297 When Vernell got locked up, Kenny was shocked. 620 00:31:48,384 --> 00:31:50,996 He started calling different lawyers 621 00:31:51,083 --> 00:31:54,477 to see if they would take her case. 622 00:31:54,564 --> 00:31:57,480 So initially, detectives saw the relationship 623 00:31:57,567 --> 00:32:01,484 between Vernell and Kenny as a loving relationship. 624 00:32:01,615 --> 00:32:04,661 He would encourage her. 625 00:32:04,748 --> 00:32:09,057 But then, they began to wonder if this relationship was more, 626 00:32:09,144 --> 00:32:10,537 was he guiding her? 627 00:32:10,711 --> 00:32:12,103 Was he coaching her? 628 00:32:12,104 --> 00:32:13,583 Was he putting words in her mouth? 629 00:32:13,670 --> 00:32:15,542 Was he telling her 630 00:32:15,629 --> 00:32:18,458 what she should say to the police officers? 631 00:32:18,545 --> 00:32:21,416 We all think that Kenny Burno is a conspirator, 632 00:32:21,417 --> 00:32:22,810 if not a killer. 633 00:32:22,897 --> 00:32:24,290 So now, the goal is 634 00:32:24,377 --> 00:32:28,076 how are we going to gather the evidence to prove that? 635 00:32:31,079 --> 00:32:35,127 My assessment was that Vernell Jones was flaky. 636 00:32:35,301 --> 00:32:37,955 And I was absolutely sure that 637 00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:41,393 Kenny Burno would not pay enough attention to her 638 00:32:41,394 --> 00:32:42,699 while she's locked up. 639 00:32:45,833 --> 00:32:48,836 Initially when she's in prison, 640 00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:52,274 Kenny Burno is visiting her, writing to her, calling her. 641 00:32:52,361 --> 00:32:55,669 Well, those visits and calls and letters 642 00:32:55,799 --> 00:32:59,499 get fewer and fewer until eventually, they stop. 643 00:33:00,587 --> 00:33:04,243 And Vernell Jones is getting visits from her family 644 00:33:04,330 --> 00:33:05,939 and they're saying, you know, Kenny's out there 645 00:33:05,940 --> 00:33:07,898 and he's dating other girls 646 00:33:07,986 --> 00:33:10,945 and he's getting away with this. 647 00:33:11,032 --> 00:33:14,731 We know that the pressure is working on her 648 00:33:14,818 --> 00:33:17,343 and that would eventually work its way to the point where 649 00:33:17,430 --> 00:33:19,039 she's not going to go down by herself. 650 00:33:22,130 --> 00:33:24,741 But Vernell remains silent. 651 00:33:24,828 --> 00:33:28,702 This goes on for eight months until August of 2002, 652 00:33:28,789 --> 00:33:30,617 when her trial for the shooting of Ron Humphrey 653 00:33:30,704 --> 00:33:32,749 is about to begin. 654 00:33:32,836 --> 00:33:36,492 Vernell Jones realizes she's all alone. 655 00:33:36,623 --> 00:33:39,494 She realizes she has no one to support her. 656 00:33:39,495 --> 00:33:43,847 She realizes she has been holding the truth all along. 657 00:33:43,978 --> 00:33:46,459 And then, that is when everything turns. 658 00:33:50,593 --> 00:33:53,640 August 21st, 2002, 659 00:33:53,727 --> 00:33:55,554 she decides to take a plea bargain 660 00:33:55,555 --> 00:33:57,948 in Ronald Humphrey's case. 661 00:33:58,036 --> 00:34:00,168 She pleads to aggravated assault 662 00:34:00,299 --> 00:34:03,518 and she gets ten years behind bars. 663 00:34:03,519 --> 00:34:08,307 And as a part of her plea bargain, she begins to talk. 664 00:34:08,394 --> 00:34:10,657 She wants to get out from underneath the possibility 665 00:34:10,744 --> 00:34:14,225 of a mandatory life sentence for the murder of John Davis. 666 00:34:14,226 --> 00:34:17,489 And we want to know what involvement 667 00:34:17,490 --> 00:34:20,928 Kenny Burno may have had in the murder. 668 00:34:21,015 --> 00:34:22,451 So we set up the meeting. 669 00:34:22,625 --> 00:34:25,540 And what she told us was far in excess 670 00:34:25,541 --> 00:34:27,326 of what we had anticipated. 671 00:34:31,199 --> 00:34:34,636 Vernell proceeds to tell them that her boyfriend 672 00:34:34,637 --> 00:34:37,205 of five years has been abusive. 673 00:34:39,294 --> 00:34:40,730 He was possessive 674 00:34:40,904 --> 00:34:45,083 and very much a part of everything that she was doing. 675 00:34:45,170 --> 00:34:47,781 I never saw Kenny hit her. 676 00:34:47,911 --> 00:34:51,219 There's not one police report about him abusing her. 677 00:34:51,350 --> 00:34:55,136 My theory is she had to create that backstory 678 00:34:55,267 --> 00:35:00,576 because Vernell couldn't handle Kenny seeing other women. 679 00:35:00,663 --> 00:35:04,102 Vernell said that she wasn't allowed to have a pager. 680 00:35:04,232 --> 00:35:06,756 She was only allowed to use a cell phone that he paid for 681 00:35:06,930 --> 00:35:12,327 that was in his name so he can keep track of the records. 682 00:35:12,414 --> 00:35:14,937 Vernell Jones also was required to hand over 683 00:35:14,938 --> 00:35:16,592 every check that she made, 684 00:35:16,723 --> 00:35:19,508 so all of her money was going to Burno, 685 00:35:19,595 --> 00:35:21,902 So she didn't even have her own money 686 00:35:21,989 --> 00:35:24,904 to take care of her own family. 687 00:35:24,905 --> 00:35:27,864 He went from being relatively normal 688 00:35:27,951 --> 00:35:31,520 to obsessed with Vernell Jones. 689 00:35:33,566 --> 00:35:36,742 He was crazy-jealous and even threatened 690 00:35:36,743 --> 00:35:39,484 some of the people that she had relationships with previously. 691 00:35:42,749 --> 00:35:44,359 Vernell tells detectives 692 00:35:44,446 --> 00:35:46,143 the relationship hit a fever pitch 693 00:35:46,144 --> 00:35:48,320 in the summer of 2001 694 00:35:48,407 --> 00:35:51,452 when Kenny accused her of having a sexual relationship 695 00:35:51,453 --> 00:35:53,542 with his cousin. 696 00:35:53,673 --> 00:35:55,588 He's beating on her, 697 00:35:55,718 --> 00:35:57,938 he's being emotionally and verbally abusive, 698 00:35:58,112 --> 00:35:59,809 and she's scared, 699 00:35:59,940 --> 00:36:02,769 so she goes along with whatever he says. 700 00:36:02,899 --> 00:36:05,728 So Kenny required her to write down the men 701 00:36:05,815 --> 00:36:09,558 that he thought she had a sexual relationship with. 702 00:36:09,689 --> 00:36:11,299 There were five of them. 703 00:36:11,386 --> 00:36:14,911 And then Burno gave Vernell an ultimatum. 704 00:36:15,042 --> 00:36:17,175 Either you kill these five guys 705 00:36:17,262 --> 00:36:18,785 or our relationship is over. 706 00:36:21,222 --> 00:36:24,965 She tells us that the attack on John Davis 707 00:36:25,095 --> 00:36:31,449 was part of the manifestation of a contract 708 00:36:31,450 --> 00:36:33,930 where they had agreed with one another 709 00:36:34,017 --> 00:36:36,977 in writing to kill five individuals. 710 00:36:44,811 --> 00:36:47,161 Montgomery County detectives are all ears 711 00:36:47,248 --> 00:36:50,556 as Vernell Jones reveals her list of past lovers 712 00:36:50,686 --> 00:36:55,560 and the reason Kenneth Burno was making her target them. 713 00:36:55,561 --> 00:36:59,260 Kenny creates this hit list because he feels like 714 00:36:59,347 --> 00:37:00,914 this is the only way for Vernell to show 715 00:37:01,001 --> 00:37:02,611 her allegiance to him. 716 00:37:02,742 --> 00:37:04,918 They agree to kill Larry Tucker, 717 00:37:05,005 --> 00:37:06,266 a former coworker, 718 00:37:06,267 --> 00:37:08,704 Ronald Humphrey, the firefighter, 719 00:37:08,791 --> 00:37:11,838 John Davis, and two of Burno's cousins. 720 00:37:11,968 --> 00:37:15,014 She has to kill the first name on the list, 721 00:37:15,015 --> 00:37:17,452 and that first name is Ronald Humphrey. 722 00:37:20,238 --> 00:37:23,371 Vernell told investigators she was terrified 723 00:37:23,502 --> 00:37:27,114 because not only did Burno drive her to the scene 724 00:37:27,201 --> 00:37:30,073 of where she was supposed to kill Ronald Humphrey, 725 00:37:30,160 --> 00:37:32,162 he was hanging in the background 726 00:37:32,250 --> 00:37:33,990 in the car waiting for her to do it. 727 00:37:37,080 --> 00:37:38,386 She was so nervous, 728 00:37:38,473 --> 00:37:41,171 she couldn't even fire a straight shot. 729 00:37:41,259 --> 00:37:43,173 When she shot him, Mr. Humphrey, 730 00:37:43,261 --> 00:37:46,046 he didn't go down like it's on TV. 731 00:37:46,176 --> 00:37:49,091 And that frightens her and she runs off. 732 00:37:49,092 --> 00:37:52,095 Well, that infuriates Kenny. 733 00:37:52,226 --> 00:37:54,837 So they decide that the next person they're going to kill 734 00:37:54,924 --> 00:37:57,449 is John and they'll come back to Ronald Humphrey. 735 00:37:57,579 --> 00:37:59,277 And this time, Kenny's going to fire 736 00:37:59,364 --> 00:38:02,497 the fatal shot because she's an incompetent marksman. 737 00:38:06,109 --> 00:38:08,416 So on the night of the murder, 738 00:38:08,547 --> 00:38:11,419 they're waiting for John Davis when he comes out. 739 00:38:11,550 --> 00:38:15,030 Somehow, Kenny has gotten in the back of the van. 740 00:38:15,031 --> 00:38:18,426 And she's hiding in the shadows. 741 00:38:18,557 --> 00:38:22,822 When John Davis and Vernell return to the van, 742 00:38:22,909 --> 00:38:25,259 Kenny Burno fired the shot in his head. 743 00:38:27,479 --> 00:38:30,917 And as another gruesome act of allegiance, 744 00:38:31,047 --> 00:38:34,876 required Vernell to fire two shots into his body... 745 00:38:34,877 --> 00:38:38,098 From the same gun. 746 00:38:38,185 --> 00:38:39,142 She was terrified. 747 00:38:39,229 --> 00:38:40,361 She was upset. 748 00:38:40,448 --> 00:38:43,408 He was happy and joyful. 749 00:38:43,538 --> 00:38:46,541 And then said to her, one down, four to go. 750 00:38:50,719 --> 00:38:52,155 Detectives know Vernell's word 751 00:38:52,286 --> 00:38:55,507 isn't enough to build a case against Kenny Burno. 752 00:38:55,594 --> 00:38:58,466 The detectives wanted to see Kenny. 753 00:38:58,553 --> 00:39:00,250 And they wanted to ask him questions. 754 00:39:00,381 --> 00:39:02,949 Kenny showed up at the Montgomery County 755 00:39:03,079 --> 00:39:05,604 District Attorney's office with his lawyer. 756 00:39:05,734 --> 00:39:08,258 And instead of answering direct questions, 757 00:39:08,346 --> 00:39:12,698 he getting kind of, you know, smart with these detectives. 758 00:39:12,828 --> 00:39:15,830 Well, they didn't like that. 759 00:39:15,831 --> 00:39:19,660 So we got a search warrant for Kenny's place. 760 00:39:19,661 --> 00:39:23,665 And we find the address of the man in Atlanta, Georgia, 761 00:39:23,752 --> 00:39:25,928 who was on the contract list. 762 00:39:26,015 --> 00:39:28,061 That man was Larry Tucker. 763 00:39:28,148 --> 00:39:30,062 We called him. 764 00:39:30,063 --> 00:39:33,414 We were able to corroborate what Vernell had told us. 765 00:39:33,501 --> 00:39:36,243 We also have the fireman's eyewitness testimony 766 00:39:36,330 --> 00:39:40,986 and we could corroborate that Kenny came to the workplace 767 00:39:40,987 --> 00:39:43,206 of John Davis and Ronald Humphrey, 768 00:39:43,293 --> 00:39:45,644 so I thought circumstantially, we had enough. 769 00:39:49,212 --> 00:39:52,302 December 17th, 2002, 770 00:39:52,390 --> 00:39:57,045 a year to the date of when John Davis was found dead, 771 00:39:57,046 --> 00:39:59,962 Kenneth Burno was charged with criminal conspiracy 772 00:40:00,093 --> 00:40:01,876 and first-degree murder. 773 00:40:01,877 --> 00:40:03,444 The very next day, 774 00:40:03,531 --> 00:40:06,665 Vernell Jones decides to take a plea deal 775 00:40:06,795 --> 00:40:09,885 and agree to third-degree murder and conspiracy 776 00:40:09,972 --> 00:40:13,498 and to testify against her ex-boyfriend, Kenneth Burno. 777 00:40:17,850 --> 00:40:20,505 I won't say the entire case against Kenny Burno 778 00:40:20,592 --> 00:40:24,073 rests on what Vernell says, but a great deal of it. 779 00:40:24,204 --> 00:40:27,686 And the strongest pieces of evidence are all of the things 780 00:40:27,773 --> 00:40:30,776 that she testified about her victimhood 781 00:40:30,906 --> 00:40:33,474 at the hands of Kenny Burno. 782 00:40:33,561 --> 00:40:37,260 They helped to explain her conduct. 783 00:40:37,347 --> 00:40:41,961 That's very impactful to a jury. 784 00:40:42,048 --> 00:40:44,877 When Vernell was being cross-examined, 785 00:40:44,964 --> 00:40:48,489 he said, "Did you shoot John Davis?" 786 00:40:48,576 --> 00:40:52,188 She said, yes, but I know Kenny took the fatal shot. 787 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:56,278 I know Kenny's innocent 788 00:40:56,279 --> 00:41:00,458 because I know he's not going to take a man's life. 789 00:41:00,588 --> 00:41:02,634 But I know Vernell is guilty 790 00:41:02,721 --> 00:41:05,332 because she confessed to being guilty. 791 00:41:07,377 --> 00:41:09,162 The jury sees things differently 792 00:41:09,249 --> 00:41:11,643 and finds Kenneth Burno guilty of conspiracy 793 00:41:11,773 --> 00:41:15,211 and first-degree murder in the killing of John Davis. 794 00:41:15,342 --> 00:41:17,518 He is sentenced to life in prison. 795 00:41:17,649 --> 00:41:19,694 For her part, Vernell Jones is given 796 00:41:19,825 --> 00:41:22,567 a reduced sentence of 17 to 35 years. 797 00:41:24,656 --> 00:41:27,006 When he was found guilty, 798 00:41:27,136 --> 00:41:30,705 it was a shock to all of us. 799 00:41:30,792 --> 00:41:33,012 The family was hurt. 800 00:41:33,099 --> 00:41:37,712 Our thoughts and prayers go to the victims. 801 00:41:37,799 --> 00:41:42,369 But the judicial system has failed my brother. 802 00:41:43,413 --> 00:41:46,199 I have some sympathy for Vernell Jones, 803 00:41:46,286 --> 00:41:48,854 because women can be forced to do things 804 00:41:48,984 --> 00:41:50,856 that they otherwise wouldn't do. 805 00:41:50,986 --> 00:41:52,771 She was ultimately paroled 806 00:41:52,901 --> 00:41:56,688 to try to rehabilitate her life in 2018. 807 00:42:05,784 --> 00:42:07,133 A great man is gone, 808 00:42:07,263 --> 00:42:09,396 so I think that on all areas, everybody's suffering. 809 00:42:11,180 --> 00:42:13,835 They took a well-respected man away from us. 810 00:42:13,966 --> 00:42:17,230 And honestly, I think that they got what they deserved. 811 00:42:19,406 --> 00:42:21,277 God knew John was good. 812 00:42:21,364 --> 00:42:22,757 John, I love you, man. 813 00:42:22,888 --> 00:42:24,541 I know you in a better place, man. 814 00:42:24,542 --> 00:42:25,804 And I know you right now, 815 00:42:25,934 --> 00:42:27,936 you're sitting at the center table up in heaven.