All language subtitles for American.Detective.With.Lt.Joe.Kenda.S01E08.What.She.Saw.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP.2.0.H.264-FLUX.[eng]

[Kenda] Laurel, Maryland,
a suburban community

between Baltimore
and Washington, DC.

Laurel still has a small town,
kind of a Mayberry-like
feel to it.

Everybody knows everybody.

[Kenda] Anne Donnelly,
who is a private care nurse,
is reporting for duty.

Her charge is a 26-year-old
Jasmine Gilbert, who suffers
from cerebral palsy.

Hello? It's Anne.

[doorbell rings]

Hello?

This is extremely unusual.

She expects to be greeted
as she usually is.
"Oh, good morning, Anne."

But the place is quiet,
very, very quiet.

Hello?

Hello?

She goes to the back door,
the patio door.

Tina?

[Kenda] The door's unlocked.

James?

Tina?

And no one answers her calls.

James?

And then she was the one
that found the bodies
and found this horrific,

bloody scene in the bedroom.

[Anne screams]

[siren wailing]

When first responders arrive,
they walk into
a monstrous scene.

Jasmine's mother,
45-year-old Tina Towler
is dead on the bedroom floor,

along with 42-year-old
James Ferguson.

The bedroom is chaos,
and back, tucked off
beyond the bed,

is another bed with covers.

[suspenseful music playing]

And that's when they
discovered Jasmine Gilbert.

[opening theme music playing]

I spent my career
closing murder cases.

But I'm not the only one
who answered the call.

It takes a rare breed
to solve the unsolvable,

to catch a ruthless killer,
to find justice for the dead.

That's what it takes
to be an American detective.

My name is Joseph Bellino.

I've been with
the Prince George's
County Police since 2007.

This was my second
homicide case.

The first case I got was,
um... We closed it
within 48 hours.

It wasn't a difficult case,
but I told my sergeant that
I wanted more of a challenge.

He said, "Be careful
for what you ask for."
[chuckles]

It was a nice spring morning.

I was driving into work.

It's just after 8:00
in the morning.

Dispatch to Detective Bellino.

Go for Bellino.

And they called me
and said that there
had been two bodies found

at a residence in Laurel.

[indistinct police
radio chatter]

[siren wailing]

When it comes to
investigating a case,

I want to live and die
by my own hand.

So, for me, getting
to the scene of the crime

and to be involved in the decisions is essential.

[Kenda] Detective Bellino's
informed

there is a 26-year-old
cerebral palsy patient,
who is apparently unharmed.

There's no visible injury
to this girl,

but they still had her removed to be medically examined.

But her mother, Tina Towler,
and her boyfriend,
James Ferguson,

are dead on the bedroom floor.

[Dana Daniels] Tina and I
were best friends.

My husband and I end up moving
into the same neighborhood,

and that's probably
how our friendship evolved.

We would bring
the kids together,
do cookies for Christmas time.

I taught her how
to drive a stick shift.
[laughs]

[Jerome Spencer]
James had a large
and very dynamic family.

Everybody described somebody
who was just fun to be around.

Just a good person
to hang out with.

Somebody who would always welcome you into his apartment at any time

[indistinct police
radio chatter]

[Bellino] When you initially
enter the apartment,

there was a living space,
dining room table, kitchen.

There was several beer cans that were on the coffee table.

Outside of that,
everything appeared in order.

There was no signs
of a struggle.

Once you got
inside the bedroom,
you could see that

a serious altercation
had occurred there.

[Kenda] This is a very
violent crime scene,

blood spatter on the walls,
on the floor, and great deal
of blood every place.

I noticed the door to the
bedroom was damaged
where the lock would be.

[Jonathon Church] So the
thought was that somebody had
kicked in that bedroom door.

We could see blood spatter
on the ceiling

and just the brutal nature of
the attacks on both of them.

[camera shutters clicking]

[Bellino] There were pots.
There were pans.

There was a vase that had been
shattered, broken, on either
sides of the bedroom.

Must have been
one hell of a struggle.

[indistinct police
radio chatter]

[Bellino] And then there were
these two bodies.

[dramatic music plays]

Tina was found
at the foot of the bed.

She had multiple stab wounds
to her back,

the lower back area.

Her face had been
heavily beaten,

And he is immediately struck
by something very unusual.

She had the imprint
of what looked like "EVE"
on her forehead.

[Spencer] One of the first
images I remember
that would never leave

my mind is looking at Tina's
body and to see the letters
imprinted on her forehead.

That's a critical
piece of evidence,
but what does that mean?

Next to her on the floor,
flat on his back,
is James Ferguson.

He had multiple sharp force
injuries, stab wounds,
to his hands and chest,

upper body.

[Kenda] He's also wearing
a leather pouch on his belt,

the type that's worn
that contains a knife.

That pouch is empty,
and the snap closure is open.

So did that knife somehow
become involved
in this offence?

When you have a boyfriend,
girlfriend dead in a home
or in a residence, it means,

you always have to examine
whether it's a possibility
it's a murder-suicide.

[Kenda] But Bellino
looks at these bodies
and notices immediately

that can't be true.

Mr. Ferguson has extreme
blunt trauma injuries
to his face.

He didn't beat himself up.

Tina Towler has
the same thing.

They were both attacked
by someone else.

This is a double homicide.

I'd never seen
a case like that.

This was a horrible,
horrible killing

[Bellino] When we
continued to look

through the apartment
in a bathroom that was just
adjacent to their bedroom,

there was a knife
that was unfolded

that was in the sink
next to a bar of soap.

We also found a towel nearby.

That knife came
from the sheath that's carried
on Mr. Ferguson's waist.

Did he pull that knife
to try to defend himself

and it was taken away from him

and then used against him?

It's likely that's true.

[Bellino] The problem is that
in any bathroom,
and in this one,

there's soap, there's water,
and there is a way
for that evidence

to then be disinfected,
cleaned and then sent
down the drain and destroyed.

[Kenda] There is nothing
apparently missing, no ransacking in the other rooms,

no open drawers,
no searched-through purses,
none of that.

None of that the purpose
of this event is murder.
Nothing else.

[male reporter] The victims,
45-year-old Tina Towler
and her boyfriend,

42-year-old James Ferguson,
found beaten and stabbed
to death

in the bedroom
of their apartment in Laurel.

Police say they found
no sign of forced entry.

The victim's daughter
wasn't hurt.
[sucks teeth]

She is a witness to the crime,
and she is now in the care

and custody
of the State of Maryland.

[Kevin Leonard] We hear
about murders all the time,
you know,

in the state
and in the region.

The fact that her daughter
was there and witnessed it,

and, you know,
in her physical condition,

it really put a tragic, sad
twist on the whole thing.

[Church] When Jasmine
was born,

she was diagnosed
with cerebral palsy and given
three months to live.

Obviously, at the time
of this double homicide,

she had outlived
those expectations.

[siren wailing]

[Kenda] Unfortunately,
Jasmine has a very severe
form of cerebral palsy.

Ultimately, it results in
a person who is incapable
of walking, standing, sitting.

It is a terrible disease.

[monitors beeping]

Nurse Anne Donnelly
is there at the hospital
and says she's fine.

She's not hurt.

[Bellino] Anne Donnelly
and the other nurses were a select a group of women

who had cared for her
for a long period of time.

[Kenda] So they had
an afternoon nurse
until 9:30 or so at night,

and then the first thing
the next morning,

they would have a day
nurse that would come in.

So between 9:30 p.m.
and 8:00 a.m. is the time
this crime occurred.

I can't imagine
what she went through.

Definitely, the trauma
doesn't just stop, you know,

with the witnessing
of the horrific event,

Not, you know,
knowing why you're being
taken out of your home

and then put in this hospital,

not knowing who these doctors
and nurses are,

it could cause
even more stress for her.

[Kenda] He asks, "Do you think
she could understand me
if I ask her something?"

Donnelly says,
"I don't think so.
You can try."

This child is nonverbal...

[Bellino] But she connects
in other ways?

Yes.

She knows voices.

So if you go in and you say,
"Hey, Jazzy-jazz,
how you doing?

And she would smile,
and she would start to laugh.

She just loved music.

Tina sang to her a lot,
so she liked for her mom
to sing to her.

[Church] Because she was
in that room
and it was evident

that this all took place
right there in front of her.

So what did she know?

Our goal was to try
to figure out
what did she see?

Jazzy, honey, it's Anne.

You're in a hospital.

Jazzy honey...

It was always in the back
of my mind, you know,

how had this affected her?
Would she be able
to communicate?

[Kenda] The only person
who saw, or potentially
saw anything is Jasmine.

So, it's critical that Bellino
makes every attempt

to try to get information
from her.

She is the ultimate loose end.

[reporter] Tina Towler
and her boyfriend,
James Ferguson,

were found beaten and stabbed
to death in their bedroom
after a home nurse

arrived to care for Towler's
severely disabled daughter
Jasmine.

The daughter was in a location
where it would be reasonable

that she would,
uh, have been...
Either have had witnessed

the homicide
or a portion thereof.

[Church] We knew Jasmine was
in the room when both James
and Tina were murdered.

And our goal was to try to
figure out, what did she see?

What does she know about it?

Jazzy, honey,
you're safe now, okay?

This nice man wants
to ask you some questions.

[Kenda] But does she
understand what
she's being asked?

An eyewitness certainly
can be extremely useful

As a cerebral palsy patient

in terrible
physical condition,

how useful that may be
remains to be seen.

[Anne] Jazzy, we have to know
what happened last night.

Did you see who hurt your mom?

[suspenseful music playing]

[Bellino] It was disappointing
to know that somebody who
was present during the crime

is not gonna be able
to give us information

that we really need.

I'm sorry.

I just don't think
she understands.

Let's just let her
rest for now.
I can come back later.

The fact that Jasmine was
left alive was an indicator

to us that the individual
who killed James and Tina
knew of her condition

and did not kill her

because they knew that she
would never be able to tell.

Obviously, we had a large
contingent of officers

who assisted
with the neighborhood canvass

to knock on doors,
speak to all the neighbors,

and from speaking
to witnesses in the case,

we learned that Jay Towler
is Tina Towler's ex-husband.

[Kenda] The officer says he
spoke to a neighbor who
noticed that the ex-husband

was standing in the crowd
outside the crime scene.

Now, that's kind of odd.

Why did you not contact
the police if you're concerned
about the victim?

So, Jay Towler is invited
to come for an interview
with the police department.

Any time you have a crime
like this,

you have a woman
who was murdered,

you have her boyfriend
who's murdered,

There's potential
that this could be

some type of love triangle
gone bad.

One of Jasmine's nurses called and said

that Mr. James and Miss Tina
aren't responsive.

So I told my boss
I had to go and I left.

You couldn't
get close.

They had it
all blocked off.

Just a lot of people
around cameras,

TV cameras,
and so forth.

Police would say,
"Well, we're gonna

"take you down. We have
some questions for you

"down the police station."

When the crime
is wide open,

everybody's a suspect.

I certainly interviewed him
that way.

So you were not in
the apartment last night old?

No! I already told you.

I told detective I wouldn't do nothing like that.

It was like Mike Tyson hit me
in my stomach.

I was... crushed.

He seemed to be
truly emotional

and distraught
over her death

and came off as somebody
who wanted to be helpful

in any way he could.

I met Tina
on the subway

and she was struggling
with Jasmine.

I gave her hand
with Jasmine

and we kind of talked
a little bit.

and I got her number,
and so forth.

And eventually,
we got together.

Got married
later on.

Me, Tina, Jay,
and my husband,

we started taking vacations
together, so we did cruises.

The families
just merged.

So he asked Towler
to explain to him

what caused her marriage
to break up.

When we had a child, Michael,

Michael, at two years old,

he was diagnosed
with a paddle blastoma.

And he passed
at three years old.

And the sudden death
of their child.

It changed
the trajectory

of her life,
and their marriage.

Mr. Towler explained

that she was overwhelmed
emotionally

and they drifted apart
as a result.

Maybe we couldn't live
together.

That didn't mean we didn't care for each other.

I always would
check on her and Jasmine,

you know
what I mean?

He had no hatred
toward her.

They just didn't want
to be married anymore.

And they got unmarried.

We have a second victim
in this house.

What do you say
about Mr. Ferguson?

James, he's seems
like a decent person.

We got along
real well.

And he would call me up.
"Jay, come on over."

"I got dinner.
Come on over."

So there was
no animosity

toward his ex-wife
or toward James ...

We still want an alibi
and where were you

on the night
this occurred?

I was at my regular job.

I went to fix the ...
up in Ginsburg.

Then I was home
after that.

He told me that he'd
gotten home that evening.

Probably nine,
ten o'clock.

He stayed there
at the apartment,

watched some TV
and went to sleep.

I didn't have no girlfriend

at the house
and nothing like that.

And so I'm thinking now,

"Wow, this isn't
a good alibi."

But it's the truth.

When I'd asked him
for somebody

who could verify
his whereabouts,

he said that Thurston Yerby,
his roommate,

will be able
to verify

that he, in fact,
was at home that evening.

Mr. Yerby?

I'm calling in reference
to Jay Towler.

Is there any way you can
come down

to the station
this afternoon?

When I initially spoke
with Thurston,

he had left
the Laurel area

and had gone
to North Carolina

with his girlfriend

to visit some
of her relatives.

And he confirms
Mr. Towler's alibi

that he was home
that night.

He remembers him coming home
and he never left.

And Thurston Yerby
further said

he'd be happy
to come down

and make a written statement
to that effect

when he returns
from his trip.

Thurston, over the phone?

Confirmation isn't enough.

Detective Bellino's thorough
on what he does.

He needs to have you

and he needs
to have you interviewed.

Hey, the M.E. called.
They're ready for you.

I always say I've seen
enough death.

I'll be fine if I don't see
anymore.

There's no way for us
to escape

that really intimate exposure
to death

that you have
when you're in an autopsy.

It's important that you are
somebody

who work
with ghosts.

So what'd you find?

They both have alcohol
in their systems.

I haven't seen anything
this brutal in a long time.

James Ferguson's
cause of death

were blunt force injuries

and multiple
stabbing/cutting wounds.

I think he had somewhere
near fifteen.

The coroner also told Bellino

that the knife found
in the bathroom sink,

the folding knife
from the sheath or pouch

on James Ferguson's waist,

is consistent with all
of the wounds

and therefore is likely
the murder weapon.

Tina Towler' cause of death
was multiple injuries.

Mainly because there were
so many different things

that were done
to her.

Blunt force injuries,
stabbing and cutting wounds.

And then the attempted
asphyxiation as well.

It takes a certain type
of individual

to strangle somebody.

You have that type of close,
intimate contact.

This level of violence
is not exhibited

by a stranger
versus another stranger.

This is someone who
knows them, who hates them.

But who's the intended victim
here?

What do you make
of that?

There is a word on the forehead of the victim.

E-V-E.

It was the indicator to us
that extreme force

had been used
to kill her.

Wait a minute.

I know
what this is.

The victim's, 45-year-old
Tina Len Towler

and 42-year-old
James Bell Ferguson,

lived together
in the apartment.

Detectives recovered multiple murder weapons from the scene,

including household items
and a knife.

The exact motive
for these murders

is still unknown.

When Bellino meets
with the medical examiner,

he sees a mark
on the forehead

that is actually a word.

It's E-V-E.

And we were able
to determine

that those letters were
on a flashlight

that was broken and found
on scene at the crime,

And it was an Eveready
flashlight.

She was so savagely beaten
with with that flashlight

that part
of the name

of the light was transferred
to her forehead.

The fact
that she had

all these blunt force injuries to her face,

to me,
it was overkill.

Whatever happened to her
was excessive.

What it shows is that
the focus of the assault

was probably, primarily,
on Tina Towler

What was really striking about
this particular case

is the multiple instruments
that are used.

The knife, flashlight,

the vase, the frying pan,
the pot.

This is somebody
who is clearly reacting

in rage that point.

He's determined
to not just kill them

but seriously kill them.

At that point, there wasn't
any one piece of evidence

that gave us
a solid lead

that would clearly identify
who was responsible for this.

There is always dead ends
in murder cases,

and people think
that's frustrating.

But by the same token,

you're eliminating
what didn't happen.

It allows you to focus
on what did happen.

At that point,
the only eyewitness

was Tina's adult daughter,
Jasmine.

Early on,
I was informed

that Jasmine
was non-communicative.

But I started to explore
the possibility

that there are
other individuals

who don't speak traditionally
as we do,

but are able to communicate
in other ways.

Bellino did a lot of research

before he attempted
to contact Jasmine again.

He looked
at medical research.

He talked to a team
of people

who are familiar
with this disease.

It's still clear
to Bellino

that this is a nearly
impossible task.

But he's willing
to attempt it

because he doesn't have
another option at the moment.

I initially thought
that there was a possibility

that we could get
some type

of non-verbal "yes or no"
response.

At that point,
she was at a home.

It wasn't quite
a nursing home,

But they took care of adults
with various disabilities.

Hi, Jasmine.

I'm Detective Bellino.

She smiled.

She gave signs
of recognition

to the nurses
when they entered the room.

And I attempted to talk
to her.

So somebody was in your room
that night.

Somebody hurt your mom
and James real bad.

I think you saw
what happened.

I looked at her
in her eyes.

I looked at her hands,
her head to just see

if I could in any way, get her to respond or acknowledge

that she understood
the information

I was trying
to relay to her.

Do you know who was
in your room that night?

Jasmine, do you know
who killed your mom?

Jasmine?

From everything
that I could gather,

she was not understanding
any of the information

I was attempting
to present to her.

Thank you, Jasmine.

There was
no indication

that she had any idea
what he was talking about.

Bellino was forced to have
reached the conclusion

that he no longer had
an eyewitness.

Jasmine was incapable
of providing him

with any information
whatsoever.

So the case proceeds

as if she wasn't even
in the room.

We needed a fresh look
at this.

Forget what's happened so far and start over.

When your case kind of reaches an impasse, lots of times,

detectives will go back out
and re-canvass the area.

And not just
for evidence,

but also knocking on doors
to see

who might have seen
or heard anything.

You don't always find
everybody the first time.

You contact every door again,
see what happens.

Is this about the murders
the other night?

I spoke with a resident
of the building

who was able to give me
some information

about the night that James
and Tina were murdered.

And suddenly, a second canvas
has produced

potentially,
a very valuable witness.

Is this the lead
we've been looking for?

So nothing has worked out
in terms of leads.

And suddenly, a second canvas has produced potentially,

a very valuable witness.

She says that
when she comes home

from work the night
of the murders,

it was almost eleven o'clock
at night.

She said that there was
a large white SUV

that was outside
the victim's apartment.

She hadn't seen it there
before,

and there was a male
sitting behind the wheel

with a baseball cap on,

smoking a cigarette.

He's within the time frame
of when the murders occurred.

Whoever he may be.

So what is he doing?

Waiting for people
to go to bed

so he can kill them?
I don't know.

Thanks for your time.
That's all we need.

We just thought it was
unusual and suspicious.

Bellino's next move is
to check in

with the forensics team.

DNA evidence
was vital.

It's essential on us
being able

to identify the killer.

I found some things
you might be interested in.

And one thing
that's of particular interest

is a garbage can found
in Tina's kitchen.

There were several beer cans
inside that trash can.

And then underneath,

what looked like a large
white disposable cloth.

It turned out to be
like a nurse's smock.

That's the evening nurse
throwing it away

when she left
at 9:30.

Those beer cans that were
on top of the smock,

were placed there
after she had left.

Some of the beer cans
were compared

and determined to have the DNA of James Ferguson.

But there were other cans
that had the DNA

of an unknown individual.

It's important that we recover
DNA from everybody involved

or potentially involved
in this crime.

Jay Towler is asked
for a DNA sample,

which he freely offers.

I knew my DNA and stuff
was there

'cause I'm there every day,
checking on 'em.

But I give it to him anyway.

I don't have
nothing to hide.

So he provided
a DNA sample.

The one last thing
that we had to do

to truly eliminate him was
to interview an alibi witness.

That person
was Thurston Yerby.

Thanks for coming in, Mr...

So Thurston Yerby drove
to the police station,

came in that
with me.

He was an electrician's
who worked with Jay Towler.

Because of their work together and home remodeling,

they decided to get
an apartment together.

And he confirms
Mr. Towler's alibi.

He remembers him coming home,
and he never left.

You mind if we get
a DNA sample?

I asked Thurston
if he was willing

to submit a sample
of DNA

for the purpose
of elimination.

I wasn't even certain
that I was gonna take it

because he's just
an alibi witness.

But I wanted to see
his response.

It's not gonna be a problem,
is it?

Yeah...

I'm gonna have to talk
to my lawyer about that.

When a witness tells you
they're not willing

to give
a DNA sample,

it raises
red flags.

Bellino knows this is
something

to pay attention to
because he's reacting.

The hair's standing up
on the back of the neck.

He started
to get uncomfortable

and I could tell
he was nervous.

Is there any reason
for your DNA or fingerprints

to be inside Miss Towler's
apartment?

Nope.

You want one?

[Joe Kenda] So Bellino uses a
standard technique and offers
him a bottle of water.

He takes a drink.

If he leaves that behind,
it's abandoned property

and they can test it for DNA
and use it in the court.

-Do you mind?
-Yeah, why don't we
go outside?

When Yerby leaves,
he takes that bottle with him

puts the cap on it,
sticks it in his pocket.

I had never seen that where a
suspect, uh,

understands and knows
that they may be leaving
DNA behind,

and then carries their trash
in their pocket outside.

While we were outside,
I continued to converse
with him.

He said Jay Towler was a
contractor, and there
were occasions

where he would hire
James Ferguson him as well
as Thurston Yerby

to do some work for him
in his contracting business.

So Thurston knew and was
friendly with at least one if
not both of the victims.

So you knew Tina and James
through your roommate Jay.

But you hadn't been
in the apartment recently.

That's right. I haven't.

And I'm watching him
smoke the cigarette

all the way down
to the last bit of tobacco.

Bellino is anxious to get his
hands on the cigarette butt.

He then stuck the butt in his
pocket, and I thought that
this is very unusual.

He's leaving no trail
behind him.

He's been coached by someone
on how DNA can be obtained,

and he makes certain that
two objects that contain it,

he's taking with him.

That makes Thurston Yerby a
prime suspect,

but there's not enough there
to lock him up. Not yet.

[Joe Kenda] So now it's a
hurry up mode.

Now the chase begins.

They've got to get to people
before Yerby does.

Detective Bellino starts
having people look into the
background of Mr. Yerby.

And people that knew him
could tell he likes a party.

I don't know. Moody, I guess.

You guys talking
about that murder?

Why do you ask?

Because I'm pretty sure he
had a thing with that.

What?

We came across
and spoke with another witness

who suspected that Thurston
had had an affair with Tina.

They had gone to a hotel room
several months prior

and had seen Thurston in a
hotel room with Tina Towler in
bed under the sheets.

And her boyfriend,
James Ferguson, didn't know.

Well, now isn't
that interesting?

So this is certainly something
Belinda has not heard the
Tina Towler now has a chance.

Romantic involvement
with Thurston Yerby

It was a big break
in the case.

The fact that someone we were
just speaking with

as an alibi witness
it was now being uncovered

was in fact, having a
sexual relationship,
was an affair with our victim.

So that was huge.

So it's all starting to
come together.

But Bellino still does not
have Yerby's DNA,

and you can't get it without
his consent at this point.

But he does have his
fingerprints because
he has a record.

Detective Bellino looks into
the evidence that was
collected back in the house

and determines that the beer
can that came out of the trash
can has fingerprints on it.

What do you know?

The fingerprints recovered
from the beer cans

were identified to be
those of
Thurston Lamont Yerby.

It proves that he was inside
the residence after

the time that the nurses
had left while he had told us
and told me

he had never been inside
the residence. That was a lie.

And that he was the last
person who was inside
that home

before the victims
were murdered.

Now, we can't ask the judge
to order him to give his DNA

just that you are hereby
commanded to get a DNA sample
of Mr. Thurston Yerby.

Or as they say in Ireland,
you are [bleeped].

DNA doesn't lie.

DNA isn't influenced,
and DNA isn't interpreted.

Either it matches or
it doesn't.

And if it matches, Mr. Yerby
has something he
cannot explain.

After a protracted
investigation of the deaths of
James Ferguson and Tina Towler

Detective Bellino has arrived
at a prime suspect Thurston.

We were able to get a warrant
to obtain a sample of his DNA

to compare it against evidence
in the scene of the crime.

Please have a seat
right here, sir.

All right. Open your mouth,
please sir.

What if I don't?

Mr. Yerby is cocky
and confrontive.

It's like he's saying,
catch me if you can.

He believes he's smarter than
the police and he comes across
that way.

Yes sir. You're free to go.

Don't leave town.

Bellino releases him pending
the results of the
DNA examination.

Fourteen out of
fifteen illegals.

It's about as clear as
it gets.

-So this is a match.
-It's a match.

Thurston Yerby's DNA,
is on a bloody tile on

a bathroom along with both
victims DNA's.

His DNA is on a murder weapon,
and his DNA is on the beer can
in the trash can.

Thurston could deny all
he wants.

The evidence is overwhelming,
and it says otherwise.

He was culprit involved in
these murders.

When they finally have
their warrant in hand,

Yerby understands he's been
looked for.

He knows they'll find
out evidence,

particularly after they took
that DNA sample.

So he's a little elusive at
the moment.

Way need to get him
in custody.

We didn't want a high speed
chase or some type of incident

out for the danger of
the community.

I just pulled into the
elementary school.

We'll find him at the school
where his girlfriend works.

It's definitely a
dangerous situation.

He is bringing himself
and stopping at a location

that has large amounts of
small children.

If he moves, they're going to
follow him away from
the school.

Stop him and arrest him.

But they want those kids out
of there and gone before they
try anything.

And they do. They wait till
the kids come out.

[school bell rings]

The kids leave the area.
He's still sitting here.

I don't know what he's doing
there, but that's where he is.

Let's move.

Put your hands out.

Stand up. Face away from me.

Walk backwards. Stop. Lay down
on your face!

Thurston Yerby.

You have the right to remain
silent. If you give up the
right to remain silent...

We were fortunately able
to get in in custody

without anyone really
coming to aware of it.

But, he says in his same cocky
I know everything manner.

You got one chance to convict
me, and if you don't,
I'm walking.

The suspect wanted for the
murders of a couple in Laurel
is now in police custody.

The Prince George's
County Police Department
obtain a warrant on Wednesday

charging 47 year old
Thurston Lamont Yerby

of Laurel with first
degree murder.

There is a sense of
satisfaction when you solve a
case like this.

The detectives put a lot of
hard work into this case,
and it is, um very satisfying.

what I believe happened
that night is Thurston Yerby

wanted to have sex
that evening.

He had had a relationship
with Tina Towler at
one point before

and he went by the house
because he had been
there before

and he knew where it was.

[doorbell rings]

What are you doing here?

-Hey baby.
-Hey, man. Long time no see.

-What was going on bro?
-Huh? Nothing. Come on in.

Have a drink.

And it seems that Tina Towler
and James Ferguson may have
let them come in.

I believe that he drank beer
with James Ferguson

and played it off as if he was
there just to socially spend
time and hang out.

It looks like at some point
when James Ferguson

went into the bathroom,
that Thurston Yerby attempted

to take advantage
of that time.

[Tina screaming] James!

[James] What the hell are
you doing?

James Ferguson probably pulled
out the knife that he carries
on his belt

and Thurston Yerby
who was stronger and bigger.

than James Ferguson
disarmed him.

[screams and cries]

Killed James Ferguson,
stabbed him to death

and then realized that
he could not leave a witness.

So after killing James,
he decided to kill Tina.

In my opinion first,
Yerby pulled

bedsheet over Jasmine's head
so she couldn't see what
was happening.

Thurston Yerby went to
the bathroom,

cleaned himself up, cleaned
off as much blood as he could

and decided not to kill
Jasmine because he knew
that Jasmine

was never going to be able
to communicate.

He got in this vehicle left.

Thurston Yerby was convicted
on two counts of second
degree murder.

He's serving two 30 year
sentences consecutively

at Jessup Correctional
Institution.

My brother would look out,
and help anyone knowing

that he's very respectful.
And he's gonna be truly

rightfully missed.

I want to remember Tina
as the person that I knew her

as the sweet,

bubbly, loving, caring,
giving person.

[Jay] I know that Tina wanted
to be with Michael,

so hopefully that's where she
got to because that was
our heart.

So there are many tragedies to
this case.

A problem with it is it that
lingers with me so many years
later, not just as to

what happened to Tina and
James, but what Jasmine

must have been
feeling, experiencing.

She became a word of the state
and wound up in a
state facility hospital.

I hope that Jasmine can find
peace and have
an understanding

of the lengths that we went to
to get justice for her and for
her mother.

Detective Bellino is
representative of every

homicide detective in
this country.

People who do the work
because they find it to
be important.

You do it for the victims
and their families

because nobody else is ever
going to.