All language subtitles for Episode 06 Dying Words

Steven had hopes and dreams,

and nobody deserves
to experience

what Steven was
apparently experiencing.

We quickly realized
that this was not

gonna be an open
and closed case.

We don't know
where the suspect is.

We don't know what
we're walking into.

Are we walking into an ambush?

I'm looking for someone who
has no care about human life.

Two minutes later,
clearlake police officers

respond to the scene.

A house
on the south side of town.

When I'm responding
to a call like that,

I'm thinking of the safety of
myself and my fellow officers.

We don't know where
the suspect is.

We know there's a gun,
at least in play.

We don't know if that subject
is still hiding out in the area.

If we get into the area,
and we confront this suspect,

I don't know if he's going to

turn that gun on me
or another officer.

As I arrived,
I noticed some people

standing in their driveways
and in the roadways.

They weren't scared.

They weren't running,
which led me to believe

that the shooter
was no longer on scene.

So the focus was on
the male subject

laying in the front yard.

I activate my body camera,

so the whole incident
is documented.

He seemed to be having,
like, deep, labored breaths.

He definitely was disorientated

and seemed to be having some
sort of medical need.

Initially,
when I got there,

my focus was, you know,
tending to a gunshot victim.

And then immediately when
I started checking him

and couldn't find any blood,

any holes, any injuries,
several things start going

through our mind of,
you know,

what is actually
happening here?

So medical was requested
to respond to the scene.

As I approached,
I recognized the person,

but I could not
remember his name.

One of the officers
asked him for his name,

and he repeated his name
of Steven Galvin.

And my lightbulb went on,
and I said,

I know this guy from
prior context.

Steven wasn't an angel,

but no matter
his background, nobody --

nobody deserves
to experience

what Steven was
apparently experiencing,

and our job as police officers
is to figure out

what happened
and try to help him.

Back at the scene,

lake county fire
and rescue medics arrive

to evaluate Steven.

Eventually, they find
a small, like,

red Mark on his bottom,
like, right torso area.

Upon further review,
they find, like, another

small red Mark
on his back left area.

There was no blood.

There was no obvious holes.

Sometimes in shootings,

there's quite a bit
of bleeding,

bullet holes, exit wound,
some sort of a trauma.

And not always does that
happen -- in this case,

it was not obvious
initially that there was

any type of wound
on this male.

So at that point, I'm overly
concerned, because we're trying

to paint the picture of what
actually happened

in the little bit of timeframe
that we have,

because we don't know
what's going on.

Clearlake police
detective Ryan Peterson

steps in to speak with Steven.

It wasn't really clear
what he said,

and I said, "cyclops?"
He goes, "yeah."

Cyclops.

That's David Cox,

a person with a street name
of cyclops.

He had some very
distinctive tattoos.

Had a somewhat
violent background.

He was on parole,
had recently moved to clearlake.

Based on the totality of
the circumstances,

it gave me a reasonable
belief or probable cause

to send officers to start
locating David.

But before they can
look for David,

the immediate priority is
keeping Steven alive.

Okay, we got one.

At this time,
Steven's as safe as he can be.

He's getting the medical
treatment that

can be rendered to him.

Now the investigation
can really begin.

We have to find David,
get him off the street.

He's our suspect,
and the potential of violence

and risk to the community
is pretty great.

So we wanted to make sure
that we get him

in custody to prevent any
more people being injured.

While the hunt
to find David begins,

officers speak
with the 911 caller.

So not only were
we looking for David,

we were also looking for a white
truck associated with him,

because if they're mobile,
then, you know, they --

they literally could
be anywhere.

As investigators piece together

what happened
at the crime scene,

medical staff at the hospital
continue to treat Steven.

They tried numerous different
techniques to save Steven,

but he died of his injuries.

It was determined
that he died

to a single gunshot wound
to his abdomen.

Seeing situations like this

that Steven was in is --
is tough.

It's tough.

It was --
it's tough for me.

Steven died alone
in the hospital.

There was no family.

There were --
there was nobody there.

He was placed into a body bag,
um...

For evidentiary purposes.

That's sad, I mean, that's,
a sad way to end one's life.

Steven had

hopes and dreams,

and, you know, in the end,
he wasn't able to fulfill those,

and it's a sad ending,

because ultimately,
we want to protect,

and in this particular case,
we --

we couldn't save Steven.

With the death of Steven,

it now made it a full
homicide investigation,

and it was very important
that we locate David,

because he's a danger
to the community.

This could potentially
happen again.

And so it was very imperative
that we locate him.

Detectives in
clearlake, California,

have just been informed

their shooting victim,
Steven Galvin, has died.

He was a very friendly
guy, infectious laugh,

fun to be around,

good -- good to his friends.

He liked to tinker
with his hands.

He liked to make improvements
around his house.

He was hoping to get
out of clearlake,

because he didn't really
have any ties here.

He died alone.

He didn't have friends
or family with him.

However, he did have with him
clearlake police officers.

So, from that point on,
the officers would become

his protectors.

They would be the ones
documenting his life,

trying to get answers,

trying to find out who was
responsible, and ultimately

the ones trying
to get justice for him.

But before his death,
Steven named

his supposed killer,

David "cyclops" Cox.

So officers head to one of
his last known addresses.

We had our weapons drawn.

We believed that David was
possibly armed,

and we don't know
what we're walking into.

Are we walking into an ambush?

Is he waiting for US?
Does he know we're coming?

There's a lot of emotions
going through you.

You're nervous about what
you're about to encounter.

Whenever you enter a home,

you have no idea
what you're going into.

It's somebody else's home.

You don't know
what they have hiding,

what weapons they might have.

So, at this point, I'm relying
on my k-9 partner,

his training, his nose,
his eyes,

you know,
he is my -- my go-to.

If he starts noticing anything,

if he hears anything,
if he smells anything,

he's gonna start
giving me indications

that there's something wrong.

Officer cook clears the house,
finding no one inside.

Once we were back outside,
myself and sergeant Joseph

spoke with David's ex-girlfriend
trying to get

further information
if possible.

Does she know where David was

or any information we can gather
from her to move on.

Um...

When we're conducting
an investigation,

it's always a balancing act,

trying to put enough pressure
on people without giving

too much of our information out,

and in this particular case,

when I told her
the seriousness of the crime,

that we had a shooting,

I think she realized
the seriousness of what

we were investigating
and became

a little bit
more cooperative with US.

And she gave me
his phone number

and gave me an address

where he was possibly at
at the moment

in another part of the city.

Officers head to the address
David's ex-girlfriend provides

while sergeant Joseph
continues

to question her
in his patrol car.

All right.

As she and I
are talking in my car,

I'm overhearing radio
chatter from

the officers that are on the
scene -- we're stretched thin.

We have me
interviewing here,

and I have several
other officers

that are down the street,

you know,
other part of town.

We're taxed -- we're taxed
with our personnel.

But it is -- it's very stressful
for me, because now they're

walking into another situation
where we believe

David is located.

Again, we still believe
that he's armed

with a weapon,
and we don't know what his --

we don't know what
his mindset is.

Police in
clearlake, California,

have just discovered
a possible motive for why

David Cox may have murdered
Steven Galvin

and are surrounding
a house where

they believe
he may be hiding way.

I'm looking for someone
who has, obviously,

no care about human life.

Now I'm the threat to them.

I'm what's gonna prevent
them from being able

to be free.

So the danger level
for something like that's

extremely high,

and the propensity of violence
is just...

You know, astronomical.

The things that go through
my head at that time are,

are they preparing
themselves to have a shootout?

Are they arming themselves?

Are they holding
people hostage?

Yeah, it's like
a Jack-in-the-box.

As the crank's going,

you're just waiting for it
to open.

Well, David finally comes out
of the house.

As he comes out,

he has his arms extended.

We start giving him commands.

He looked at US
and just nodded as --

as if he knew exactly
what was going on.

Good.

This way.

At the clearlake
police station,

officers process David.

David seemed like he was
a very intelligent man.

He had lots of street smarts

and had been exposed to
the criminal justice system.

He was quite adamant
about trying to find out

facts of the case
and different various details.

But as standard practice,

we do not release
information to any witnesses

as to prevent
any cross-contamination.

Back at the scene
where David was arrested,

officers round up
other individuals

from inside the house.

When we're dealing with these
other people in the house,

is it typical that people
of violence associate

with other people of violence?
Yes.

So at this point,
we need to make sure

that -- that we're still
keeping the community safe,

and that's why we end up

pulling each person out
with -- at gunpoint,

um, because we don't know.

Officers bring
some of them

to the station for questioning.

So where this leads
the investigation now is,

you know, now I have David,

but there's a lot of work
and a lot of -- just a lot more

interviews that -- and evidence
that I have to collect now.

But first,
sergeant Peterson

must break the news
of Steven's death

to those closest to him.

Before I was able to even
speak to Steven's mother

to get information
of who Steven

associated with and -- and why
this may have occurred to him,

she ended up, unfortunately,
passing away.

So,

you know,
I got a chance to, um,

speak to Steven's girlfriend.

She didn't know
what had happened.

Um,

she didn't know what
Steven's condition was.

Having to tell people
that someone's dead

that they care about is not --

not easy for an officer.

It's not easy for me.

I try to remember that when --

when I'm doing my job,
I don't have to,

you know, I don't have to
do my job.

I can add my own empathy
and compassion in it.

Steven may have had
a criminal history.

He may have not always made
the best or right choices

in life,

but he's still
a human being.

While Steven's
girlfriend mourns,

detectives press forward
with the investigation.

At that time, David was
currently in custody

at the station,

and then we were approached
by another person

that we had detained,

and he wanted to speak to US
about the incident.

It was definitely a --
almost a shock,

but a turn in the case.

Now we have

a real conflicting
statement with what

the victim had said during
the dying declaration,

and now the suspect

and now our prime witness
saying that no,

he was with him.

He didn't commit this crime.

So it's really hard to Gauge
on who's telling the truth.

But we were leaning more
towards that

there was potentially
something wrong

with the investigation or
identification of the suspect.

So after several minutes of
speaking with him,

he was quite adamant that
David was not responsible

for the killing of Steven.

Now we potentially have
another person

out there that hasn't
been identified.

We quickly realized
that this was not

gonna be an open
and closed shut case.

Detectives investigating
Steven Galvin's murder

believed they have captured
his killer,

David "cyclops" Cox.

But testimony from
a surprise witness is

moving the investigation
in a different direction.

So detectives decide
to confront David directly.

From talking with David,

he is very adamant
that he doesn't

know what he is
in custody for,

that he wasn't involved in it.

He knew Steven
but left it very generic

of how he knew who Steven was.

David became very
anxious at this point, and...

For me to see a grown man
who is supposed to be

this big thug
criminal start crying --

I made it very clear to him

that that wasn't
going to dissuade me

in my efforts of solving
this crime.

I know -- for murder.

Okay?

Knowing my history with David
and knowing his history,

it was clear that there was
a high potential that he was

lying to me.

So now I need to take
that information

that he's given me and either
prove or disprove

what he told me.

As detectives
consider their next move,

Steven is quietly laid to rest.

In Steven's case,

you know, he died alone,

and he had nobody there
to be able to grieve him,

you know, in the end.

Unfortunately, when someone
dies and they don't have

a family member to collect
their remains,

the state has that
person cremated,

and then they're generally
scattered at sea.

He, unfortunately, got
a really sad end to his life.

He didn't have a chance,
you know,

that was stolen from him.

Detectives must
solve this case for Steven,

so they turn their attention
back to David's ex-girlfriend,

who shares with them some
startling new information.

I'd been in contact with
David's ex-girlfriend.

She had found out
that maybe it wasn't David

who pulled the trigger
and shot Steven

and was willing to provide me
information regarding this.

So detectives bring
her into the station

for an interview.

David's ex-girlfriend,
she was very nervous,

and it was clear that she was
scared for her safety.

Now this is another person
telling me David

didn't do this,

so it was extremely important
that I get this name from her

so I can get this person

off the street
and make sure that

the rest of the public
is safe.

I've had contact
with Billy in the past.

He has a quite lengthy
criminal history,

a history of violence,

and he's not very law
enforcement friendly

or cooperative.

It really threw
this investigation into

a real difficulty,

if you know --
was Billy the trigger man?

David's ex-girlfriend
mentioned that she actually

saw Billy earlier that day
at the house on maple.

Okay.

It was clear
that David's ex-girlfriend

believed Billy mount was
the person who murdered
Steven Galvin,

so now we're gonna be
transitioning to hunting

Billy mount.

It raises a little bit
of anxiety,

because he is
extremely dangerous

and now a prime suspect
in a murder investigation.

Three days after
the murder of Steven Galvin,

clearlake detectives
are on the hunt

for a new
person of interest --

Billy mount.

I was contacted
and advised that patrol

had located Billy walking
along the roadway.

So I directed the officer
to transport Billy

to the police department
so I could interview him.

I told Billy essentially
that he's being named in

this investigation
as being involved.

Billy is very arrogant,
very confrontational.

He makes statements that it's
because people hate him

that they're naming him
and they're trying to frame him,

essentially trying
to dissuade me from believing

that he's involved
in this at all.

At this point, I have nothing
to corroborate anybody's

statement, including his,

because from talking to
David's ex, Billy was lying.

She said she saw Billy

over at the house on maple
the day the murder happened.

The more I challenged him,
the more upset and angry he got.

And he finally --
he, at some point, said,

"if you're gonna charge me,
charge me,"

and that he wanted a lawyer.

I have to be able to provide
that to him before I can

continue any further interview.

At this point, I still
don't have any evidence.

I don't have the vehicle.

I don't have the gun.

I have nothing but hearsay
and statements,

which aren't evidence.

It makes the investigation
just that much more difficult.

So I'm here
at the police department,

it's been two days now,

and I get a phone call
from a lady who tells me

that her son was involved
in the killing of Steven,

and that he wants
to come forward.

Unsure how
this man is involved,

detectives bring him
into the station

and question him about
the day of the murder.

He is a very timid guy
and doesn't really have

a violent background
or much of a criminal history.

He didn't want anything
to do with this.

He wanted to distance himself
as much as possible.

He knew that he didn't do it
and figured that

we were gonna be looking
for him.

Now that the witness
came forward,

I don't need to find
a white truck,

because I have the driver
of the truck, it matches

the description provided
by all the witnesses,

and it was clear that it was
involved in this case.

At this point, everything is
now leading me to Billy.

So I asked him, can you show
me where you first met Billy,

where you drove him,
and where you ended up

when you last saw Billy
that day?

And he agreed
to go with me.

But that's not all

the man had to show
detective Peterson.

Okay.

I ended up walking over,
and I saw a culvert

right on the edge of the road.

It was one of those,

"I'm gonna look just because,"

and I reached my hand in,
pulled out a bag

that ultimately had
the firearm.

I had the firearm sent
to the department of justice

for latent print
and DNA processing.

Some of what they call tandem
repeats matched Billy mount.

And then I dusted the truck
for any fingerprints,

and a cd had been found
inside the truck.

The cd case actually had
Billy's fingerprint on it.

So now I have
physical evidence

showing this happened,
and that moment,

when I had the firearm,
I had the truck,

I knew that Billy mount
was the one who did this.

Investigators are
confident the driver had

nothing to do with
Steven's death.

He was just in the wrong place
at the wrong time.

And based on that testimony,

Billy is arrested and charged
with the murder of

Steven Galvin.

But the motive
for this murder

still remains
a mystery for some.

You know, when I talked to
the driver of the white truck,

I decided to ask him
if Billy had said anything,

because I'm trying to figure out
why did he just

randomly shoot Steven?

And he essentially made some
kind of comment that, you know,

he had shot Steven because
he had hurt somebody

that wasn't able
to defend themselves.

Other than that one statement,
I've never heard of

and never had anybody

come forward with Steven
having any kind of allegations

of that type of crime.

After a two-month trial,

Billy is convicted
of second degree murder.

He is sentenced to life with
the possibility of parole.

Many of the cases that
officers work,

these are memories that
we keep with US and take

with US all the time
for the rest of our lives,

and they're never easy.

They're difficult,
but ultimately, that's our job,

and that's what we have to do.

We have to speak for those
that can no longer speak.

At the end of the day,

I was able to do the right
thing for Steven.

Even though Steven's not here
anymore, I was able to create

that closure for him,

knowing that he wasn't going
to be just a forgotten number,

and I was able to prove who did
this to him and allow,

you know, if you believe
in that, his soul to kinda rest.