Original subtitles

Narrator: on christmas eve, A beloved family man

Is paralyzed In an apparent accident...

His condition worsened And he died.

His family is devastated.

Narrator: ...But his loved ones believe There's more to his death...

-stop him. -...Than meets the eye.

What could've possibly happened?

Narrator: It falls to detective rod demery To help them find justice.

This was never an accident.

He's willing to take The extra step

To find out What exactly happened.

Narrator: To solve the case, demery must Break down a wall

Of half-truths and misdirection.

There were conflicting Statements from witnesses.

I don't know where you get off Taking over a case

I was assigned to.

It's a good thing you've got me Here to clean up your mess.

I feel like I'm finally on The cusp of learning the truth.

Narrator: But at what cost to demery And his crew?

Everybody has guns drawn.

Shreveport p.D.!

We don't know What's going to happen.

If you're the only thing that Stands between them

And their freedom, That makes you a target.

Murder and me, we go way back.

When I was a child, Murder took my mother.

Years later, It came for my brother.

That's when I found My mission in life.

Every case I worked, I solved.

Every case I solved, I got a confession.

I'm detective rod demery.

I didn't choose murder.

Murder chose me.

--captions by vitac-- Www.Vitac.Com

Captions paid for by Discovery communications

♪♪

♪♪

Mack: it's christmas day 2008,

And ted williams is cooking A festive dinner

For his family At bernstein apartments...

-that looks good, babe. -thank you.

Mack: ...And he hears A siren pulling up.

[ siren blaring ]

Holmes: normally on christmas, Especially here in the south,

It's really quiet. Stores are closed.

People are not out and about,

So a siren on christmas would Really get your attention.

Check this out.

-what happened? -oh, man.

Mack: several minutes later,

He sees a man being carried out On a stretcher in a neck brace.

He looks to be Somewhat contorted.

-oh, it's terrible. -man.

-oh, my god. -bless his heart.

Williams: we blessed, y'all. It's christmas, and we blessed.

All right?

To see an ambulance at your Neighbor's apartment

On a holiday, there is Something completely wrong.

♪♪

Demery: During the holiday season, I flew to philly.

I'd just gotten back.

My daughter was competing In a pageant.

This is a picture of her In the finals.

-she's a great-looking kid. -thank you.

Kind of hard to believe She belongs to you.

Trust me. I think the same.

-demery... -yeah.

...Got a woman Named janelle wilson.

She insists on speaking With you.

She say what she wanted?

She says It's important.

Okay. Thanks.

Demery: After I worked a few homicides,

I was always getting people That just popped in

Or someone that would send me An e-mail or a phone call

And ask me to look into One of their cases.

-miss wilson? -yes.

Detective demery, Come with me.

Working homicides, I did a lot Of public information work,

So I was on the local news Quite a bit.

Every case that I started To close,

I started to get a bigger And bigger reputation,

So people just believed That whatever case I worked,

I was going to close.

Thank you for seeing me, Detective demery.

Have a seat.

Thompson: Demery has a great reputation.

Where the percentages for Closed homicides in shreveport

Normally hit around 40 To 50 percent a year...

So how Can I help you?

...I would put rod demery Around 95%.

Tony, my brother, He was critically injured

In what they call An accident...

Okay.

But I'm starting to believe That it wasn't even an accident.

She told me that her brother, 2 weeks prior,

Was in the hospital,

And he was paralyzed From the neck down

And believed somebody Did it to him.

Tony is in really bad Shape to the point

Now he can't Even talk.

So what's making you think It wasn't an accident?

His girlfriend, Stacey carter, see,

She was with Him that night.

Okay.

But now her story Isn't even adding up.

Demery: She said that stacey carter Told her her brother

Had fallen And injured himself,

But janelle and her Three siblings

Believe that tony was Physically assaulted.

You share your concerns With the police?

Well, I did.

I spoke with the detective The night it happened,

But he didn't care.

He didn't even pay me Any attention.

Janelle believed that The investigation was a sham,

That the investigator came in

And just kind of ran Through things and left

And didn't really look to see

If he was actually injured By someone else.

What was The detective's name?

Detective fuller.

[ sighs ] Fuller...

Fuller is a detective who Had retired from the military

And just didn't Have a lot fire.

He kind of went Through the motions

And kind of seemed detached From the community.

Okay, I'll tell you What I'll do.

I'll pull the file and take A look and see what's inside.

Oh, great. Thank you.

Thank you so much, detective. -okay.

I just want to caution you With one thing, though.

If I look at this case, and it Turns out that it's an accident,

I'm going to need you To be okay with that.

-yeah, absolutely. -okay.

If I need anything, I'll be in contact.

-thank you. -thank you.

Demery: janelle seemed to have A little hope now.

I think she really just wanted A second opinion

From somebody that She thought she could trust.

♪♪

When I agreed to take Janelle's case,

I wanted to find out Exactly what happened.

I wanted to read the statements

And see what the detective Did or didn't do.

Thompson: as he looks back At the original reports,

The investigators initially did Not observe any type of damage

That would be consistent With an altercation.

Demery: But there's one small detail That catches my attention.

In the police report,

The girlfriend is giving Different statements

About what actually happened That night.

Demery: At one point, stacey carter Told the patrol officer

That the victim fell And hit his head on the table.

Then she said he fell On the bookshelf.

The responding police officer Was adrian ferguson.

She took the initial report And statements.

Ferguson was a really Good officer.

She was one of The bright-shining rookies,

Very detailed, and clearly able To pick up on things

That just don't fit like A conflicting statement.

Okay.

I want to go talk to ferguson,

But I've got something I've got to do first.

Unfortunately, I don't think Fuller

Looked into The conflicting statements.

I think he just took it as it Was and moved on.

Hey, fuller, You got a minute?

Demery, what's up?

I'm kind of in the middle Of something.

Yeah, I can see that.

Fuller is one of Those detectives

That didn't dress In a suit and tie.

I always thought that A homicide detective

Should look like A homicide detective.

There is a certain level Of respect in your presentation,

I think, is necessary. -anyway, I'm --

Want to ask you about this case You worked last month.

Really?

Don't you have cases Of your own?

Why are you always sticking Your nose in my business?

Anyway, you worked This case.

The guy fell in His girlfriend's apartment,

Hit his head, And ended up paralyzed.

Yeah, I remember. What about it?

When I asked him about the case, He was defensive,

Just showed me He didn't really care,

So I needed to step up.

You know what, fuller? Never mind.

You go back to pushing Your papers.

It's what You do best.

Whatever.

At this point, I know I have To work this case and figure out

If this injury was an accident.

My next stop is the hospital,

Where I'm going to talk To the physician

And find out exactly What the injuries were.

It's like I said.

His injuries affected His ability to speak,

Plus, right now, We have him heavily sedated,

So unfortunately, He's not going to be able

To answer Your questions.

How about later?

Any chance he's Going to recover?

No. I'm afraid not.

The physician described him As being in grave condition

And didn't believe he was going To live very much longer.

I'm sorry To hear that.

I'm trying to determine The nature of his injuries.

I understand his family Has consented to that now.

Can you help me out?

Come with me.

The physician showed me x-rays And photographs

Of where the injuries were,

And the injury was To the spinal cord.

His injuries occurred at c5, C7 in the spinal area...

For paralysis to occur,

You're going to likely have Some sort of spinal cord energy.

...And it's certainly possible That that's from a fall,

But we don't usually See accidental falls

Causing this kind Of injury.

According to the doctor,

For this to be Completely an accident,

Clark would have had to have Fallen a certain type of way

And hit a certain part of his Body for complete paralysis.

Someone of tony clark's age Does not typically just fall

And develop these injuries,

So there would have had to have Been some sort of outside force.

So in my opinion, it's unclear What really caused his injuries.

Maybe it's not a matter Of what caused his injuries.

What do you mean?

Maybe it's a matter Of who caused his injuries.

Thanks, doc.

Demery: At this point, I'm not feeling Like this is an accident.

I only see one other Possibility -- another person.

And if clark doesn't survive, This could be a murder.

♪♪

Demery: I'm investigating the serious Paralysis of tony clark.

The physician is doubtful That the injury

Was caused By an accidental fall.

I'm not going to go home until I figure out what's happened.

My next move is to talk To officer ferguson.

She's the initial officer Who took

The conflicting statement From clark's girlfriend.

Hey, man.

I'm looking for officer Adrian ferguson.

Is she around? -she finished her shift.

I think she's At choir practice.

When police officers Get off work,

They go to what's Called choir practice.

-the usual spot? -as far as I know.

Thanks.

Demery: Choir practice is a nice way Of saying

That they're going To a bar and unwind.

Hey, demery.

But before I get to ferguson, I run into fuller.

I hear you're asking around About the cripple case.

His name is Anthony clark, fuller.

That's not how This works, demery.

That is my case, Not yours.

There's a standard rule.

If someone is lead investigator On a case,

You're not supposed To get involved,

But I think his concern is,

Is that I'm going to Make him look bad.

Well, maybe if you didn't Do such a sloppy job,

I wouldn't have to Clean up your mess.

It was an accident.

I looked into it. What?

You want me to tell The lieutenant

You're wasting time poking Around some closed case?

Fuller is clearly pissed,

And I know he's going to Go tell the supervisor,

But I really don't care. -yeah.

Why don't you do that. And while you're at it,

Tell them how you failed To follow up

On the inconsistencies In the witness' statements.

Now, if you'll Excuse me...

Demery: investigating a case That someone else

Has already investigated,

Or not investigated, Is difficult

Because you have to figure out What happened

And what didn't happen.

Mack: demery is revisiting This crime 2 weeks later,

And he has to go back To the responding officer.

He's got to find the witnesses,

And he's got to go back over the Crime scene that's already gone.

He's got a difficult task Ahead of him

If he's going To solve this crime.

-hey, ferguson. -detective demery?

What's happening? How you doing?

-what're you doing here? -hey, you got a minute?

I need to talk to you For a second.

-yeah, sure. -step over here.

Demery: Ferguson, she's very streetwise, And she's a go-getter,

And I actually noticed her Earlier in her career

And knew that she was going to Be a really good police officer.

Okay, so listen, you went on A call a couple of weeks ago.

Guy's name Was tony clark.

Oh, yeah. He broke his neck, right?

Mm-hmm.

Ferguson told me that When she got to the hospital,

Tony clark's family told her

They didn't believe That he was accidentally hurt.

She's involved somehow.

Who?

His girlfriend, Stacey.

Yeah, we kicked her Out of here.

We don't want her in the Same room with tony and us.

I found the girlfriend sitting At the other end of the hallway.

-stacey carter? -yeah.

She was upset about tony But also angry

About what was Going down with the family.

They're trying to blame me For tony's accident.

It ain't right. I love him.

I would never do anything To hurt him.

Well, all I need you to do Is tell me what happened, okay?

We were all at my place Drinking.

All right.

Demery: Stacey told ferguson that she, Her brother, allen,

And sydney jones, her nephew, Were at the house partying.

Carter says that tony got drunk.

He had fallen and hit his head.

You okay, tony?

After tony laid there For a while,

They asked him to get up,

And apparently Tony couldn't move.

He couldn't get up.

Stacey thought that tony Was just drunk.

They just wanted him To sober up.

Meanwhile, this man Was paralyzed.

They had no idea.

She said he hit his head On a table, right?

Yeah.

That's what she told me At first.

Demery: After ferguson tells me this,

I really don't believe it Because the physician told me

That it's not likely That he fell and hit his head.

So then I called For a detective.

While I was waiting, I cleared The family out of the room

And tried to get some Information from the victim.

Mr. Clark, I need to ask you A few simple questions.

Ferguson asks clark If someone had injured him.

Mr. Clark...

Demery: clark couldn't speak, So he shook his head "No."

Ferguson didn't believe it.

Thank you.

He hesitated before He answered the question.

When detective fuller came, He asked the same question,

Got the same answer.

So now, fuller questioned The girlfriend, stacey carter?

Yeah, and that's where her story Started to fall apart.

When detective fuller Spoke to carter,

She told fuller that clark Hit his head on a bookshelf.

Clearly carter was Telling them different stories.

She had told ferguson a table,

And she had told fuller A bookshelf.

I told fuller she had told me Something different,

But he didn't Seem to care.

Next thing I know, he's telling The family it was an accident,

And he blew right On out of there.

Demery: I think ferguson was really Disappointed to find out

That fuller would ignore Something as blatant

As that in his lack of passion Or even desire to work the case.

Well, look, I'm Looking into this now,

And let me just say you did A great job of taking notes

And adding it To the report.

Glad to hear it.

I know it's not my place To question detective fuller.

Mm-hmm.

Something about it just didn't Smell right to me, you know?

Ferguson doesn't know What happened to clark,

But she believes That stacey is lying

And something Actually happened.

That's police instinct.

♪♪

How is that case Going, anyway?

Actually, I think I May have to go back

And talk To the girlfriend again.

-detective demery? -yeah.

You have a call On line 9.

Thank you.

This is demery.

Demery: The following morning, I got A call from janelle wilson,

Who's crying.

She tells me that her brother, Tony clark, has died.

I'm sorry to hear that.

Yes.

I'll see you guys soon.

Thank you.

Man, bad news just never ends.

I'll talk to you guys later.

Demery: There's a new sense of urgency For me to solve this case.

This was never an accident.

It's no longer an assault,

It's a murder investigation.

♪♪

I'm investigating the death Of tony clark.

Officer ferguson has confirmed That clark's girlfriend

Is definitely Hiding something.

And even though clark Didn't die right away,

Whoever did this to him is Still responsible for his death.

I need to get more details From tony clark's family.

It may be a little difficult

Because they're emotional Right now.

They've lost their brother, Their son.

-detective demery. -hi.

-come on in. -hi.

I'm really sorry To hear about tony.

Yeah.

I was hoping he would Pull through somehow.

Demery: when I get to the clark Home,

There are multiple siblings And family mourning him,

Including his daughter.

Thompson: Tony clark was a family man Who was close to his siblings,

Was a good father To his young daughter.

He was active in her life.

He took care of Her financial needs.

Demery: I'm hoping his daughter Has something to tell me

About the girlfriend, Stacey carter.

So what can you tell me About stacey?

I know that He loved her a lot.

-okay. -and I liked her, too, at first.

There was just always Something off about her.

Mack: and while tony's family Was happy he'd found love,

They also felt a little Uneasy with stacey

Like maybe she didn't have His best interests in mind.

I just Didn't trust her.

They weren't the biggest Fans of stacey's,

And to have him die like this, It didn't sit well with them.

After my brother Broke his neck,

We tried to find out What was going on with stacey,

But she was always Giving us the runaround.

Her story Kept changing.

Didn't you tell me earlier That he fell

And hit his head On the table?

I don't know, Juanita.

What does it matter?

My man can't move, and he might Be crippled for life,

And you're worried About this now?

Terrell, tell him what happened At the hospital.

I was with tony just trying To figure out what happened.

Come on, man.

I ain't Buying it, tone.

Did somebody hurt you?

Was it Stacey's friends, hm?

Tony's brother, terrell, Tells me when he pressed him

And asked him, "Was it one of stacey's people?"

He nodded his head, "Yes."

And you're sure That he nodded, "Yes"?

I could tell it hurt him To move his head,

But I know He nodded, "Yes."

The significance of what terrell Has to tell demery

Is straight from the victim.

Even though the victim Is not here to speak,

Terrell can speak for him.

Detective demery, we just want To know what happened or why.

I promise you guys, I will Get to the bottom of this.

Demery: I feel really bad for tony Clark's family

Because they're frustrated.

You guys take care Of yourselves.

Thank you.

Now I want to speak To stacey carter

Because I'm pretty certain That she's lying.

I found out that stacey carter Works as a caregiver

In a nursing home Over on normandy street.

Hey, I'm looking For stacey carter.

She's right in there.

Thank you.

Excuse me, Are you stacey carter?

Yes, I am.

I need to ask you some questions About your boyfriend,

Tony clark.

Are you s.P.D?

Yeah. I'm detective demery.

I was wondering why You were dressed so well.

Stacey is overly friendly And even a little bit flirty.

It's kind of creepy.

I'm sorry to hear About your boyfriend.

Thanks. Yeah.

I still can't Believe he's gone.

May I ask you a few questions About your relationship

With him? -yeah.

Stacey tells him that they met About 3 months ago,

And they fell in love Really quickly.

They moved in together.

Mack: she said he was very kind To her.

He cooked her dinner, Brought her roses,

Made her feel very special.

I loved tony. He was my world.

Okay.

Can you tell me a little bit About what happened that night?

Well, we were all back At my place drinking,

And tony got drunk, And he fell and hit his head

On the nightstand In my bedroom.

Demery: Now I know stacey is lying.

She said the nightstand In the bedroom,

She said the bookshelf In the living room,

And she said a table.

Stacey just can't Remember her lie.

My plan now is to actually Confront her with the facts

And see what her reaction Is to that.

You just said he hit his head On the nightstand, right,

But yet you told Some other people

That something else Happened.

I mean, look,

I had been drinking a lot That night.

Maybe I'm not clear On some of the details.

That's not a crime, Is it?

No, not necessarily.

I'll tell you what, I still have something else

That I need to clear up.

When I point out That tony clark nodded,

"Yes" to someone In her family hurting him,

Stacey became speechless.

She didn't really have Any response.

Would it be possible for me to Take a look around your place?

That will certainly answer

Some questions I have.

Sure. We can do that.

Maybe it'll help clear up Some of the doubt.

Maybe.

Stacey immediately agrees.

That's pretty typical.

When someone who tries To manipulate you

And they're guilty, they want To seem very cooperative...

-my place is right down here. -okay.

...Even if it's going To incriminate them.

Stacey lives in The cedar grove area of town.

The apartment complex She lives in

Is what's commonly referred to As section 8 housing,

Where she pays a small portion Of what her rent would be,

And the government Pays the rest.

Mind if I take A look around?

Sure. Make yourself at home.

Demery is going to be Looking for the items

That the girlfriend said were What tony actually fell on.

Demery: I look at the bookshelf,

And I realize That it's very flimsy.

It couldn't withstand The weight of a man.

The table nor the nightstand Had any damage at all.

So what -- what was tony doing The night that he got hurt?

As I'm talking, a man walks In carrying a grocery bag.

Detective, this is my brother, Allen carter.

Allen, this is Detective demery.

Detective.

Demery: it's pretty apparent That mr. Carter

Didn't expect to see me.

I can tell that There's something not right.

Stacey's behavior changes.

Mr. Carter's behavior is odd.

The question is, "Why?"

♪♪

Demery: I'm standing in stacey carter's Apartment,

The same apartment where tony Clark was fatally injured,

And the situation Has just come to a head.

Stacey's brother walks in, And he looks guilty as hell.

Stacey looks a little More uncomfortable, too.

This is the brother That was drinking here

The night Tony got injured?

Yeah.

Demery: I noticed that allen seems to be A little irritated by stacey.

My first thought is,

"He's wondering how stacey Got him involved in all this."

You know, I need to ask You some questions.

Do you want to step Outside for a second?

I take allen away from stacey

Because I don't want Any possibility

Of their signaling each other Or her disapproving

Of an answer that he gives.

So tell me, man.

What really happened?

I don't know What to tell you.

The guy had a lot to drink, And he just fell.

Allen said that his nephew, Sydney jones, picked clark up

And took him to the bedroom,

And they all just thought He was drunk.

What happened After that?

Not much.

I mean, it wasn't until The next day

We realized There was a problem.

Allen said the following day, On christmas,

Clark was in bed, And he couldn't move,

So they just gave him water And kept him comfortable.

Ain't too much more Than that, you know?

I know this guy is lying to me,

But I ask one more question Just to be sure.

So now, when tony fell, He hit his head on anything?

Not really.

I mean, he fell and cracked His head on the floor.

On the floor, Nothing else?

Just the floor.

So now we have the floor, The table,

The nightstand, And the bookshelf.

It's version number 4.

You can go back in.

I'm going to need both of you To come down to the station.

-what? -go inside and wait.

Obviously allen carter And his sister are lying

About what happened To tony clark.

Hey, listen, can we get, uh, Two marked cars down here,

I'm going to need transports.

After all these Different stories,

I'm really concerned

That somebody actually killed Tony clark.

-roger. -thank you.

Demery: The only way I'm going to Get to the truth

Is to bring both of them Down to the police station

And interrogate them.

Hey, do me a favor, Let's keep them separated.

Yes, sir.

As the patrol officers Are taking both

Allen and stacey To my office...

Excuse me, sir.

...I'm approached by a man In that complex.

I don't mean To bother you.

You hear About the fight?

Fight, what fight?

I live next door To the people.

I heard a big ruckus.

Thompson: this source tells him On the night of the altercation,

He had heard scuffling, noises, And everything

That was consistent With an actual fight

Versus an accidental fall.

The next day, I saw the Ambulance taking tony away,

Saw the cop cars out here, So I thought I'd let you know.

Finally, it's great to hear From someone

That can actually Give me evidence

That there was an actual Physical confrontation

In that apartment.

It's obvious that someone Wanted to hurt tony.

The question is, "Who," and "Why?"

-thank you. -yeah, no problem.

All right. Be good.

The only people who know What happened that night

In the bernstein apartments Is tony clark,

Who's dead, His girlfriend, stacey,

Her brother, allen, And sydney jones, the nephew.

Hey, man, are the carters Comfortable?

Yeah, we've got them In conference room 3.

Officer bloom Is keeping watch.

Can you have Allen carter

Brought down to the Interrogation room?

Will do.

So now I'm curious to know What allen is going to say

And how it's going to be Different from

What he said before.

Once allen is in the box, He's a different person.

He's more forthcoming.

Allen immediately tells me

That there was a fight Inside their apartment,

And his nephew sydney Got into a fight with tony,

Slinging tony to the ground At one point.

Allen said that after sydney Struck him,

He lay there for a while.

Stacey requested he help Her put tony in bed.

His response to stacey Was, "No."

At this point, the missing link Is sydney jones.

I want to speak To sydney jones.

I want to know exactly why he And tony got into a fight

And what actually happened.

Hey, man.

I need you to put out a b.O.L.O. On a sydney tyrone jones.

He's wanted for homicide. -all right.

I'm ready for the other Half of this duo,

So send miss carter down.

-all right. -thanks.

While I'm waiting for jones To come in,

I decide I need To talk to stacey carter.

I want to know why stacey Has lied.

I want to know why stacey Has tried to cover this up

And what actually caused This fight.

Almost immediately She echoes allen's story.

I believe that stacey knew that Allen was going to tell

And felt like she was up Against the wall now.

Stacey told me that she Didn't believe

Initially that tony Was paralyzed.

She thought he was just drunk.

Stacey said the following day, She went to work,

And when she got home, he was Still in the same position.

Tony, why Are you still in bed?

Are you okay?

Deutsch: head and neck injuries Can be extremely dangerous

Because the brain, The spinal cord,

These are communicating with The rest of our body what to do,

So if you're Causing any damage

To those particular areas,

Then you're certainly going to Affect the rest of your body.

Stacey is an employee With a local nursing home,

So I guess she feels like she's Got a lot of medical experience,

And so she goes And gets a straight pin...

Can you feel this?

...And pokes tony in the bottom Of the foot

To see If he can feel anything.

Mnh-mnh.

How about this?

Mnh-mnh.

Damn, tony.

When I hear stacey's story, I realize that it took stacey

A complete 24 hours Before she called 911.

If she would have called medics And got this man some attention,

He may have been okay, So I'm really, really pissed

That she has no regard For this man.

Mack: government housing doesn't Really like you

To be committing crimes While you live on their dime,

So she basically let her Boyfriend lie there for 24 hours

'cause her and her brother

Didn't want to lose Their public housing.

I'm going to need you To hold tight for a second.

I'll be back.

Stacey's fear about losing Her housing is a very real fear.

There are people That are homeless

Because they simply called the Police to tell them something.

That should never happen, But either way you look at it,

Tony clark's life was worth way More than their housing.

Hey, man. Do me a favor.

Keep your eye on her. I'll be back in a minute.

Hey.

We just got word that sydney Jones has been spotted.

Really? I'm on it.

I'm feeling really good now.

Now I want to go get sydney, Bring him in.

I feel like I'm finally on The cusp of learning the truth.

♪♪

Demery: After hearing lie after lie,

I feel like I've finally Discovered some truth.

I've learned sydney jones Is the one

Who paralyzed tony clark During the fight.

Now, I'm ready to bring Mr. Jones in

And settle this case Once and for all.

I go to the scene.

I meet the officers Who have found him.

All right. You guys ready to do this?

Yes, sir.

All right. Let's take it slow.

I don't know where This guy's head is at.

We all group up, And we approach the apartment.

Mack: When you're going out to arrest A suspect, it's very dangerous.

If you're the only thing That stands between them

And their freedom, You have to be super cautious

About how you take them Into custody.

♪♪

Demery: Shreveport p.D.

Everybody has guns drawn.

We don't know What's going to happen.

After waiting for what seems An eternity...

...The door opens.

-you sydney jones? -yes.

Step out. Step out.

Put your hands up.

You're wanted in connection With the incident

Involving tony ray clark.

We'll talk down at the station.

Sydney is a very big man.

He's muscular.

He's towering, But he is compliant.

♪♪

I know jones struck tony clark.

What I don't know is why.

I'm hoping sydney will tell me Exactly what happened.

When I interrogated sydney Jones, he's pretty docile.

He explained to me That he was partying

With tony clark And his aunt stacey.

At some point, they went To a daiquiri store

Where he purchased a daiquiri For his aunt stacey.

As they were driving back To the apartment,

Tony clark began to tell stacey That he bought her the daiquiri.

Once they get back To the apartment,

The argument continued.

Sydney said that at some point,

He and tony began To struggle and wrestle.

Setting someone down Is normally slang

For body slamming An individual.

Demery: Sydney said that he believed That tony had been

In some accidents prior to this, And maybe his hitting the ground

Some way triggered An old injury,

And that caused his paralysis.

It would be highly unlikely That any old injuries

Would all of a sudden flare up

To cause A severe spinal cord injury.

I think jones' attempt was to Minimize his involvement

In clark's demise.

The outrageous claims That he was hit by a train

Just really Didn't make any sense,

But it was obvious that jones

Just didn't want To take responsibility.

What I believe happened was,

Sydney jones, allen, Tony, and stacey,

They were going to have A festive time.

It was the holidays.

Y'all want to grab some Daiquiris before they close?

Stacey: Sure, what time they close?

Some time soon. We got to go now.

Stacey: You want anything, allen?

No. I'm good.

Y'all go ahead. -coming, sydney?

-yeah. I'm going to go. -y'all be safe.

Demery: At some point they wanted To go get a drink

From the daiquiri store.

Sydney and tony went Inside the store.

I'm sorry, sir, your card Didn't go through.

What do you mean, "My card didn't go through"?

It says, "Declined."

Don't worry about it, man, I got it.

Thank you.

Demery: As they got into the car, Tony claimed

That he paid for the daiquiri That was bought for stacey.

-here you go, babe. -thanks, babe.

Clark: You know I'm always Looking out for you.

Mm-hmm.

What you say?

I bought both Of them drinks, man.

Your ass is broke.

Jones called tony out.

-what you say, fool? -you broke as hell.

Demery: clearly this is tony's Girlfriend,

The love of his life, And he didn't have any money.

Jones made that an issue.

Tony, don't lie.

I bought both of them drinks. -you tripping.

Demery: tony, at some point, Felt less than a man.

He felt emasculated, So he became angry,

And once they got back To the apartment,

That argument got physical. -get your boy, man,

Because he's about to get His ass knocked out.

No. No. No.

I told you quit talking to this Broke-ass, bitch-ass boy.

-cut it out. -hey, do something.

-hey now. -stop it, tony.

-you weak, boy. -come on. Do something.

-tony, stop it. -come on.

Come on. Do something.

Do something. -listen...

Do something.

Clearly jones was capable of Slinging tony like a ragdoll...

-hey. -boy...

♪♪

Demery: ...And did just that.

Stacey: you okay, tony? Oh, my god. Tony, can you move?

He's not moving. You gonna take him...

Come on. Get up, man.

When sydney body slammed him, That resulted

In the neck injuries That caused his paralysis.

Allen, help me get him To the bed, please.

I'm not dealing with it. Y'all figure it out.

No.

Grab his feet.

While clark is laying In bed paralyzed,

Probably swollen to a point That can't be repaired,

Stacey went to bed.

She got up the next morning,

And tony continued to complain That he couldn't move.

She ignored that complaint And went to work.

Can you move? Are you okay?

Oh, my god.

When she gets home, she believes That maybe he can't move,

So she stuck his foot With a pin and got no reaction.

Okay, listen, I'm going To call for help,

But you can't tell Anyone what happened.

All right?

I think at some point stacey Told tony to deny a fight

Because they could Lose their housing.

She called some paramedics...

And they took tony To the hospital.

Tony was unable to lie To his brother,

And he told his brother that Stacey's people assaulted him.

It was discovered that he was Paralyzed from the neck down,

His condition worsened, And he died.

-hey, doc, you got a minute? -yeah, I sure do.

Now that I know tony clark Was murdered,

I go to the coroner's office And explain to them

That this was not an accident,

And that it was An actual homicide.

Yeah.

The injuries are consistent with What you've described to me.

-damn right. Thank you. -yeah.

Demery: after the coroner Reviewed everything,

They determined That tony clark's death

Was a direct result Of his fight with sydney jones.

I then went to the lieutenant And explained to him

That tony clark was murdered By sydney jones...

Look, we need to Reclassify this case.

This is a homicide. There is no doubt about it.

...And wanted It reported as such.

Demery, it is what it is. All right?

And this isn't your case, And I don't know

Where you get off taking Over a case I was assigned to.

Fuller is clearly upset And embarrassed

And wants to complain

That I interfered Or butted in his case,

But I don't give a flying [bleep] What fuller has to say.

If you had done Your job,

We wouldn't be having This conversation.

That's ridiculous.

You are way out Of line, demery.

Do you have any idea what you Put tony clark's family through

Because you couldn't Follow facts

That were right In front of your face.

You know what? You should be embarrassed.

After I give fuller A piece of my mind,

He walks off with his tail Between his legs.

All right, demery.

I'll change it to manslaughter,

But we're going to have to Throw it up to the d.A.'s office

To see what they have To say about it.

Yes, sir. Thank you.

Demery: after all of this, The district attorney's office

Decided that they were going To charge sydney jones

With a second-degree battery

And allowed him to plea To a lesser charge.

Thompson: this would have been A hard case to prosecute

Even with the admission By sydney jones

That he body-slammed The individual.

That's problematic because He is obviously arguing

That he only did this In self-defense

Because tony clark Came at him.

Jones was sentenced To 2 years in prison,

And that was probably One of the most

Disappointing times Of my career.

Stacey and allen carter Are charged with nothing.

It just doesn't make any sense.

Mack: I understand how the judicial System works sometimes,

But victims' families don't, And this guy got 2 years,

And tony clark Is never coming back.

Holmes: This family is devastated.

I don't know that anyone who Has been in their position

Could ever wrap their mind Around losing a loved one

To something so preventable.

Demery: I think despite all the hiccups In this case,

The thing to keep in mind

Is that tony clark's family Got closure,

And they got the truth.

There's a huge responsibility

In investigating Someone's death,

And there's A huge responsibility

In providing a sense of justice To a grieving family,

And that's what's important To me.

♪♪