1 00:00:01,266 --> 00:00:06,350 ♪♪ 2 00:00:06,383 --> 00:00:11,100 Narrator: Up next, a sexual encounter goes horribly wrong. 3 00:00:11,133 --> 00:00:14,383 She fought back. She gave us the evidence we needed. 4 00:00:15,160 --> 00:00:18,366 Narrator: The victim pays with her life. 5 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:23,660 She didn't deserve to die, not that young, not that way. 6 00:00:23,100 --> 00:00:26,100 Narrator: Investigators think they have solid information 7 00:00:26,133 --> 00:00:31,300 on her killer, but a brand-new piece of forensic technology 8 00:00:31,333 --> 00:00:34,330 upends the investigation. 9 00:00:34,660 --> 00:00:37,830 This was completely different from what they had expected. 10 00:00:37,116 --> 00:00:43,250 ♪♪ 11 00:00:43,283 --> 00:00:50,330 ♪♪ 12 00:00:50,660 --> 00:00:56,133 ♪♪ 13 00:00:56,166 --> 00:00:58,300 Narrator: Lake Charles, Louisiana -- 14 00:00:58,333 --> 00:01:02,216 one of America's gateways to the Gulf of Mexico. 15 00:01:02,250 --> 00:01:04,316 It's a tight-knit, blue-collar community 16 00:01:04,350 --> 00:01:09,000 where people work hard and live easy. 17 00:01:09,330 --> 00:01:11,160 McGee: I was born and raised in Lake Charles. 18 00:01:11,500 --> 00:01:13,830 It's about 100,000 people. 19 00:01:13,116 --> 00:01:14,350 It's a diverse community. 20 00:01:14,383 --> 00:01:18,116 Many of our families work at the petrochemical industry 21 00:01:18,150 --> 00:01:20,133 and at the local casinos. 22 00:01:20,166 --> 00:01:23,350 Narrator: But as Thanksgiving approached in 2009, 23 00:01:24,000 --> 00:01:28,183 the peace of this bayou boomtown was shattered 24 00:01:28,216 --> 00:01:32,266 when shortly after dawn, a young woman was found dead 25 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:37,000 off a secluded road just out of town. 26 00:01:37,330 --> 00:01:40,116 Whoever did this was mad and angry, 27 00:01:40,150 --> 00:01:42,316 and it was a brutal murder. 28 00:01:42,350 --> 00:01:45,283 McGee: This homicide was overkill in every sense of the word. 29 00:01:45,316 --> 00:01:48,116 Someone was very angry when they killed her. 30 00:01:48,150 --> 00:01:50,000 Narrator: Investigators from 31 00:01:50,330 --> 00:01:51,333 the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff's Office 32 00:01:51,366 --> 00:01:55,200 processed a scene of uncommon violence. 33 00:01:55,233 --> 00:01:59,133 The victim had been beaten beyond recognition. 34 00:01:59,166 --> 00:02:03,330 She had on a blue jean skirt and it was twisted to the side. 35 00:02:03,660 --> 00:02:06,330 Her bra was pulled open and her shirt was down. 36 00:02:06,660 --> 00:02:07,216 She's all cut up. 37 00:02:07,250 --> 00:02:09,330 So she did struggle. 38 00:02:09,660 --> 00:02:11,160 It appears she ran out of her flip-flops 39 00:02:11,500 --> 00:02:13,500 because they're in two different places, 40 00:02:13,830 --> 00:02:15,333 and her panties are near one of the flip flops. 41 00:02:15,366 --> 00:02:19,133 Narrator: Problems presented themselves straight away. 42 00:02:19,166 --> 00:02:22,366 The area was so isolated there were no streetlights, 43 00:02:23,000 --> 00:02:25,160 which meant no witnesses. 44 00:02:25,500 --> 00:02:27,216 There was no murder weapon at the scene. 45 00:02:27,250 --> 00:02:30,830 The victim had no identification. 46 00:02:30,116 --> 00:02:33,133 But the killer did leave some clues behind. 47 00:02:33,166 --> 00:02:35,366 We had numerous pieces of evidence from the scene, 48 00:02:36,000 --> 00:02:37,233 including a candy wrapper. 49 00:02:37,266 --> 00:02:40,166 There were bloodstained rocks that were swabbed at the scene, 50 00:02:40,200 --> 00:02:42,160 and the swabs were submitted. 51 00:02:42,500 --> 00:02:44,160 Narrator: The autopsy revealed the victim 52 00:02:44,500 --> 00:02:46,333 died of blunt force trauma to the head, 53 00:02:46,366 --> 00:02:49,233 and the motive appeared to be sex. 54 00:02:49,266 --> 00:02:53,383 I think that she got picked up by this suspect. 55 00:02:54,160 --> 00:02:57,100 I think however it transpired, 56 00:02:57,133 --> 00:02:59,316 he wanted to have sex, she didn't, 57 00:02:59,350 --> 00:03:02,660 and she fought for her life, and unfortunately, 58 00:03:02,100 --> 00:03:03,350 he ended up killing her. 59 00:03:03,383 --> 00:03:08,150 But I do not think any sexual activity actually happened, 60 00:03:08,183 --> 00:03:10,283 and I believe that's because she fought him off 61 00:03:10,316 --> 00:03:12,216 and did not want to. 62 00:03:12,250 --> 00:03:15,330 Narrator: In attempting to identify the victim, 63 00:03:15,660 --> 00:03:18,216 investigators got a possible break. 64 00:03:18,250 --> 00:03:22,166 She had a distinctive tattoo of someone's name, 65 00:03:22,200 --> 00:03:25,316 and since tattoos are an identifying feature 66 00:03:25,350 --> 00:03:27,166 and lots of people have them, 67 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:31,830 many jurisdictions keep a file of offenders' skin art. 68 00:03:31,116 --> 00:03:34,100 We photograph them and we put them in our computer system. 69 00:03:34,133 --> 00:03:36,830 Her tattoo was very unique, 70 00:03:36,116 --> 00:03:38,316 which narrowed it down to be just her. 71 00:03:38,350 --> 00:03:40,200 Then with her book-in photograph, 72 00:03:40,233 --> 00:03:44,233 her driver's license, we were able to identify her. 73 00:03:44,266 --> 00:03:48,216 Narrator: The victim was 19-year-old Sierra Bouzigard, 74 00:03:48,250 --> 00:03:51,250 a young woman with a troubled past. 75 00:03:51,283 --> 00:03:53,183 Bouzigard: She had a rough time growing up. 76 00:03:53,216 --> 00:03:56,283 I wasn't the mother that I should've been for her. 77 00:03:56,316 --> 00:04:00,500 I wasn't there for her when she needed me. 78 00:04:00,830 --> 00:04:03,333 When I found that she wasn't alive, it's like, 79 00:04:03,366 --> 00:04:07,216 "Why her? Why not me? Should've been me." 80 00:04:07,250 --> 00:04:11,133 Narrator: Sierra's lifestyle might or might not 81 00:04:11,166 --> 00:04:13,266 explain what looked like a sex crime. 82 00:04:13,300 --> 00:04:17,133 Mancuso: She was using prostitution to help support her drug problem. 83 00:04:17,166 --> 00:04:18,333 I don't want to use the word "gypsy," 84 00:04:18,366 --> 00:04:21,233 but she really just kind of lays her head 85 00:04:21,266 --> 00:04:23,333 wherever she can find a spot. 86 00:04:23,366 --> 00:04:26,000 McGee: Sierra lived a high-risk lifestyle. 87 00:04:26,330 --> 00:04:28,500 Her background may have affected me a little different 88 00:04:28,830 --> 00:04:30,150 than it does others, because I grew up in a community 89 00:04:30,183 --> 00:04:32,350 where people ended up like Sierra. 90 00:04:32,383 --> 00:04:36,830 And so I saw myself in Sierra, 91 00:04:36,116 --> 00:04:40,216 and it became more personal to me. 92 00:04:40,250 --> 00:04:44,100 Narrator: And now investigators got another possible break. 93 00:04:44,133 --> 00:04:48,500 Sierra had been released from jail on a minor drug charge 94 00:04:48,830 --> 00:04:50,200 just three days before her murder. 95 00:04:50,233 --> 00:04:53,283 McGee: So her background helped in a way and hurt in a way. 96 00:04:53,316 --> 00:04:55,660 It helped because we only needed 97 00:04:55,100 --> 00:04:57,160 to fill in the blanks of 72 hours. 98 00:04:57,500 --> 00:05:00,150 She had only been released from jail for those 72 hours, 99 00:05:00,183 --> 00:05:02,160 so we backtracked that way. 100 00:05:02,500 --> 00:05:04,366 Narrator: But where that backtracking took police 101 00:05:05,000 --> 00:05:07,233 threatened to stop the investigation 102 00:05:07,266 --> 00:05:10,216 dead in its tracks. 103 00:05:10,250 --> 00:05:15,316 ♪♪ 104 00:05:19,133 --> 00:05:21,183 Narrator: Even though Sierra Bouzigard's murder 105 00:05:21,216 --> 00:05:23,350 appeared to be sexually motivated, 106 00:05:23,383 --> 00:05:27,383 no DNA was recovered from her rape kit. 107 00:05:28,160 --> 00:05:33,166 But thanks to Sierra, the killer left his DNA behind. 108 00:05:33,200 --> 00:05:36,100 She apparently fought off a sexual assault 109 00:05:36,133 --> 00:05:38,116 before being killed. 110 00:05:38,150 --> 00:05:40,366 The coroner was able to obtain a DNA sample 111 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,233 from under the fingernails of Sierra. 112 00:05:43,266 --> 00:05:47,100 Narrator: This meant the killer would likely be scratched up. 113 00:05:47,133 --> 00:05:49,166 Even better for investigators, 114 00:05:49,200 --> 00:05:54,283 this DNA profile matched other evidence at the scene. 115 00:05:54,316 --> 00:05:56,366 Quaal: There was a profile obtained from a candy wrapper. 116 00:05:57,000 --> 00:06:00,116 That was a full profile, what we call a major-minor. 117 00:06:00,150 --> 00:06:07,300 The profile on the candy wrapper was a great quality profile. 118 00:06:07,333 --> 00:06:09,233 Narrator: Investigators knew that killers 119 00:06:09,266 --> 00:06:11,216 who resort to the kind of overkill 120 00:06:11,250 --> 00:06:15,166 seen in Sierra's murder have usually killed before 121 00:06:15,200 --> 00:06:18,216 or have at least committed violent crimes, 122 00:06:18,250 --> 00:06:21,830 so they were confident they'd find a DNA match 123 00:06:21,116 --> 00:06:25,250 to their killer in CODIS, the national DNA database. 124 00:06:25,283 --> 00:06:27,383 Well, I think we're going to solve it immediately. 125 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:30,133 I think, "Okay, if we put this in CODIS 126 00:06:30,166 --> 00:06:33,330 and we get a hit, then case solved." 127 00:06:33,660 --> 00:06:34,233 Narrator: But it was not to be. 128 00:06:34,266 --> 00:06:38,200 Despite the high quality of the killer's DNA profile, 129 00:06:38,233 --> 00:06:40,830 there were no matches. 130 00:06:40,116 --> 00:06:42,266 I was very aware there was not a hit in CODIS. 131 00:06:42,300 --> 00:06:44,150 That was very frustrating for us, 132 00:06:44,183 --> 00:06:47,316 and I know it's frustrating for the detectives, as well. 133 00:06:47,350 --> 00:06:50,133 ♪♪ 134 00:06:50,166 --> 00:06:52,116 Narrator: Now investigators backtracked 135 00:06:52,150 --> 00:06:54,183 Sierra's final hours, 136 00:06:54,216 --> 00:06:57,250 and true to her freewheeling lifestyle, 137 00:06:57,283 --> 00:07:01,116 this led in some unexpected directions. 138 00:07:01,150 --> 00:07:03,660 McGee: We knew that she attended a party 139 00:07:03,100 --> 00:07:07,233 with some Hispanic males, and found some friends there, 140 00:07:07,266 --> 00:07:10,366 and liked some of those guys. 141 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:14,300 Narrator: Those Hispanic men, more than a dozen in total, 142 00:07:14,333 --> 00:07:16,330 turned out to be workers 143 00:07:16,660 --> 00:07:18,350 who had taken temporary construction jobs 144 00:07:18,383 --> 00:07:22,000 and shared a house near the murder site. 145 00:07:22,330 --> 00:07:25,116 Mancuso: These people are undocumented, illegal aliens, 146 00:07:25,150 --> 00:07:27,116 and so we have nothing to go on 147 00:07:27,150 --> 00:07:29,283 other than if they're telling us who they are, 148 00:07:29,316 --> 00:07:30,366 if that's who they are. 149 00:07:31,000 --> 00:07:32,200 We got nothing. 150 00:07:32,233 --> 00:07:35,200 Narrator: The men freely submitted their DNA. 151 00:07:35,233 --> 00:07:38,166 None of their profiles matched. 152 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:41,150 And they had more bad news for investigators. 153 00:07:41,183 --> 00:07:45,150 One of their group fled town right after Sierra's murder. 154 00:07:45,183 --> 00:07:47,216 ♪♪ 155 00:07:47,250 --> 00:07:50,150 McGee: We believe that the worker was headed back to Mexico, 156 00:07:50,183 --> 00:07:52,660 and he had an eight-hour jumpstart on us. 157 00:07:52,100 --> 00:07:54,116 You have to realize we had to identify Sierra 158 00:07:54,150 --> 00:07:55,283 and put the pieces of the puzzle together 159 00:07:55,316 --> 00:07:57,183 before we even ended up at that home. 160 00:07:57,216 --> 00:07:59,150 So he had a good little jumpstart on us. 161 00:07:59,183 --> 00:08:02,366 Narrator: And he apparently made it back over the border. 162 00:08:03,000 --> 00:08:07,830 For those seeking justice for Sierra, this was a disaster. 163 00:08:07,116 --> 00:08:09,116 Mancuso: We were continually working with the FBI 164 00:08:09,150 --> 00:08:12,350 and the U.S. Marshals to try to find this guy 165 00:08:12,383 --> 00:08:15,660 and bring him back to get him here, 166 00:08:15,100 --> 00:08:17,300 at least to get a DNA sample and question him 167 00:08:17,333 --> 00:08:22,830 about what he did that night and what was going on that night. 168 00:08:22,116 --> 00:08:25,333 Narrator: But they didn't know who he was or where he was 169 00:08:25,366 --> 00:08:29,133 and had only a vague idea of what he looked like. 170 00:08:29,166 --> 00:08:33,350 The case stalled for nearly six long years. 171 00:08:33,383 --> 00:08:36,100 Yeah, that frustrated me a lot. 172 00:08:36,133 --> 00:08:40,133 Narrator: Investigators shared the family's frustrations. 173 00:08:40,166 --> 00:08:44,316 They had the killer's DNA, but with no other clues, 174 00:08:44,350 --> 00:08:46,216 it was all but useless. 175 00:08:46,250 --> 00:08:49,100 Mancuso: I think any time any murder occurs 176 00:08:49,133 --> 00:08:50,266 and you're trying to solve it 177 00:08:50,300 --> 00:08:53,116 and you can't, it's very frustrating. 178 00:08:53,150 --> 00:08:57,330 I always felt like we were going to solve it because we had DNA. 179 00:08:57,660 --> 00:08:59,300 McGee: We can't put an identity with this DNA. 180 00:08:59,333 --> 00:09:01,200 We had all kind of great ideas, 181 00:09:01,233 --> 00:09:04,283 but none of them panned out because nobody is matching. 182 00:09:04,316 --> 00:09:08,233 Quaal: This case was worked on every aspect 183 00:09:08,266 --> 00:09:10,216 harder than any other case I'm aware of, 184 00:09:10,250 --> 00:09:12,183 at least in this area. 185 00:09:12,216 --> 00:09:16,216 Narrator: There was, however, one thing they had not tried 186 00:09:16,250 --> 00:09:19,383 because the technology was just being developed. 187 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:22,350 Quaal: It was really hard to believe that this would be able to work. 188 00:09:22,383 --> 00:09:26,166 I did not think that you could create a picture from DNA. 189 00:09:26,200 --> 00:09:31,100 Narrator: But was it science or science fiction? 190 00:09:31,133 --> 00:09:36,160 ♪♪ 191 00:09:38,183 --> 00:09:40,500 Narrator: Sierra Bouzigard's murder 192 00:09:40,830 --> 00:09:43,500 had all the earmarks of a random attack, 193 00:09:43,830 --> 00:09:45,266 a stranger-upon-stranger killing 194 00:09:45,300 --> 00:09:48,383 that are always the hardest to solve. 195 00:09:49,160 --> 00:09:53,160 Mancuso: Normally we get four to six homicides a year. 196 00:09:53,500 --> 00:09:56,000 Very seldom do we have a whodunit. 197 00:09:56,330 --> 00:10:00,250 Normally it's domestic in nature or a drug deal gone bad. 198 00:10:00,283 --> 00:10:03,233 Very seldom is it just a random act of violence. 199 00:10:03,266 --> 00:10:07,160 In this particular case, that is exactly what this was. 200 00:10:07,500 --> 00:10:10,330 Narrator: As the years pass since Sierra's murder, 201 00:10:10,660 --> 00:10:12,350 detectives in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, 202 00:10:12,383 --> 00:10:15,283 refused to let the case go. 203 00:10:15,316 --> 00:10:19,216 McGee: It was so frustrating. I lived and breathed this case. 204 00:10:19,250 --> 00:10:21,660 I just felt so drawn to it. 205 00:10:21,100 --> 00:10:24,830 So we were open to everything that everybody had to say -- 206 00:10:24,116 --> 00:10:26,350 every tip, every idea. 207 00:10:26,383 --> 00:10:28,350 Narrator: And that search for something new 208 00:10:28,383 --> 00:10:31,500 turned up a possibility 209 00:10:31,830 --> 00:10:34,216 when DNA analyst Monica Quaal saw a Web seminar 210 00:10:34,250 --> 00:10:39,116 from a cutting-edge forensics company called Parabon NanoLabs. 211 00:10:39,150 --> 00:10:41,166 Quaal: We were contacted by a neighboring agency 212 00:10:41,200 --> 00:10:43,366 saying that they had some interesting science 213 00:10:44,000 --> 00:10:45,266 that a new agency was doing, 214 00:10:45,300 --> 00:10:47,300 and they were interested in sharing with us. 215 00:10:47,333 --> 00:10:51,000 Narrator: Parabon claimed that they could take DNA evidence 216 00:10:51,330 --> 00:10:53,150 to a completely new level. 217 00:10:53,183 --> 00:10:58,283 They said it was possible to put a face on unidentified DNA, 218 00:10:58,316 --> 00:11:02,350 that the human genome combined with massive computer power 219 00:11:02,383 --> 00:11:04,333 could actually tell investigators 220 00:11:04,366 --> 00:11:08,366 what someone looked like just from their DNA. 221 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:11,300 Detectives believed Sierra Bouzigard's killer 222 00:11:11,333 --> 00:11:14,233 was an undocumented Mexican worker. 223 00:11:14,266 --> 00:11:18,500 But there was no clear description of the suspect. 224 00:11:18,830 --> 00:11:21,233 Monica Quaal raced to tell her fellow investigators 225 00:11:21,266 --> 00:11:25,166 that this new technology could provide that description. 226 00:11:25,200 --> 00:11:27,160 I really think that she's crazy. 227 00:11:27,500 --> 00:11:29,500 She was like, "You just have to have faith in me." 228 00:11:29,830 --> 00:11:30,300 I was like, "I have faith in you, but this just 229 00:11:30,333 --> 00:11:32,300 kind of seems like magic." 230 00:11:32,333 --> 00:11:34,166 And she's like, "No, it's gonna work." 231 00:11:34,200 --> 00:11:37,250 And so she convinced me and then we convinced the sheriff. 232 00:11:37,283 --> 00:11:40,200 Narrator: Parabon got the unidentified DNA sample 233 00:11:40,233 --> 00:11:43,250 from Sierra's case and put it through a process 234 00:11:43,283 --> 00:11:45,233 they call Snapshot. 235 00:11:45,266 --> 00:11:48,383 Snapshot is a way to take that DNA and ask it questions. 236 00:11:49,160 --> 00:11:51,383 Okay, if we don't know exactly who this person is, 237 00:11:52,160 --> 00:11:53,166 do we know his ancestry? 238 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:55,283 Can we say something about eye color, hair color, 239 00:11:55,316 --> 00:11:58,830 skin color, freckling, face shape? 240 00:11:58,116 --> 00:12:01,500 Can that information at least help the police 241 00:12:01,830 --> 00:12:03,333 narrow their investigation and be more efficient? 242 00:12:03,366 --> 00:12:05,166 And the answer is yes. 243 00:12:05,200 --> 00:12:06,283 Narrator: Genetically speaking, 244 00:12:06,316 --> 00:12:09,350 human beings are remarkably similar. 245 00:12:09,383 --> 00:12:12,283 It's only a small portion of the human genome 246 00:12:12,316 --> 00:12:15,000 that makes us different from one another -- 247 00:12:15,330 --> 00:12:19,660 eye color, hair color, facial shapes. 248 00:12:19,100 --> 00:12:20,316 Quaal: The genome is so big. 249 00:12:20,350 --> 00:12:24,500 Greytak: We're talking about 3 billion pieces of information. 250 00:12:24,830 --> 00:12:26,333 If we looked at your DNA and my DNA, 251 00:12:26,366 --> 00:12:29,366 we might differ at a few million spots. 252 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:32,100 But those tiny differences are the reason 253 00:12:32,133 --> 00:12:36,000 that those two people look different. 254 00:12:36,330 --> 00:12:39,830 Narrator: Parabon has assembled a vast library 255 00:12:39,116 --> 00:12:41,366 of known genetic information. 256 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:45,200 They have the DNA of thousands of volunteers, 257 00:12:45,233 --> 00:12:49,000 and courtesy of a 3-D photographic process, 258 00:12:49,330 --> 00:12:53,333 they also know exactly what each of these people look like. 259 00:12:53,366 --> 00:12:57,300 Armentrout: Traditionally, a 3-D camera rig is used. 260 00:12:57,333 --> 00:13:00,183 Multiple cameras have to be synchronized. 261 00:13:00,216 --> 00:13:02,160 They have take the picture at the same time 262 00:13:02,500 --> 00:13:03,200 and just know their locations. 263 00:13:03,233 --> 00:13:06,100 If you have that, then you can use mathematics 264 00:13:06,133 --> 00:13:08,383 to actually recreate the three-dimensional shape 265 00:13:09,160 --> 00:13:10,150 of someone's face. 266 00:13:10,183 --> 00:13:13,000 Narrator: Snapshot uses those photographs 267 00:13:13,330 --> 00:13:18,350 and that DNA to create a library of known genetic information. 268 00:13:18,383 --> 00:13:22,316 Then the unknown, so far unidentified DNA, 269 00:13:22,350 --> 00:13:26,830 is cross-checked across that library by computers 270 00:13:26,116 --> 00:13:28,383 billions of times a second. 271 00:13:29,160 --> 00:13:31,830 The result is a high-tech prediction 272 00:13:31,116 --> 00:13:33,333 of how the unidentified person might look. 273 00:13:33,366 --> 00:13:35,266 It's important to remember that the composite 274 00:13:35,300 --> 00:13:37,200 is not a photograph. 275 00:13:37,233 --> 00:13:41,330 Narrator: These composite images were created by Snapshot 276 00:13:41,660 --> 00:13:44,250 using DNA and genetic data from their library. 277 00:13:44,283 --> 00:13:49,316 They reveal not just ethnicity, but specific facial features. 278 00:13:49,350 --> 00:13:52,283 It's intended to be a description of a person, 279 00:13:52,316 --> 00:13:56,200 so it's essentially a summary of the prediction information, 280 00:13:56,233 --> 00:13:59,266 but that information is just coming from the DNA. 281 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:01,283 Narrator: Of course, you can't tell how a person 282 00:14:01,316 --> 00:14:05,316 parts their hair or if they have tattoos or scars 283 00:14:05,350 --> 00:14:08,330 or their exact age. 284 00:14:08,660 --> 00:14:11,350 But in dozens of cases, Snapshot has used DNA 285 00:14:11,383 --> 00:14:15,366 to put a face where none existed before. 286 00:14:16,000 --> 00:14:19,830 If you reflect on what we're doing, 287 00:14:19,116 --> 00:14:21,830 it shouldn't sound like science fiction. 288 00:14:21,116 --> 00:14:23,233 Narrator: The chief suspect in Sierra's murder 289 00:14:23,266 --> 00:14:26,150 was a Mexican construction worker. 290 00:14:26,183 --> 00:14:29,100 But investigators were in for a shock. 291 00:14:29,133 --> 00:14:31,283 This was the image Snapshot created 292 00:14:31,316 --> 00:14:35,216 of the man who killed Sierra Bouzigard. 293 00:14:35,250 --> 00:14:37,100 He wasn't Hispanic. 294 00:14:37,133 --> 00:14:40,500 He was Caucasian with blue eyes. 295 00:14:40,830 --> 00:14:42,333 This meant they had been looking for the wrong man 296 00:14:42,366 --> 00:14:44,233 for six long years. 297 00:14:44,266 --> 00:14:46,100 Mancuso: It was a step-back moment. 298 00:14:46,133 --> 00:14:51,330 It was literally, "Holy crap, what just took place here?" 299 00:14:51,660 --> 00:14:53,233 We're not even looking in the right direction. 300 00:14:53,266 --> 00:14:55,250 McGee: When you first see that sketch, it just -- 301 00:14:55,283 --> 00:14:58,166 it's unbelievable, and you're like, 302 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,350 "Have we wasted all these years going in this wrong direction?" 303 00:15:01,383 --> 00:15:04,300 It was very different from what we were expecting. 304 00:15:04,333 --> 00:15:08,116 We predicted that this was a Caucasian male, 305 00:15:08,150 --> 00:15:10,183 fair skinned, blue eyes. 306 00:15:10,216 --> 00:15:14,830 Very, very different from the Hispanic male description 307 00:15:14,116 --> 00:15:16,283 that they had previously been looking for. 308 00:15:16,316 --> 00:15:18,150 Narrator: Detectives could have viewed this 309 00:15:18,183 --> 00:15:21,330 as a setback for their investigation. 310 00:15:21,660 --> 00:15:25,500 Instead, they viewed it as an opportunity. 311 00:15:25,830 --> 00:15:26,333 We literally started over from scratch 312 00:15:26,366 --> 00:15:30,366 right there at that point, and it was a new investigation. 313 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,266 Armentrout: It's always nice when the DNA 314 00:15:32,300 --> 00:15:34,250 can help redirect an investigation. 315 00:15:34,283 --> 00:15:36,350 This is an example of when that happened. 316 00:15:36,383 --> 00:15:40,250 Narrator: But could the new investigation find this man? 317 00:15:40,283 --> 00:15:46,166 ♪♪ 318 00:15:49,660 --> 00:15:51,333 Narrator: In September of 2015, 319 00:15:51,366 --> 00:15:55,000 authorities investigating the unsolved murder 320 00:15:55,330 --> 00:15:57,216 of 19-year-old Sierra Bouzigard 321 00:15:57,250 --> 00:16:01,183 released this computer-generated likeness to the media. 322 00:16:01,216 --> 00:16:05,160 Created solely from unidentified DNA, 323 00:16:05,500 --> 00:16:06,316 they were hoping this could predict 324 00:16:06,350 --> 00:16:10,000 what Sierra's killer actually looked like. 325 00:16:10,330 --> 00:16:12,283 There were concerns, but we still wanted 326 00:16:12,316 --> 00:16:14,216 to blast it out to the community, 327 00:16:14,250 --> 00:16:16,330 hoping that somebody would call in. 328 00:16:16,660 --> 00:16:18,350 And we were fortunate enough to have several tips. 329 00:16:18,383 --> 00:16:21,283 Narrator: One of those tips was highly unusual. 330 00:16:21,316 --> 00:16:25,300 A woman said she got a strange call from her now ex-husband 331 00:16:25,333 --> 00:16:29,200 right after the Parabon image was broadcast on TV. 332 00:16:29,233 --> 00:16:31,150 McGee: He called her that day and said, 333 00:16:31,183 --> 00:16:33,150 "Remember that I was with you that night." 334 00:16:33,183 --> 00:16:34,316 And she was like, "What night?" 335 00:16:34,350 --> 00:16:38,350 And he said, "The night that Sierra was killed." 336 00:16:38,383 --> 00:16:41,116 And she said she went back to that night in her head 337 00:16:41,150 --> 00:16:44,250 and remembered that he left to get cigarettes 338 00:16:44,283 --> 00:16:47,160 and should have only been gone for about 10 minutes. 339 00:16:47,500 --> 00:16:49,660 The convenience store was right around the corner, 340 00:16:49,100 --> 00:16:51,166 and was gone for many hours. 341 00:16:51,200 --> 00:16:53,330 His name was Blake Russell, 342 00:16:53,660 --> 00:16:56,366 a 31-year-old with a history of petty crimes. 343 00:16:57,000 --> 00:16:58,233 His ex-wife told detectives 344 00:16:58,266 --> 00:17:01,366 it was possible Blake could be their man. 345 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:04,183 McGee: She said each time they would have sex, it was like rape, 346 00:17:04,216 --> 00:17:06,233 like that's the only way he knew how to do it. 347 00:17:06,266 --> 00:17:08,333 Sierra would have done it for money, 348 00:17:08,366 --> 00:17:10,316 but I don't think he wanted to pay her. 349 00:17:10,350 --> 00:17:13,660 Narrator: Investigators were stunned. 350 00:17:13,100 --> 00:17:16,330 Blake Russell bore a remarkable resemblance 351 00:17:16,660 --> 00:17:19,160 to the DNA image created by Parabon. 352 00:17:19,500 --> 00:17:21,500 I just couldn't believe how much 353 00:17:21,830 --> 00:17:24,000 he actually looked like this sketch. 354 00:17:24,330 --> 00:17:27,830 To this day, it still surprises me 355 00:17:27,116 --> 00:17:29,316 that it all worked as seamlessly as it did. 356 00:17:29,350 --> 00:17:32,350 I couldn't believe from a DNA sample 357 00:17:32,383 --> 00:17:34,300 they could come up with this picture. 358 00:17:34,333 --> 00:17:36,316 It was a happy day here at the sheriff's office, 359 00:17:36,350 --> 00:17:38,183 I can assure you. 360 00:17:38,216 --> 00:17:40,116 Narrator: But just because Blake Russell looked like 361 00:17:40,150 --> 00:17:44,233 the Parabon image didn't prove he was Sierra's killer. 362 00:17:44,266 --> 00:17:49,116 In fact, this technology was so new, so untested, 363 00:17:49,150 --> 00:17:51,200 it wasn't even legally sufficient 364 00:17:51,233 --> 00:17:53,330 to get a search warrant. 365 00:17:53,660 --> 00:17:54,300 We felt like he was our best suspect, 366 00:17:54,333 --> 00:17:58,216 and it was just gonna be a problem trying to get his DNA. 367 00:17:58,250 --> 00:18:01,216 Narrator: But detectives had something going for them. 368 00:18:01,250 --> 00:18:04,333 Blake had no idea they were looking at him. 369 00:18:04,366 --> 00:18:07,660 McGee: So one of our guys went into a local bar, 370 00:18:07,100 --> 00:18:09,000 had a beer with Blake Russell. 371 00:18:09,330 --> 00:18:11,660 He actually had this crazy story 372 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:14,316 about how he was going to make a beer bottle Christmas tree 373 00:18:14,350 --> 00:18:16,166 for his grandmother and asked Blake 374 00:18:16,200 --> 00:18:17,266 if he could have the beer. 375 00:18:17,300 --> 00:18:19,233 Blake gave him the beer bottle. 376 00:18:19,266 --> 00:18:22,233 He walked out and brought it to Monica. 377 00:18:22,266 --> 00:18:25,333 The DNA test results left no doubt. 378 00:18:25,366 --> 00:18:27,183 The DNA from the beer bottle 379 00:18:27,216 --> 00:18:30,300 matched the DNA from under Sierra's fingernails 380 00:18:30,333 --> 00:18:34,160 and from the candy wrapper at the crime scene, 381 00:18:34,500 --> 00:18:37,133 incontrovertible proof that Blake Russell 382 00:18:37,166 --> 00:18:39,250 was Sierra's killer. 383 00:18:39,283 --> 00:18:41,366 Quaal: I remember being in total shock 384 00:18:42,000 --> 00:18:47,216 just because we had been looking for that profile for so long. 385 00:18:47,250 --> 00:18:49,233 Narrator: Russell lived down the street from the group 386 00:18:49,266 --> 00:18:51,366 of undocumented workers. 387 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,166 Investigators believe he went out for cigarettes that night, 388 00:18:55,200 --> 00:18:58,366 saw Sierra walking from the party to a friend's house, 389 00:18:59,000 --> 00:19:00,316 and offered her a ride. 390 00:19:00,350 --> 00:19:03,100 He then attempted a sexual advance, 391 00:19:03,133 --> 00:19:07,333 which Sierra either rejected or she may have asked for money. 392 00:19:07,366 --> 00:19:09,166 Russell exploded, 393 00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:12,283 and Sierra found herself fighting for her life. 394 00:19:12,316 --> 00:19:16,133 Police believe Russell used a tire iron from his car 395 00:19:16,166 --> 00:19:18,000 as the murder weapon. 396 00:19:18,330 --> 00:19:21,133 Sierra scratched him during this altercation, 397 00:19:21,166 --> 00:19:24,830 creating the microscopic DNA evidence 398 00:19:24,116 --> 00:19:26,350 that would ultimately produce the virtual image 399 00:19:26,383 --> 00:19:29,250 and land Russell in jail. 400 00:19:29,283 --> 00:19:32,300 Bouzigard: I'm proud of her. I knew she was a fighter. 401 00:19:32,333 --> 00:19:35,100 I knew she was, and she got that from me. 402 00:19:35,133 --> 00:19:36,366 She got something good from me. 403 00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,183 Armentrout: The DNA was there at the crime. 404 00:19:39,216 --> 00:19:43,133 It's a matter of interrogating the DNA intelligently 405 00:19:43,166 --> 00:19:44,250 and rendering the output 406 00:19:44,283 --> 00:19:47,330 in a fashion that's useful to the police. 407 00:19:47,660 --> 00:19:49,133 Narrator: In July of 2017, 408 00:19:49,166 --> 00:19:53,183 Blake Russell was charged with second-degree murder. 409 00:19:53,216 --> 00:19:57,266 While awaiting trial, he hanged himself in his jail cell, 410 00:19:57,300 --> 00:20:00,100 a development that brought no satisfaction 411 00:20:00,133 --> 00:20:03,233 to Sierra's family or to investigators. 412 00:20:03,266 --> 00:20:06,150 They wanted the case to go to trial. 413 00:20:06,183 --> 00:20:09,330 They have no doubt this revolutionary piece 414 00:20:09,660 --> 00:20:13,366 of DNA technology would have put Blake Russell behind bars 415 00:20:14,000 --> 00:20:16,333 for a long, long time. 416 00:20:16,366 --> 00:20:18,100 Quaal: The nice thing about this 417 00:20:18,133 --> 00:20:21,150 is that it will create a picture of this person, 418 00:20:21,183 --> 00:20:23,500 and not based on someone's memory, 419 00:20:23,830 --> 00:20:26,383 but actually based on the DNA in the case, which doesn't change. 420 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:28,183 Mancuso: It was everything. 421 00:20:28,216 --> 00:20:30,250 It was her fighting and giving us the evidence. 422 00:20:30,283 --> 00:20:34,660 It was the coroner swabbing the DNA. 423 00:20:34,100 --> 00:20:36,830 It was our analyst Monica 424 00:20:36,116 --> 00:20:38,660 running the DNA and staying on it. 425 00:20:38,100 --> 00:20:41,250 I'm just very proud that we have people that are dedicated 426 00:20:41,283 --> 00:20:43,250 like Monica who are willing 427 00:20:43,283 --> 00:20:48,100 to challenge new technology. 428 00:20:48,133 --> 00:20:49,366 McGee: It's still sometimes unbelievable 429 00:20:50,000 --> 00:20:52,330 how awesome technology and science is 430 00:20:52,660 --> 00:20:54,266 and how we were able to solve this case 431 00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:57,116 with DNA from under a fingernail 432 00:20:57,150 --> 00:21:00,660 that someone can make into a perfect picture. 433 00:21:00,100 --> 00:21:03,383 ♪♪