1 00:00:06,172 --> 00:00:09,375 He had eight projectiles in his body and one 2 00:00:09,476 --> 00:00:11,844 of them was in the middle of his head. 3 00:00:11,945 --> 00:00:14,413 What we would call a stone-cold assassination. 4 00:00:14,514 --> 00:00:17,916 NARRATOR: An execution-style murder in the dead of night. 5 00:00:18,018 --> 00:00:20,219 This person gunned him down and made 6 00:00:20,320 --> 00:00:21,987 sure that he was dead before he left. 7 00:00:23,323 --> 00:00:25,190 DAVILA: In my 20 years in law enforcement, 8 00:00:25,291 --> 00:00:27,326 I've never seen such a brutal murder. 9 00:00:28,595 --> 00:00:31,530 GARCIA: And nobody called 911 hearing gunshots. 10 00:00:31,631 --> 00:00:34,900 NARRATOR: A man with many enemies and scorned exes. 11 00:00:35,001 --> 00:00:37,102 Some liked him, some didn't. 12 00:00:37,203 --> 00:00:38,937 GARCIA: It was a pretty rough breakup. 13 00:00:39,039 --> 00:00:42,708 She was very irate and yelling and causing a scene. 14 00:00:42,809 --> 00:00:43,976 [pounding noises] 15 00:00:44,077 --> 00:00:47,846 There were notable run-ins that those two gentlemen had. 16 00:00:47,947 --> 00:00:49,748 NARRATOR: The truth will be revealed. 17 00:00:49,849 --> 00:00:53,619 We have a love triangle, and one of these three is dead, 18 00:00:53,720 --> 00:00:56,588 and two of them are now together. 19 00:00:56,689 --> 00:00:59,925 I thought this might be the person who committed 20 00:01:00,026 --> 00:01:01,326 this crime. 21 00:01:01,428 --> 00:01:03,162 NARRATOR: Every day in North America, 22 00:01:03,263 --> 00:01:05,731 dozens of people are murdered. 23 00:01:05,832 --> 00:01:08,200 The key to solving the toughest of these homicides 24 00:01:08,301 --> 00:01:12,271 lies in the final 24 hours of the victim's life. 25 00:01:12,372 --> 00:01:13,738 To crack the case, 26 00:01:13,807 --> 00:01:17,443 detectives must reconstruct that critical timeline, 27 00:01:17,544 --> 00:01:20,112 the minutes and hours containing evidence 28 00:01:20,213 --> 00:01:22,314 that can help unlock the mystery 29 00:01:22,415 --> 00:01:23,348 and catch the killer. 30 00:01:23,450 --> 00:01:31,450 ♪♪ 31 00:01:33,193 --> 00:01:35,327 Tucson, Arizona. 32 00:01:35,428 --> 00:01:38,630 A high dessert city with a lot of heart. 33 00:01:38,731 --> 00:01:40,132 A true dessert rose. 34 00:01:41,568 --> 00:01:43,001 GARCIA: Tucson is a larger city, 35 00:01:43,103 --> 00:01:46,004 but it has a very small community feel. 36 00:01:46,106 --> 00:01:49,141 You go downtown, people are very friendly. 37 00:01:50,510 --> 00:01:52,845 GEORGE: Like any other major city with a population 38 00:01:52,946 --> 00:01:54,813 of about a 1,000,000 people, you're gonna see 39 00:01:54,914 --> 00:01:56,915 the same kind of problems as far as crime 40 00:01:57,016 --> 00:02:00,953 goes, but all in all, Tucson's of pretty safe city. 41 00:02:02,322 --> 00:02:04,523 NARRATOR: But on a hot summer morning, 42 00:02:04,624 --> 00:02:07,292 Tucson's quiet charm is shattered when 43 00:02:07,393 --> 00:02:09,595 a local woman makes a grisly discovery. 44 00:02:10,964 --> 00:02:15,801 Kristy Trepanitis was the person who called 911. 45 00:02:15,902 --> 00:02:18,737 She just found her loved one murdered. 46 00:02:34,754 --> 00:02:38,290 NARRATOR: The victim is 45-year-old Nick Morelos. 47 00:02:38,391 --> 00:02:40,425 Nick was a tough guy. 48 00:02:40,527 --> 00:02:43,328 A former United States Marine, served his country. 49 00:02:43,429 --> 00:02:47,599 He was really dedicated to his job at Marana Aerospace, 50 00:02:47,700 --> 00:02:50,235 and Nick didn't put up with any B.S. 51 00:02:53,339 --> 00:02:54,806 Some liked him. Some didn't. 52 00:02:54,908 --> 00:02:56,775 He was just one of those people that 53 00:02:56,876 --> 00:02:58,911 was focused at the task at hand 54 00:02:59,012 --> 00:03:00,946 and held people accountable for their actions. 55 00:03:01,047 --> 00:03:04,049 NARRATOR: Heading up the investigation 56 00:03:04,150 --> 00:03:07,553 into Nick's murder is Detective Jennifer Garcia, 57 00:03:07,654 --> 00:03:09,621 a new recruit to homicide. 58 00:03:09,722 --> 00:03:13,192 GARCIA: This particular case was the big deal to me, 59 00:03:13,293 --> 00:03:14,693 because this was gonna be 60 00:03:14,794 --> 00:03:16,762 the first big homicide that I was in charge of, 61 00:03:16,863 --> 00:03:19,498 and I was the lead detective. 62 00:03:19,599 --> 00:03:20,999 NARRATOR: Investigators head directly to 63 00:03:21,100 --> 00:03:24,136 the crime scene -- Nick's bedroom. 64 00:03:24,237 --> 00:03:27,072 I opened the door, 65 00:03:27,173 --> 00:03:30,909 um, as far as I could and entered the room 66 00:03:31,010 --> 00:03:33,612 and immediately observed Nicolas Morelos 67 00:03:33,713 --> 00:03:35,080 laying on the floor. 68 00:03:37,116 --> 00:03:38,684 He had eight 69 00:03:38,785 --> 00:03:41,220 projectiles in his body, and one of 70 00:03:41,321 --> 00:03:42,688 them was in the middle of his head. 71 00:03:45,024 --> 00:03:48,560 What it showed me is that this person gunned him down 72 00:03:48,661 --> 00:03:50,896 and made sure that he was dead before they left. 73 00:03:51,931 --> 00:03:54,333 NARRATOR: Why would someone want to kill Nick Morelos 74 00:03:54,434 --> 00:03:56,368 in such cold blood? 75 00:03:56,469 --> 00:03:59,838 DAVILA: In my career, I've never seen such a brutal murder. 76 00:03:59,939 --> 00:04:02,341 We were trying to get a motive or a reason, 77 00:04:02,442 --> 00:04:04,142 and it didn't look like a burglary at that point. 78 00:04:05,245 --> 00:04:07,879 GARCIA: Normally, if there's a homicide in a burglary, 79 00:04:07,981 --> 00:04:10,482 you're gonna find missing items, the TV is gonna be gone. 80 00:04:10,583 --> 00:04:12,017 Valuables are gonna be gone. 81 00:04:12,118 --> 00:04:13,652 We didn't notice anything missing. 82 00:04:15,888 --> 00:04:18,523 NARRATOR: Detectives make another important discovery. 83 00:04:18,625 --> 00:04:23,095 We also found two cleaning bottles that were next to 84 00:04:23,196 --> 00:04:24,363 the body. 85 00:04:24,464 --> 00:04:27,799 The floor felt sticky and smelled 86 00:04:27,900 --> 00:04:30,502 to me very much like cleaning solvent. 87 00:04:30,603 --> 00:04:33,572 It looked like the person was trying to clean up 88 00:04:33,673 --> 00:04:35,707 the fact that they were at the residence. 89 00:04:37,410 --> 00:04:39,044 NARRATOR: To solve Nick's murder, 90 00:04:39,145 --> 00:04:40,879 detectives must reconstruct 91 00:04:40,980 --> 00:04:43,215 the final 24 hours of his life. 92 00:04:44,617 --> 00:04:46,618 When was the last time the victim was heard from 93 00:04:46,719 --> 00:04:49,054 or seen? When was the victim found? 94 00:04:49,155 --> 00:04:51,356 That's your major timeline that you're working with. 95 00:04:51,457 --> 00:04:54,092 And then you start talking to investigative leads, 96 00:04:54,193 --> 00:04:57,429 persons of interest, suspects, and everybody else involved, 97 00:04:57,530 --> 00:04:59,931 and then you narrow the timeline down. 98 00:05:00,033 --> 00:05:01,600 NARRATOR: They start their investigation 99 00:05:01,701 --> 00:05:03,935 by talking to Nick's fiancee, Kristy, 100 00:05:04,037 --> 00:05:06,371 who found his body. 101 00:05:06,472 --> 00:05:08,440 I didn't get any sense that she had anything 102 00:05:08,541 --> 00:05:11,810 to do with this crime, that she truly was upset. 103 00:05:11,911 --> 00:05:13,512 She appeared to be in shock. 104 00:05:13,613 --> 00:05:15,380 She appeared to be shaking at times 105 00:05:15,448 --> 00:05:17,849 when she spoke to us and tearful. 106 00:05:17,950 --> 00:05:20,686 Kristy had worked at Marana Aerospace, 107 00:05:20,787 --> 00:05:23,055 and that's how they became involved. 108 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:25,157 She said he was a loving guy to 109 00:05:25,258 --> 00:05:29,127 the people in his life and close with his family. 110 00:05:29,228 --> 00:05:31,430 NARRATOR: Detectives question Kristy about Nick's 111 00:05:31,531 --> 00:05:34,700 whereabouts on the day leading up to his murder. 112 00:05:34,801 --> 00:05:37,302 GARCIA: On the day before he was murdered, 113 00:05:37,403 --> 00:05:38,637 it was a Sunday. 114 00:05:38,738 --> 00:05:40,272 He went to her residence. 115 00:05:40,373 --> 00:05:42,474 They spent the whole day together. 116 00:05:42,575 --> 00:05:45,477 He went back to his residence around 5:30 p.m., 117 00:05:45,578 --> 00:05:48,747 and they spoke a couple of times that evening, 118 00:05:48,848 --> 00:05:52,250 and the last time that she had contact with him 119 00:05:52,318 --> 00:05:53,585 was around 8:30 p.m. 120 00:05:54,921 --> 00:05:57,589 Kristy relayed to us that Nick has 121 00:05:57,690 --> 00:06:00,092 to leave for work around 6 a.m. 122 00:06:00,193 --> 00:06:02,361 Around that time, he will normally either 123 00:06:02,462 --> 00:06:04,696 call her or send her a text message. 124 00:06:04,797 --> 00:06:07,766 But on Monday morning, she didn't hear anything, 125 00:06:07,867 --> 00:06:11,803 and by about 8:30, she had been calling and text messaging 126 00:06:11,904 --> 00:06:12,938 both of his phones, 127 00:06:13,039 --> 00:06:16,174 his personal phone and his work cellphone, 128 00:06:16,275 --> 00:06:18,043 and she had no answer, 129 00:06:18,144 --> 00:06:19,945 so she decided to drive over to 130 00:06:20,046 --> 00:06:23,548 Nicolas's residence to check on him. 131 00:06:23,649 --> 00:06:25,384 NARRATOR: Detectives theorize that Nick 132 00:06:25,485 --> 00:06:27,085 was brutally gunned down after 133 00:06:27,186 --> 00:06:29,621 texting Kristy at 8:30 p.m. 134 00:06:29,722 --> 00:06:32,758 and before he was supposed to leave for work the next morning 135 00:06:32,859 --> 00:06:34,993 at 6 a.m. 136 00:06:35,094 --> 00:06:37,028 With the evidence we were looking at this point, 137 00:06:37,130 --> 00:06:39,698 it appears that an assailant was firing into the house from 138 00:06:39,799 --> 00:06:41,533 the backyard. 139 00:06:41,634 --> 00:06:46,438 We picked up 11 spent 45-caliber casings at the scene. 140 00:06:46,539 --> 00:06:49,708 Each of these spent casings had a distinct 141 00:06:49,809 --> 00:06:52,277 mark on the back of the bullet itself. 142 00:06:52,378 --> 00:06:54,880 It's called the headstamp -- We noticed that it had 143 00:06:54,981 --> 00:06:57,883 five distinct stars across the top 144 00:06:57,984 --> 00:07:00,719 and that underneath that, it said 45 auto. 145 00:07:02,188 --> 00:07:06,358 This ammunition was made by an obscure company called 146 00:07:06,459 --> 00:07:07,726 Golden Eagle, 147 00:07:07,827 --> 00:07:09,561 which is an ammo that's manufactured outside 148 00:07:09,662 --> 00:07:13,465 the United States and pretty much not used in this area. 149 00:07:13,566 --> 00:07:15,667 NARRATOR: Detectives start developing a theory as 150 00:07:15,768 --> 00:07:18,603 to how the attack went down. 151 00:07:18,704 --> 00:07:21,807 So we have bullet holes in multiple walls, 152 00:07:21,908 --> 00:07:23,241 which means Nick was moving, 153 00:07:23,342 --> 00:07:24,910 and Nick was fleeing for his life 154 00:07:25,011 --> 00:07:28,079 during this assault on him. 155 00:07:28,181 --> 00:07:31,016 NARRATOR: Detectives proceed with examining the exterior of 156 00:07:31,117 --> 00:07:34,052 the house and make a surprising discovery. 157 00:07:34,153 --> 00:07:37,556 When we went outside, you could see a gray, 158 00:07:37,657 --> 00:07:41,059 very large pit bull dog in the backyard. 159 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:44,996 The pit bull is Smokey, and he belonged to Nick. 160 00:07:45,097 --> 00:07:46,731 MOSHER: If you look at a picture of Smokey, 161 00:07:46,833 --> 00:07:48,300 he was a big pit bull, 162 00:07:48,401 --> 00:07:49,835 and that's a scary-looking dog. 163 00:07:49,936 --> 00:07:52,070 Not many people want to tangle with a pit bull. 164 00:07:52,171 --> 00:07:55,640 So that's a problem for the killer to have to deal with. 165 00:07:55,741 --> 00:07:57,108 NARRATOR: Along with the pit bull, 166 00:07:57,210 --> 00:08:00,712 they uncover some important clues about the shooter. 167 00:08:00,813 --> 00:08:02,080 We thought that they were on 168 00:08:02,181 --> 00:08:03,682 the ground shooting into the residence. 169 00:08:03,783 --> 00:08:08,687 But the trajectory showed us differently. 170 00:08:08,788 --> 00:08:09,988 DAVILA: Following that trajectory out, 171 00:08:10,089 --> 00:08:12,090 it was parallel to the ground. 172 00:08:12,191 --> 00:08:15,327 There was no way someone was shooting at this house 173 00:08:15,428 --> 00:08:17,262 from the backyard of that residence 174 00:08:17,363 --> 00:08:18,697 to make these impact points. 175 00:08:20,633 --> 00:08:23,635 GARCIA: The A-frame ladder was collapsed and closed, 176 00:08:23,736 --> 00:08:27,272 and it was propped up against the patio wall, 177 00:08:27,373 --> 00:08:29,941 which we kind of thought was odd. 178 00:08:30,042 --> 00:08:32,344 And it looked like somebody had climbed onto 179 00:08:32,445 --> 00:08:35,447 the patio roof and shot through the window 180 00:08:35,548 --> 00:08:36,681 standing on the roof. 181 00:08:37,884 --> 00:08:41,553 You can see two defects into the stucco, so we could 182 00:08:41,654 --> 00:08:43,655 tell that somebody with outside shooting into 183 00:08:43,756 --> 00:08:45,357 the residence. 184 00:08:45,458 --> 00:08:48,126 There was also a couple of panes of glass on 185 00:08:48,227 --> 00:08:51,196 the patio roof that had a red substance on it. 186 00:08:51,297 --> 00:08:53,632 There was a red substance found on the bottom of 187 00:08:53,733 --> 00:08:54,733 the windowsill, 188 00:08:54,834 --> 00:08:57,836 and then a red substance found on the stucco area 189 00:08:57,937 --> 00:09:00,705 under the window. It was blood. 190 00:09:02,108 --> 00:09:05,277 We surmised that when this person entered the room, 191 00:09:05,378 --> 00:09:08,914 they received a cut on some part of their body. 192 00:09:10,983 --> 00:09:12,417 NARRATOR: Thinking someone may have seen 193 00:09:12,518 --> 00:09:14,185 the killer as they entered and exited 194 00:09:14,287 --> 00:09:17,889 Nick's home, detectives canvass the neighborhood. 195 00:09:17,990 --> 00:09:21,126 We have Nicolas's neighbor 196 00:09:21,227 --> 00:09:23,061 saying that around 4 a.m., 197 00:09:23,162 --> 00:09:25,697 4:15, she heard a strange noise. 198 00:09:25,798 --> 00:09:27,332 [glass crashing] [bullets zipping] 199 00:09:27,433 --> 00:09:29,167 I believe what she is actually 200 00:09:29,268 --> 00:09:33,071 hearing is a projectile smashing the glass. 201 00:09:33,172 --> 00:09:35,140 NARRATOR: The neighbor's statement helps detectives 202 00:09:35,241 --> 00:09:37,776 significantly narrow Nick's time of death, 203 00:09:37,877 --> 00:09:40,245 but questions remain about the sound she heard. 204 00:09:41,714 --> 00:09:44,849 We thought that there might be a silencer or a suppressor 205 00:09:44,951 --> 00:09:46,518 that was used in this crime, 206 00:09:46,619 --> 00:09:49,220 because 11 projectiles were fired from a gun, 207 00:09:49,322 --> 00:09:52,490 and nobody called 911 hearing gunshots. 208 00:09:52,592 --> 00:09:54,559 The use of a silencer 209 00:09:54,660 --> 00:09:57,095 really has one purpose, which is 210 00:09:57,196 --> 00:10:00,365 to conceal the sound of a gunshot. 211 00:10:00,466 --> 00:10:03,335 But even though they're perfectly legal to own and use 212 00:10:03,436 --> 00:10:04,469 in the state of Arizona, 213 00:10:04,570 --> 00:10:07,072 they're not necessarily easy to fire with. 214 00:10:07,173 --> 00:10:09,507 That tells us that this is an experienced shooter 215 00:10:09,609 --> 00:10:12,243 who not only acquired the necessary equipment 216 00:10:12,345 --> 00:10:16,748 but has put some rehearsal into firing with a silencer. 217 00:10:17,917 --> 00:10:20,218 NARRATOR: A silencer explains why the neighbor couldn't 218 00:10:20,319 --> 00:10:22,621 distinguish the sound of gunshots, 219 00:10:22,722 --> 00:10:25,457 but why wouldn't she hear Smokey barking in the backyard 220 00:10:25,558 --> 00:10:27,425 if there was an intruder? 221 00:10:27,526 --> 00:10:29,828 The dog was reported to, I think, have slept in 222 00:10:29,929 --> 00:10:32,631 Nick's bedroom, so this speaks to routine. 223 00:10:32,732 --> 00:10:35,567 And so when folks are interviewed, and they don't hear 224 00:10:35,668 --> 00:10:38,403 the dog outside, there's a number of theories, 225 00:10:38,504 --> 00:10:41,272 I think, that could explain this -- one is that a person 226 00:10:41,374 --> 00:10:44,476 known to Nick and the dog did this -- to be able to 227 00:10:44,577 --> 00:10:47,946 remove it from inside and take outside -- or another one 228 00:10:48,047 --> 00:10:49,848 is somebody with information about either how to 229 00:10:49,949 --> 00:10:51,583 manage animals or had information 230 00:10:51,684 --> 00:10:53,685 about Smokey in particular could have done it. 231 00:10:55,454 --> 00:10:57,455 MOSHER: So now you have somebody going in through 232 00:10:57,556 --> 00:10:59,891 the bedroom window, somebody staying and cleaning up, 233 00:10:59,992 --> 00:11:01,526 somebody who effectively 234 00:11:01,627 --> 00:11:04,362 used a silencer and evaded detection 235 00:11:04,463 --> 00:11:05,864 in that way. 236 00:11:05,965 --> 00:11:09,234 You could conclude that the killer was 237 00:11:09,335 --> 00:11:10,669 more sophisticated, 238 00:11:10,770 --> 00:11:14,072 what we would call a stone-cold assassination, and probably 239 00:11:14,173 --> 00:11:15,740 somebody who knew Nick. 240 00:11:23,916 --> 00:11:27,085 NARRATOR: Nick Morelos was gunned down in his own home, 241 00:11:27,186 --> 00:11:29,621 the victim of a targeted attack. 242 00:11:29,722 --> 00:11:32,624 Believing the killer to be someone in Nick's circle, 243 00:11:32,725 --> 00:11:36,027 detectives shift their investigation to his workplace, 244 00:11:36,128 --> 00:11:38,329 Marana Aerospace. 245 00:11:38,431 --> 00:11:42,734 Nick was the director of maintenance, and he's really, 246 00:11:42,835 --> 00:11:45,470 um, kind of a success story 247 00:11:45,571 --> 00:11:48,306 as far as how he rose up through the ranks of the company. 248 00:11:49,575 --> 00:11:51,342 DAVILA: We were looking to see what 249 00:11:51,444 --> 00:11:52,811 his involvements were at work, and did 250 00:11:52,912 --> 00:11:55,914 he have any issues or problems with any 251 00:11:56,015 --> 00:11:58,116 current employees or past employees 252 00:11:58,250 --> 00:12:00,518 that may be bad enough to 253 00:12:00,619 --> 00:12:03,288 where it gravitated towards something like this happening? 254 00:12:04,557 --> 00:12:08,493 We made contact with the human resources director. 255 00:12:09,528 --> 00:12:13,665 Nicolas had several negative exit interviews where 256 00:12:13,766 --> 00:12:18,036 ex-employees had mentioned his name and had mentioned his 257 00:12:18,137 --> 00:12:21,773 managerial skills as one of the reasons why they left 258 00:12:21,874 --> 00:12:24,743 the company -- that kind of led us to talk to some of 259 00:12:24,844 --> 00:12:26,111 the employees there and try to 260 00:12:26,212 --> 00:12:28,713 figure out what was going on with Nick at work. 261 00:12:30,416 --> 00:12:32,383 NARRATOR: One of the first employees detectives 262 00:12:32,485 --> 00:12:35,220 speak with is James Lapan. 263 00:12:35,321 --> 00:12:38,089 MOSHER: Nick had a really important position there 264 00:12:38,190 --> 00:12:40,058 at Marana Aerospace. 265 00:12:40,159 --> 00:12:42,627 James, not so much. 266 00:12:42,728 --> 00:12:45,497 He was somebody who worked on inspections 267 00:12:45,598 --> 00:12:47,632 on the airplanes but certainly 268 00:12:47,733 --> 00:12:51,603 had -- had not risen to Nick's level in the organization. 269 00:12:51,704 --> 00:12:53,171 NARRATOR: Police asked James 270 00:12:53,272 --> 00:12:54,739 about his relationship with Nick. 271 00:12:56,475 --> 00:12:59,677 GARCIA: In the weeks before Nicolas's murder, 272 00:12:59,779 --> 00:13:02,347 James had made a couple of complaints, 273 00:13:02,448 --> 00:13:04,149 and there were a couple of issues at work 274 00:13:04,250 --> 00:13:05,517 between Nicolas and James. 275 00:13:05,618 --> 00:13:07,218 [door creaks open] 276 00:13:07,319 --> 00:13:11,656 When we ask him about his working relationship with Nick, 277 00:13:11,757 --> 00:13:14,692 he stated that it was tumultuous. 278 00:13:14,794 --> 00:13:18,163 Nick was always on him at work, he yelled at him. 279 00:13:20,432 --> 00:13:23,168 James felt that he was being targeted 280 00:13:23,269 --> 00:13:25,603 and possibly picked on by Nick Morelos. 281 00:13:27,807 --> 00:13:31,409 There were notable run-ins that those two gentlemen had, 282 00:13:31,510 --> 00:13:33,244 and so that's a known factor. 283 00:13:33,345 --> 00:13:36,414 James didn't like Nick because of work, 284 00:13:36,515 --> 00:13:39,918 and we've seen that as a motive for murder before. 285 00:13:40,986 --> 00:13:44,189 NARRATOR: Flagging James and Nick's working relationship, 286 00:13:44,290 --> 00:13:47,025 Detective Garcia proceeds to question James about 287 00:13:47,126 --> 00:13:49,327 where he was the night Nick was murdered. 288 00:13:50,629 --> 00:13:54,732 I asked him what his schedule was -- Sunday all day, 289 00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:57,268 he spent the day with his family. 290 00:13:57,369 --> 00:13:58,603 They went to the grocery store. 291 00:13:58,704 --> 00:14:00,305 They ate dinner. 292 00:14:00,406 --> 00:14:02,273 Him and his wife were working on their marriage, 293 00:14:02,374 --> 00:14:04,108 because they were having problems with their marriage. 294 00:14:04,210 --> 00:14:07,345 So they watched, like, a Bible counseling session 295 00:14:07,446 --> 00:14:10,648 on the computer with one of his relatives. 296 00:14:10,749 --> 00:14:14,152 They went to bed around 9 p.m. 297 00:14:14,253 --> 00:14:17,088 and got up at around 6 a.m. 298 00:14:17,189 --> 00:14:18,823 Him and his wife worked out together, 299 00:14:18,924 --> 00:14:20,325 and then she went to work. 300 00:14:21,460 --> 00:14:23,228 NARRATOR: With a corroborated alibi, 301 00:14:23,329 --> 00:14:25,763 James is removed as a suspect, 302 00:14:25,865 --> 00:14:27,365 but he reveals he's not 303 00:14:27,466 --> 00:14:31,135 the only employee who had problems with Nick. 304 00:14:31,237 --> 00:14:35,173 We found that Nick had many ex-girlfriends, 305 00:14:35,274 --> 00:14:39,043 and a couple of them had worked at Marana Aerospace. 306 00:14:40,379 --> 00:14:43,681 You could say Nick was a womanizer. 307 00:14:43,782 --> 00:14:45,950 GARCIA: So then you start looking at exes, 308 00:14:46,051 --> 00:14:47,952 ex-girlfriends, ex-wives, 309 00:14:48,053 --> 00:14:51,155 and you try to figure out if they had anything to do with 310 00:14:51,257 --> 00:14:53,157 the homicide or if anybody that 311 00:14:53,259 --> 00:14:55,493 they're with now -- New boyfriends, new husbands -- 312 00:14:55,594 --> 00:14:57,695 If they had any issues with Nicolas. 313 00:14:59,498 --> 00:15:02,367 NARRATOR: Working backwards, detectives meet Nick's most 314 00:15:02,501 --> 00:15:05,236 recent ex-girlfriend, Claudia, 315 00:15:05,337 --> 00:15:08,606 a former employee at Marana Aerospace. 316 00:15:08,707 --> 00:15:11,743 When I spoke to Claudia, she was very cooperative. 317 00:15:11,844 --> 00:15:15,346 She described Nick as a good person. 318 00:15:15,447 --> 00:15:17,148 The relationship was very good. 319 00:15:17,249 --> 00:15:19,384 The break-up was very amicable. 320 00:15:19,485 --> 00:15:21,119 She was a lot younger than him, 321 00:15:21,220 --> 00:15:23,554 and I think she wanted to focus on a family, 322 00:15:23,656 --> 00:15:27,759 and he was already past that threshold in his life. 323 00:15:27,860 --> 00:15:32,196 She provided any information that I asked. 324 00:15:32,298 --> 00:15:34,165 I didn't feel like she was hiding anything, 325 00:15:34,266 --> 00:15:36,834 and I didn't feel like she had anything to do 326 00:15:36,936 --> 00:15:38,569 with this homicide. 327 00:15:38,671 --> 00:15:41,306 NARRATOR: Claudia is a nonstarter as a suspect, 328 00:15:41,407 --> 00:15:44,642 but when Detective Garcia asks if there is anyone else 329 00:15:44,743 --> 00:15:47,045 she thinks would have had reason to kill Nick, 330 00:15:47,146 --> 00:15:50,114 she offers up a name -- Jessica. 331 00:15:50,215 --> 00:15:53,484 Jessica also works at Marana Aerospace, 332 00:15:53,585 --> 00:15:56,220 and she was also Nicolas's ex-girlfriend. 333 00:15:57,890 --> 00:15:59,457 MOSHER: A year before his murder, 334 00:15:59,558 --> 00:16:03,861 Nick had been dating Jessica, and then suddenly, 335 00:16:03,963 --> 00:16:07,098 there's a split with her, and he's -- he's with Claudia. 336 00:16:09,768 --> 00:16:12,136 GARCIA: It was a pretty rough break-up. 337 00:16:12,204 --> 00:16:16,107 And shortly after she moved out, 338 00:16:16,241 --> 00:16:17,842 um, Claudia had moved in. 339 00:16:19,712 --> 00:16:24,082 One day, Jessica went to Nick's house when Claudia was inside 340 00:16:24,183 --> 00:16:26,384 the residence and was banging on the door, 341 00:16:26,485 --> 00:16:27,552 wanting to go in, 342 00:16:27,653 --> 00:16:30,488 wanting to talk to Nicolas and Claudia. 343 00:16:30,589 --> 00:16:34,492 She was very irate and yelling and causing a scene, 344 00:16:34,593 --> 00:16:37,462 and she said, "I know that Claudia is in here." 345 00:16:37,563 --> 00:16:41,065 So now we have an ex-girlfriend who was very irate, 346 00:16:41,166 --> 00:16:44,535 very hurt about the way the break-up with the victim, 347 00:16:44,636 --> 00:16:46,104 Nick, occurred. 348 00:16:46,205 --> 00:16:48,673 So that kind of raised a flag in my head. 349 00:16:50,042 --> 00:16:53,911 When we look at Jessica, it's such a complicated picture. 350 00:16:54,013 --> 00:16:55,880 You know, often the question will be asked, 351 00:16:55,981 --> 00:16:58,649 what makes people kill? 352 00:16:58,751 --> 00:17:02,920 Other than maybe drugs and money, 353 00:17:03,022 --> 00:17:07,525 jealousy and rage and control around a relationship with 354 00:17:07,626 --> 00:17:11,996 a significant other is something that we see commonly, 355 00:17:12,097 --> 00:17:14,465 you know, and it's really -- It's -- it's sad and tragic. 356 00:17:14,533 --> 00:17:17,802 But again, that type of rage, that jealous rage, 357 00:17:17,903 --> 00:17:20,671 is certainly enough to motivate a killing 358 00:17:20,773 --> 00:17:21,773 and does frequently. 359 00:17:28,814 --> 00:17:31,749 NARRATOR: Detectives have zeroed in on Nick Morelos's jealous 360 00:17:31,850 --> 00:17:36,054 ex-girlfriend, Jessica, as a suspect in his brutal murder. 361 00:17:36,155 --> 00:17:38,856 When I heard about this altercation at 362 00:17:38,957 --> 00:17:40,158 Nicolas's house, 363 00:17:40,259 --> 00:17:43,428 it was probably a pretty important piece of the puzzle 364 00:17:43,529 --> 00:17:44,829 in the investigation. 365 00:17:44,930 --> 00:17:46,831 So we wanted to speak to Jessica 366 00:17:46,932 --> 00:17:48,833 to get a statement from her. 367 00:18:18,297 --> 00:18:24,035 Jessica never had a good word to say about Nick. 368 00:18:24,136 --> 00:18:28,139 She just really seemed burned up by the break-up. 369 00:18:28,240 --> 00:18:30,308 And so you have to pay attention to that 370 00:18:30,409 --> 00:18:32,410 when you've got his ex-girlfriend 371 00:18:32,511 --> 00:18:35,947 really kind of feeling hostile or venomous 372 00:18:36,048 --> 00:18:37,348 towards him. 373 00:18:37,449 --> 00:18:39,484 NARRATOR: Detectives confront Jessica about 374 00:18:39,585 --> 00:18:42,320 the day she pounded on Nick's door. 375 00:18:42,421 --> 00:18:43,888 GARCIA: She was heartbroken. 376 00:18:43,989 --> 00:18:47,291 She was very upset that Claudia was in the house with 377 00:18:47,392 --> 00:18:50,595 Nick and she had just been kicked out of the house. 378 00:18:52,664 --> 00:18:54,432 STOCKDALE: Jealousy can be a very 379 00:18:54,533 --> 00:18:56,434 powerful motive for murder. 380 00:18:56,535 --> 00:18:57,702 Even in most studies, 381 00:18:57,803 --> 00:19:00,505 it's consistently touted as being one of the top reasons 382 00:19:00,606 --> 00:19:02,907 why people kill other people. 383 00:19:03,008 --> 00:19:07,411 That being said, for me, envy is a bigger motivator. 384 00:19:07,513 --> 00:19:08,880 So envy is like jealousy. 385 00:19:08,981 --> 00:19:10,882 You covet what you can't have, 386 00:19:10,983 --> 00:19:14,619 but you also want to destroy it, and that, in my mind, makes 387 00:19:14,720 --> 00:19:17,889 a potential killer even more dangerous. 388 00:19:17,990 --> 00:19:20,091 NARRATOR: Jessica has a motive for murder, 389 00:19:20,192 --> 00:19:22,426 but did she have the opportunity to kill Nick? 390 00:19:54,326 --> 00:19:58,029 She provided her phone for a forensic cellphone 391 00:19:58,130 --> 00:20:02,233 download and answered any questions that we had. 392 00:20:02,334 --> 00:20:03,834 It turns out that the cellphone tower 393 00:20:03,936 --> 00:20:06,504 near Jessica's home was pinging between 7 p.m. 394 00:20:06,605 --> 00:20:08,973 and 5 a.m., confirming that she was at home 395 00:20:09,074 --> 00:20:11,008 and on the device this whole time. 396 00:20:11,109 --> 00:20:13,144 We know that she was nowhere near the crime scene. 397 00:20:14,780 --> 00:20:17,014 NARRATOR: With Jessica's credible alibi 398 00:20:17,115 --> 00:20:18,916 and no hard evidence against her, 399 00:20:19,017 --> 00:20:21,118 detectives remove her as a suspect. 400 00:20:24,189 --> 00:20:27,158 They pursue another lead that they received from Nick's other 401 00:20:27,259 --> 00:20:29,627 ex-girlfriend, Claudia. 402 00:20:29,728 --> 00:20:33,030 MOSHER: Claudia had an ex-boyfriend named Justin. 403 00:20:34,233 --> 00:20:36,200 And Justin was a real concern. 404 00:20:38,670 --> 00:20:40,805 GARCIA: Claudia said that her and Justin 405 00:20:40,906 --> 00:20:43,774 were engaged, and they broke up. 406 00:20:43,875 --> 00:20:47,878 She just told him that she's moving out, and she moved in 407 00:20:47,980 --> 00:20:49,480 with Nick immediately, 408 00:20:49,581 --> 00:20:52,350 and he was very hurt and upset at that. 409 00:20:53,385 --> 00:20:54,952 NARRATOR: As detectives dig deeper 410 00:20:55,053 --> 00:20:57,088 into Claudia's relationship with Justin, 411 00:20:57,189 --> 00:21:00,091 they uncover some troubling details. 412 00:21:00,192 --> 00:21:03,160 Claudia had things to say about Justin 413 00:21:03,262 --> 00:21:06,597 that make Justin seem pretty scary. 414 00:21:06,698 --> 00:21:10,601 He showed up on horseback on one occasion near her house, 415 00:21:10,702 --> 00:21:13,938 which she thought was scary, because it meant that he was 416 00:21:14,039 --> 00:21:17,308 popping up there, and she was worried about almost, like, 417 00:21:17,409 --> 00:21:20,111 kind of a stalking element to that behavior. 418 00:21:21,647 --> 00:21:25,283 Another time, Claudia is driving along with Nick, 419 00:21:25,384 --> 00:21:29,420 and Justin sees them and follows them, and Claudia 420 00:21:29,521 --> 00:21:32,390 lets Nick know what is happening, and Nick stops 421 00:21:32,491 --> 00:21:34,825 the car to get out, and Justin just takes off. 422 00:21:36,895 --> 00:21:38,629 There was another time, 423 00:21:38,730 --> 00:21:43,501 shortly after the murder, where Justin had left her a note 424 00:21:43,602 --> 00:21:45,903 saying something along the lines of, 425 00:21:46,004 --> 00:21:47,772 "I heard what happened. 426 00:21:47,873 --> 00:21:51,075 I'm sorry." And he's talking about the homicide. 427 00:21:51,176 --> 00:21:55,012 Um, "If you would like, I can buy you a drink some time." 428 00:21:55,113 --> 00:21:56,580 So I thought that was odd. 429 00:21:57,916 --> 00:22:01,018 Either way, to murder someone and remove them under 430 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,487 the pretext that this is gonna allow you 431 00:22:03,588 --> 00:22:07,892 to move in on an ex-girlfriend and begin courting them 432 00:22:07,993 --> 00:22:11,829 and taking them out, uh, is... 433 00:22:11,930 --> 00:22:14,832 number one, obsessive, but rather delusional. 434 00:22:16,501 --> 00:22:19,837 NARRATOR: Detectives also learn that Justin is an avid marksman. 435 00:22:21,506 --> 00:22:22,606 GARCIA: In this investigation, 436 00:22:22,674 --> 00:22:25,109 there was a pretty specific weapon involved, 437 00:22:25,210 --> 00:22:27,211 a 45-caliber handgun. 438 00:22:27,312 --> 00:22:30,548 And so when I spoke to Claudia, 439 00:22:30,649 --> 00:22:34,752 she had mentioned Justin had many guns. 440 00:22:34,853 --> 00:22:36,587 NARRATOR: As detectives continue to put 441 00:22:36,688 --> 00:22:38,789 more of the pieces together, 442 00:22:38,890 --> 00:22:41,892 they come across a curious piece of information. 443 00:22:41,993 --> 00:22:46,430 Claudia had mentioned that it was almost to the day a year 444 00:22:46,531 --> 00:22:47,765 prior to the homicide, 445 00:22:47,866 --> 00:22:50,401 she had broken off the relationship with Justin. 446 00:22:51,937 --> 00:22:55,906 MOSHER: So Justin has reason to be really upset with Nick, and, 447 00:22:56,007 --> 00:23:01,011 you know, the year to the day element just seems strange. 448 00:23:01,113 --> 00:23:02,913 It's like a strange coincidence. 449 00:23:04,549 --> 00:23:05,783 ARNTFIELD: We all know that in police work, 450 00:23:05,884 --> 00:23:06,951 there are no coincidences, 451 00:23:07,052 --> 00:23:09,019 especially in murder investigations, especially 452 00:23:09,121 --> 00:23:11,822 in murders as seemingly organized as this one. 453 00:23:11,923 --> 00:23:15,059 So when they start to rack up in Justin's case, 454 00:23:15,160 --> 00:23:18,162 not surprisingly, he becomes the prime suspect. 455 00:23:18,263 --> 00:23:20,331 NARRATOR: With evidence of a credible motive, 456 00:23:20,432 --> 00:23:23,534 Detective Garcia hauls Justin in for questioning. 457 00:23:43,922 --> 00:23:47,458 People lie to the police all the time, so when you go talk 458 00:23:47,559 --> 00:23:49,093 to somebody, it's -- you have 459 00:23:49,194 --> 00:23:51,328 a 50-50 chance that they're either telling you 460 00:23:51,430 --> 00:23:52,897 the truth or they're lying. 461 00:23:52,998 --> 00:23:55,966 And you just have to -- through your investigative skills, 462 00:23:56,067 --> 00:23:57,735 by putting all the pieces together, 463 00:23:57,836 --> 00:23:59,437 you have to figure out if this person is 464 00:23:59,538 --> 00:24:01,639 being honest with you or not. 465 00:24:01,740 --> 00:24:04,742 NARRATOR: Detective Garcia pushes Justin on how 466 00:24:04,843 --> 00:24:07,111 he's feeling about Claudia and the break-up 467 00:24:07,212 --> 00:24:08,212 one year later. 468 00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:30,501 At the time, it didn't seem like it bothered him anymore. 469 00:24:30,602 --> 00:24:32,703 And you gotta take that with a grain of salt. 470 00:24:32,804 --> 00:24:37,074 Is he really over it, or does he still have issues? 471 00:24:38,176 --> 00:24:41,645 GILLIS: I've certainly seen cases where someone's break-up 472 00:24:41,746 --> 00:24:44,748 can lead them to take desperate measures. 473 00:24:44,850 --> 00:24:49,820 When you're fueled by passion, heartbreak, 474 00:24:49,921 --> 00:24:55,493 betrayal, that can make you do irrational things. 475 00:24:55,594 --> 00:24:59,597 And if someone is so desperate that they want to get someone 476 00:24:59,698 --> 00:25:03,501 back or they can't stand seeing their ex-lover with 477 00:25:03,602 --> 00:25:05,035 someone else, 478 00:25:05,136 --> 00:25:07,905 they're not thinking straight, and it can turn deadly. 479 00:25:09,207 --> 00:25:11,509 NARRATOR: As the interrogation continues, 480 00:25:11,610 --> 00:25:16,247 Detective Garcia notices that Justin has a suspicious injury. 481 00:25:16,348 --> 00:25:19,083 When I was talking to him and looking at him, 482 00:25:19,184 --> 00:25:21,986 I observed some superficial 483 00:25:22,087 --> 00:25:24,955 linear scratches up his arm. 484 00:25:25,056 --> 00:25:27,558 MOSHER: The reason that that's interesting 485 00:25:27,659 --> 00:25:29,927 is because we know that 486 00:25:30,028 --> 00:25:32,696 when the first shots are fired, the killer is outside. 487 00:25:32,797 --> 00:25:35,032 He quickly moves in through the window, 488 00:25:35,133 --> 00:25:38,168 possibly cutting his arm badly in the process. 489 00:25:38,270 --> 00:25:40,871 And here we have a corresponding cut on Justin. 490 00:25:40,972 --> 00:25:43,207 GARCIA: I thought 491 00:25:43,308 --> 00:25:45,342 this might be the person who committed this crime. 492 00:25:52,918 --> 00:25:56,086 NARRATOR: Detective Garcia is moving in on a prime suspect in 493 00:25:56,154 --> 00:25:59,156 the murder of Nick Morelos -- Justin, 494 00:25:59,257 --> 00:26:03,527 the jealous ex-fiance of Nick's ex, Claudia, and he has 495 00:26:03,628 --> 00:26:06,130 suspicious wounds on his arms. 496 00:26:06,231 --> 00:26:07,932 GARCIA: He said, "Well, yes, I'm a landscaper. 497 00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:11,235 I have cuts and scratches all the time." 498 00:26:11,336 --> 00:26:14,238 So I asked him if I could take photographs 499 00:26:14,339 --> 00:26:17,741 of him and of his injuries on his arm. 500 00:26:17,842 --> 00:26:19,443 He said no. 501 00:26:19,544 --> 00:26:22,446 When I asked him if I could take a DNA sample, 502 00:26:22,547 --> 00:26:24,448 he would not give a DNA sample. 503 00:26:26,017 --> 00:26:29,620 DNA in the timeline of a murder case, dependent on 504 00:26:29,721 --> 00:26:30,888 where it's located, 505 00:26:30,989 --> 00:26:34,058 can show whether they were involved in the murder or not. 506 00:26:34,159 --> 00:26:37,161 If it's, for example, found at the scene, 507 00:26:37,262 --> 00:26:41,465 that is a direct connection to show the DNA was left at 508 00:26:41,566 --> 00:26:43,334 the time of the offense. 509 00:26:43,435 --> 00:26:46,604 But when someone doesn't give a DNA sample, 510 00:26:46,705 --> 00:26:49,206 it certainly sends off warning bells 511 00:26:49,341 --> 00:26:52,409 that perhaps they were involved with the offense, 512 00:26:52,510 --> 00:26:54,812 and they don't want to be caught in a crime. 513 00:26:56,414 --> 00:26:58,215 NARRATOR: Without a DNA sample, 514 00:26:58,316 --> 00:27:00,884 detectives focus on the timeline. 515 00:27:00,986 --> 00:27:02,953 Having already established that Nick was 516 00:27:03,054 --> 00:27:06,090 killed between four o'clock and 4:15 a.m., 517 00:27:06,191 --> 00:27:07,725 they pursue Justin's alibi. 518 00:27:09,194 --> 00:27:11,862 That particular Sunday night, 519 00:27:11,963 --> 00:27:13,964 Justin's roommate knew that Justin was 520 00:27:14,065 --> 00:27:16,600 at the house till about 6, 6:30, 521 00:27:16,701 --> 00:27:19,737 when Justin went to the bar. 522 00:27:19,838 --> 00:27:23,440 He said that he was there till about 12:30. 523 00:27:23,541 --> 00:27:25,609 He then comes home. 524 00:27:25,710 --> 00:27:27,645 He went to bed. 525 00:27:27,746 --> 00:27:30,381 I believe he got up at about 6 a.m., 526 00:27:30,482 --> 00:27:33,517 took some aspirin, and then went back to sleep. 527 00:27:34,886 --> 00:27:37,688 NARRATOR: Justin's alibi appears to put him far away from 528 00:27:37,789 --> 00:27:39,923 the crime scene at the time of the murder. 529 00:27:40,025 --> 00:27:43,060 But Detective Garcia wants solid proof. 530 00:27:43,161 --> 00:27:45,596 We obtained video surveillance from the bar, 531 00:27:45,697 --> 00:27:49,400 showing Justin at the bar all the way up until about midnight 532 00:27:49,501 --> 00:27:51,402 or 12:30. 533 00:27:51,503 --> 00:27:55,105 But then, after that, to about the following morning, 534 00:27:55,206 --> 00:27:58,809 there was nobody able to corroborate his alibi. 535 00:27:58,877 --> 00:28:01,912 NARRATOR: She's established a motive and opportunity, 536 00:28:02,013 --> 00:28:05,015 but Detective Garcia still needs physical evidence to 537 00:28:05,116 --> 00:28:07,084 connect Justin to the murder. 538 00:28:07,185 --> 00:28:10,320 GARCIA: We continue to talk to him for maybe half an hour. 539 00:28:10,422 --> 00:28:11,922 At the end of the conversation, 540 00:28:12,023 --> 00:28:15,693 he finally agreed to give a DNA sample. 541 00:28:15,794 --> 00:28:19,463 NARRATOR: But when Justin's DNA sample is tested, 542 00:28:19,564 --> 00:28:22,332 the results come back negative for a match, and he is 543 00:28:22,434 --> 00:28:24,435 eliminated as a suspect. 544 00:28:24,536 --> 00:28:28,505 GARCIA: It's very hard, because this was my first 545 00:28:28,606 --> 00:28:30,340 real investigation assigned to me, 546 00:28:30,442 --> 00:28:33,911 so I was pretty overwhelmed at the time trying to make sure 547 00:28:34,012 --> 00:28:38,115 that I dotted all my Is, crossed all my Ts, 548 00:28:38,216 --> 00:28:40,651 because all eyes were on me at that time. 549 00:28:42,454 --> 00:28:45,456 NARRATOR: With no prime suspect, detectives return to 550 00:28:45,557 --> 00:28:48,525 Nick's workplace to hunt for more clues. 551 00:28:48,626 --> 00:28:51,662 They learn that Nick's ex-girlfriend, Jessica, is 552 00:28:51,763 --> 00:28:53,897 having an affair with coworker James, 553 00:28:53,998 --> 00:28:57,401 who they had spoken to earlier in the investigation. 554 00:28:57,502 --> 00:29:00,938 GARCIA: There was rumors that Jessica was dating James Lapan. 555 00:29:01,039 --> 00:29:04,374 So we have a series of women that had been in and out of 556 00:29:04,509 --> 00:29:05,642 Nick's house, 557 00:29:05,744 --> 00:29:08,979 a series of women that had been upset over break-ups. 558 00:29:09,080 --> 00:29:12,950 And Jessica being one of the women, now is linked to 559 00:29:13,051 --> 00:29:14,184 James Lapan, 560 00:29:14,285 --> 00:29:18,489 who also had issues at work with Nick and filed 561 00:29:18,590 --> 00:29:19,923 a formal complaint. 562 00:29:20,024 --> 00:29:22,593 And so I started putting the pieces together, 563 00:29:22,694 --> 00:29:25,262 and I thought we might have something a little more here 564 00:29:25,363 --> 00:29:28,799 regarding James Lapan and Jessica's relationship, 565 00:29:28,900 --> 00:29:31,602 DAVILA: We had what appeared to be in a love triangle. 566 00:29:31,703 --> 00:29:33,070 We have James Lapan, 567 00:29:33,171 --> 00:29:35,806 Nick Morelos, and Jessica, 568 00:29:35,907 --> 00:29:38,542 and one of the three is dead, 569 00:29:38,643 --> 00:29:41,044 and two of them are now together. 570 00:29:42,847 --> 00:29:45,349 NARRATOR: Detectives summon James to the station to 571 00:29:45,450 --> 00:29:48,452 question him about his connection to Jessica. 572 00:29:48,553 --> 00:29:50,754 GARCIA: He looked like a little boy that got in trouble 573 00:29:50,855 --> 00:29:54,024 and said, "I did not tell you the truth." 574 00:29:54,125 --> 00:29:56,193 "Me and Jessica were in a romantic 575 00:29:56,294 --> 00:29:57,728 relationship together," 576 00:29:57,829 --> 00:30:01,231 and this had been going on for a couple of months. 577 00:30:01,332 --> 00:30:02,432 MOSHER: In the timeframe 578 00:30:02,534 --> 00:30:04,802 when James meets Jessica, 579 00:30:04,903 --> 00:30:08,839 James's wife is away, and James 580 00:30:08,940 --> 00:30:12,176 misrepresents to Jessica that 581 00:30:12,277 --> 00:30:16,013 his marriage is over and lets out the possibility that he 582 00:30:16,114 --> 00:30:18,515 and Jessica will get together and get married. 583 00:30:20,518 --> 00:30:22,653 But the fact is, Jessica had 584 00:30:22,754 --> 00:30:26,957 filled James's ears with complaints about Nick. 585 00:30:27,058 --> 00:30:29,526 So here we know two things. 586 00:30:29,627 --> 00:30:32,596 One, James hates Nick because of how 587 00:30:32,697 --> 00:30:35,265 he treats him at work, and then two, 588 00:30:35,366 --> 00:30:36,366 we have that 589 00:30:36,467 --> 00:30:40,304 James believes Nick has treated a woman 590 00:30:40,405 --> 00:30:42,673 that he loves inappropriately, 591 00:30:42,807 --> 00:30:46,143 so both of those could be motives for murder. 592 00:30:47,545 --> 00:30:50,848 NARRATOR: While Detective Garcia assesses a possible motive, 593 00:30:50,915 --> 00:30:53,884 something unusual catches her eye. 594 00:30:53,985 --> 00:30:57,754 There was this huge gouge in his arm, 595 00:30:57,856 --> 00:30:59,756 and it was pretty deep, as well. 596 00:30:59,858 --> 00:31:04,127 And so I asked him, may I take photos of your injuries? 597 00:31:04,229 --> 00:31:05,896 And may I take a DNA sample? 598 00:31:05,997 --> 00:31:07,464 And he said no to both. 599 00:31:10,001 --> 00:31:12,269 The killer got in through a broken window. 600 00:31:12,370 --> 00:31:16,106 You have James with a huge gash in his arm, 601 00:31:16,207 --> 00:31:17,975 clearly not treated medically. 602 00:31:18,076 --> 00:31:20,677 And then when James is asked to provide his DNA, 603 00:31:20,778 --> 00:31:21,879 and he refuses, 604 00:31:21,980 --> 00:31:25,282 there's no question that any investigator is gonna be 605 00:31:25,383 --> 00:31:29,019 highly suspicious of his involvement and is gonna look 606 00:31:29,120 --> 00:31:31,054 more deeply into his activities. 607 00:31:32,724 --> 00:31:35,292 NARRATOR: James claims the injury came from work, 608 00:31:35,393 --> 00:31:38,896 but Detective Garcia isn't buying his story. 609 00:31:38,997 --> 00:31:43,066 We got with the Human Resources director and said, "Hey", 610 00:31:43,167 --> 00:31:45,168 "we were told that there was an incident that happened on 611 00:31:45,270 --> 00:31:46,937 Saturday," and he knew about it. 612 00:31:47,038 --> 00:31:49,673 He said, "Yes, James had fallen on the airplane." 613 00:31:49,774 --> 00:31:51,942 So we said, "Okay, can we see the airplane?" 614 00:31:52,043 --> 00:31:55,646 So he walks us into the hangar, and he showed us how James 615 00:31:55,747 --> 00:31:57,314 fell into the access panel 616 00:31:57,415 --> 00:32:00,183 and how he had received scrapes on his legs 617 00:32:00,285 --> 00:32:02,486 when he fell, as well as 618 00:32:02,587 --> 00:32:05,656 maybe some superficial cuts on his arm. 619 00:32:06,991 --> 00:32:09,026 So on the airplane, right by the door, 620 00:32:09,127 --> 00:32:10,227 there's plastic panels. 621 00:32:10,328 --> 00:32:13,630 When you take those off, there is airplane insulation. 622 00:32:13,731 --> 00:32:16,099 James told us that that was all off, 623 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,635 and there's metal pieces that are exposed called 624 00:32:18,736 --> 00:32:21,738 stringers, and, um, that is 625 00:32:21,839 --> 00:32:26,276 where he said that he cut his arm, but the insulation 626 00:32:26,377 --> 00:32:28,879 and the panel was on, 627 00:32:28,980 --> 00:32:31,882 so the stringers would have never been exposed, so he would 628 00:32:31,983 --> 00:32:34,284 have hit the side of the airplane, and there was 629 00:32:34,385 --> 00:32:37,421 nothing jagged or rough where he could have cut his arm on. 630 00:32:38,823 --> 00:32:40,257 NARRATOR: Based on this discovery 631 00:32:40,358 --> 00:32:41,624 at the airplane hangar, 632 00:32:41,693 --> 00:32:45,696 detectives get a search warrant for James Lapan's home. 633 00:32:45,797 --> 00:32:49,866 We were specifically looking for weapons, ammunition, 634 00:32:49,968 --> 00:32:51,368 anything related with weapons. 635 00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:53,704 We were also hoping to find 636 00:32:53,805 --> 00:32:57,074 the weapon that was used to kill Nick Morelos. 637 00:32:58,276 --> 00:33:03,113 GARCIA: We found 18 boxes of 45-caliber ammo 638 00:33:03,214 --> 00:33:04,881 with the five-star stamp on it, 639 00:33:06,451 --> 00:33:09,619 and we found a gun box for 640 00:33:09,721 --> 00:33:14,524 a 45-caliber Para Ordnance 1911 handgun. 641 00:33:14,625 --> 00:33:16,860 There was also an empty box for 642 00:33:16,961 --> 00:33:22,332 a silencer -- that silencer fit the 45-caliber handgun. 643 00:33:22,433 --> 00:33:25,535 We also found a pair of 644 00:33:25,636 --> 00:33:28,438 blue pants that was tucked up high 645 00:33:28,539 --> 00:33:31,908 in his closet with bloodstains on it. 646 00:33:32,010 --> 00:33:33,877 NARRATOR: Detectives send the casings out 647 00:33:33,978 --> 00:33:35,846 for ballistics testing, the pants to 648 00:33:35,947 --> 00:33:37,681 the lab to test the bloodstains, 649 00:33:37,782 --> 00:33:40,650 and get a warrant for James's DNA, 650 00:33:40,752 --> 00:33:44,354 hoping to catch him off guard on his drive to work. 651 00:33:44,455 --> 00:33:47,624 James left his residence very early in the morning. 652 00:33:47,725 --> 00:33:49,326 Somebody else was driving. 653 00:33:49,427 --> 00:33:51,528 We followed him for a couple of miles 654 00:33:51,629 --> 00:33:55,932 and eventually conducted a high-risk stop on James Lapan. 655 00:33:56,034 --> 00:33:57,567 [siren wailing] 656 00:33:57,668 --> 00:33:59,603 And the driver of the vehicle was Jessica. 657 00:34:01,139 --> 00:34:04,608 One of the things that's disturbing is that we've got 658 00:34:04,709 --> 00:34:07,544 Jessica riding with James Lapan 659 00:34:07,645 --> 00:34:11,314 to work together days after Nick's murder. 660 00:34:11,416 --> 00:34:15,185 And so it raises some red flags in terms of what must 661 00:34:15,286 --> 00:34:17,087 have been going on in her head. 662 00:34:17,188 --> 00:34:20,357 Had she talked about the killing with James Lapan? 663 00:34:20,458 --> 00:34:23,660 And was she involved from the very beginning? 664 00:34:31,302 --> 00:34:34,204 NARRATOR: Detectives are closing in on James Lapan as the prime 665 00:34:34,305 --> 00:34:36,706 suspect in the murder of Nick Morelos 666 00:34:36,808 --> 00:34:39,309 but now question whether he was working alone 667 00:34:39,410 --> 00:34:41,178 or with Nick's ex-girlfriend, 668 00:34:41,279 --> 00:34:44,347 Jessica, and bring her into the station to be questioned. 669 00:35:08,239 --> 00:35:10,674 NARRATOR: And then Jessica reveals a critical piece 670 00:35:10,775 --> 00:35:13,210 of information. - The evening of the murder, 671 00:35:13,311 --> 00:35:16,379 and we're talking hours before the killer goes in through 672 00:35:16,481 --> 00:35:18,081 Nick's window and kills him, 673 00:35:18,182 --> 00:35:20,884 James Lapan is texting with Jessica, 674 00:35:20,985 --> 00:35:26,923 saying, "His pit bull?" And Jessica's writing back, 675 00:35:27,024 --> 00:35:29,292 "His dog's name is Smokey." 676 00:35:29,393 --> 00:35:34,030 James Lapan is asking about the pit bull that Nick had, 677 00:35:34,132 --> 00:35:37,701 and Jessica is providing information about the pit bull. 678 00:35:37,802 --> 00:35:40,770 And again, Nick is gonna be dead within a few hours. 679 00:35:40,872 --> 00:35:42,639 And then Jessica's gonna find that out, 680 00:35:42,740 --> 00:35:45,008 assuming she didn't know. 681 00:35:45,109 --> 00:35:47,377 And they're gonna be riding to work together, 682 00:35:47,478 --> 00:35:50,547 spending time together, in the days after the murder. 683 00:35:50,648 --> 00:35:53,116 They have plenty of time to have conversation, 684 00:35:53,217 --> 00:35:55,886 and one would think that conversation would be, 685 00:35:56,020 --> 00:35:58,989 "What the heck? You texted me about 686 00:35:59,090 --> 00:36:01,424 this guy's pit bull, and now he's dead." 687 00:36:01,526 --> 00:36:04,027 But there's no indication that that's the conversation, 688 00:36:04,128 --> 00:36:06,630 and that leads to big question marks for me, 689 00:36:06,731 --> 00:36:08,565 and it did for law enforcement. 690 00:36:09,867 --> 00:36:12,035 ARNTFIELD: The text messages to Jessica alone speak 691 00:36:12,136 --> 00:36:15,405 to the elaborate premeditation of this crime. 692 00:36:15,506 --> 00:36:19,476 I mean, the dog being outside at the scene was significant 693 00:36:19,577 --> 00:36:21,244 in its own right. 694 00:36:21,345 --> 00:36:24,414 The fact that we see these detailed inquiries being made 695 00:36:24,515 --> 00:36:26,883 to Jessica about the dog, its habits, 696 00:36:26,984 --> 00:36:29,586 its movements, where it is at that particular moment, 697 00:36:29,687 --> 00:36:31,555 I mean, things really start adding up here. 698 00:36:31,656 --> 00:36:33,557 He's gaining essentially 699 00:36:33,658 --> 00:36:37,661 inside knowledge and doing reconnaissance of the scene 700 00:36:37,762 --> 00:36:40,330 before he even gets there to commit the murder. 701 00:36:40,431 --> 00:36:42,432 NARRATOR: When detectives drill down on her, 702 00:36:42,533 --> 00:36:46,002 Jessica offers up information about James and his experience 703 00:36:46,103 --> 00:36:47,204 with guns. 704 00:36:47,305 --> 00:36:49,673 DAVILA: James has taken specialized tactical 705 00:36:49,774 --> 00:36:51,441 firearms training in the past. 706 00:36:51,542 --> 00:36:54,010 He's proficient with a firearm, and with 707 00:36:54,111 --> 00:36:55,178 my training and experience, 708 00:36:55,279 --> 00:36:59,216 I think that it's likely James had the skill set 709 00:36:59,317 --> 00:37:01,251 to do this crime. 710 00:37:01,352 --> 00:37:02,953 NARRATOR: James's training suggests 711 00:37:03,054 --> 00:37:04,854 that he has the skill set, 712 00:37:04,956 --> 00:37:07,357 but the blue pants found in his home are even 713 00:37:07,458 --> 00:37:09,259 more revealing. 714 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:11,628 When we get the test back from the lab work that 715 00:37:11,729 --> 00:37:13,330 was done, there was an area 716 00:37:13,431 --> 00:37:14,965 that had been tested from the pants that 717 00:37:15,066 --> 00:37:18,468 showed James Lapan's and Nick Morelos's DNA on them. 718 00:37:18,569 --> 00:37:22,071 But then it didn't even stop there. 719 00:37:22,139 --> 00:37:25,008 We had James Lapan's DNA 720 00:37:25,109 --> 00:37:27,244 in the form of blood left 721 00:37:27,345 --> 00:37:30,347 in multiple places throughout Nick's bedroom. 722 00:37:31,415 --> 00:37:34,117 GARCIA: Also, the casings we found in James Lapan's 723 00:37:34,218 --> 00:37:37,354 house, when those were tested for ballistics, 724 00:37:37,455 --> 00:37:42,025 those casings matched the casings at the crime scene. 725 00:37:42,126 --> 00:37:45,262 At this point, all arrows are 726 00:37:45,363 --> 00:37:48,665 pointing towards James Lapan in this investigation. 727 00:37:48,766 --> 00:37:51,101 NARRATOR: Despite having hard evidence against him, 728 00:37:51,202 --> 00:37:54,037 James Lapan has a corroborated alibi. 729 00:37:55,473 --> 00:38:00,076 So we had James Lapan and his wife giving the same statement. 730 00:38:01,212 --> 00:38:02,812 NARRATOR: But then his wife, Serena, 731 00:38:02,913 --> 00:38:05,448 comes forward with a shocking revelation. 732 00:38:05,549 --> 00:38:07,017 James forced her to lie about 733 00:38:07,151 --> 00:38:09,252 his alibi and threatened her with abuse 734 00:38:09,353 --> 00:38:13,256 if she didn't comply -- She had finally had enough. 735 00:38:13,357 --> 00:38:16,860 The impact of abuse on an abuse victim is 736 00:38:16,961 --> 00:38:19,696 so huge in so many different ways. 737 00:38:19,797 --> 00:38:22,432 But what we do know, of course, there's a lot of fear. 738 00:38:22,533 --> 00:38:25,235 So it's not uncommon for people to lie to cover up for 739 00:38:25,336 --> 00:38:26,936 an abusive partner, because they're -- 740 00:38:27,038 --> 00:38:28,171 They're afraid of them, 741 00:38:28,272 --> 00:38:30,173 and they're afraid of what could happen if they don't. 742 00:38:30,274 --> 00:38:32,676 And then sometimes something happens to remind you 743 00:38:32,777 --> 00:38:34,911 that this is not something that's normal. 744 00:38:35,012 --> 00:38:36,913 This is not okay, and then you 745 00:38:37,014 --> 00:38:38,915 are also forced to reconcile that difference. 746 00:38:39,016 --> 00:38:41,985 And so, you know, people might come forward with information 747 00:38:42,086 --> 00:38:44,220 or take risks that they ordinarily wouldn't, 748 00:38:44,322 --> 00:38:46,956 because they now realize what the situation is. 749 00:38:48,592 --> 00:38:50,727 NARRATOR: Serena tells detectives that James 750 00:38:50,828 --> 00:38:53,163 had always been jealous of Nick. 751 00:38:53,264 --> 00:38:54,597 GEORGE: There was this competition 752 00:38:54,699 --> 00:38:56,266 between James and Nick. 753 00:38:56,367 --> 00:38:59,669 You get a lot of guys that have that A type personality, 754 00:38:59,770 --> 00:39:02,906 and that was just kind of part and parcel of James 755 00:39:03,007 --> 00:39:05,241 and Nick's personalities. 756 00:39:05,343 --> 00:39:06,910 STOCKDALE: Someone like James would be 757 00:39:07,011 --> 00:39:10,046 incredibly envious of somebody like Nick. 758 00:39:10,147 --> 00:39:12,882 I see James as somebody who possibly 759 00:39:12,983 --> 00:39:16,052 collects injustices, collects grievances. 760 00:39:16,153 --> 00:39:19,322 If you're an arrogant person, and you feel like you deserve 761 00:39:19,423 --> 00:39:20,590 more and you're special, 762 00:39:20,691 --> 00:39:23,159 you're gonna be affronted when somebody says to you, "No", 763 00:39:23,260 --> 00:39:25,628 you can't park in that parking spot, " or, " No, 764 00:39:25,730 --> 00:39:26,896 you can't do these things." 765 00:39:26,997 --> 00:39:30,266 And so, at some level, I wonder if this narcissistic 766 00:39:30,368 --> 00:39:33,336 wound that he has that keeps festering for him, 767 00:39:33,437 --> 00:39:37,474 plus this enviousness of Nick and wants to be more like him, 768 00:39:37,575 --> 00:39:39,409 added to this warrior mentality. 769 00:39:39,510 --> 00:39:41,544 He sees himself as a pseudo commando, 770 00:39:41,645 --> 00:39:44,114 has this military-type background. 771 00:39:44,215 --> 00:39:48,385 Those things combine for a toxic mix for revenge 772 00:39:48,486 --> 00:39:50,320 and violence. 773 00:39:50,421 --> 00:39:52,822 NARRATOR: Detectives are now able to reconstruct 774 00:39:52,923 --> 00:39:56,292 the final 24 hours of Nick's life. 775 00:39:56,394 --> 00:39:58,395 After spending his Sunday with Kristy, 776 00:39:58,496 --> 00:40:02,065 Nick goes home, and he's in bed at his own home by 9 p.m. 777 00:40:03,968 --> 00:40:07,370 James and Serena are having that counseling session at home 778 00:40:07,471 --> 00:40:09,973 and went to bed early, roughly between 9 and 9:30. 779 00:40:11,409 --> 00:40:14,544 At 3:30 a.m. on Monday, James sneaks out of the house, 780 00:40:14,645 --> 00:40:17,580 and we know is at Nick's place, positioned outside 781 00:40:17,681 --> 00:40:19,883 the second floor window by 3:50 a.m. 782 00:40:21,786 --> 00:40:25,388 Nick wakes up, lets Smokey out at 4 a.m. 783 00:40:26,724 --> 00:40:30,026 James knew that habit, because Lapan had 784 00:40:30,127 --> 00:40:33,296 conversations about Smokey the pit bull with Jessica. 785 00:40:33,397 --> 00:40:34,998 And then he waits, Smokey's in 786 00:40:35,099 --> 00:40:37,467 the backyard, and then he begins firing. 787 00:40:37,568 --> 00:40:42,105 [muffled gunshots] 788 00:40:42,206 --> 00:40:43,873 And then he goes in through the window. 789 00:40:46,043 --> 00:40:47,043 Nick is moving. 790 00:40:49,046 --> 00:40:53,450 There's a closely packed pattern of shots 791 00:40:53,551 --> 00:40:55,452 and a final shot to his head. 792 00:40:55,553 --> 00:40:56,820 [muffled gunshot] 793 00:40:58,923 --> 00:41:03,693 James Lapan cleaned up and got home before 5:30 or 6, 794 00:41:03,794 --> 00:41:08,131 went to bed, and he didn't get up till 6 a.m. 795 00:41:09,433 --> 00:41:11,167 James Lapan is a monster. 796 00:41:11,268 --> 00:41:13,303 He murdered Nicolas Morelos for 797 00:41:13,404 --> 00:41:16,372 no other reason than jealousy. 798 00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:18,875 He gained nothing out of it. 799 00:41:18,976 --> 00:41:21,878 He destroyed the victim's family, 800 00:41:21,979 --> 00:41:23,780 the victim's extended family. 801 00:41:23,881 --> 00:41:25,582 He destroyed his family. 802 00:41:25,683 --> 00:41:28,218 NARRATOR: On October 2, 2018, 803 00:41:28,319 --> 00:41:29,853 James Lapan is convicted of 804 00:41:29,954 --> 00:41:32,422 the first-degree murder of Nick Morelos. 805 00:41:32,523 --> 00:41:35,492 He is sentenced to life without parole. 806 00:41:35,593 --> 00:41:38,161 In my 20 years in law enforcement in Pima County, 807 00:41:38,262 --> 00:41:42,432 this is the only incident that I can think of where these type 808 00:41:42,533 --> 00:41:44,334 of military, paramilitary type of tactics 809 00:41:44,435 --> 00:41:46,469 were used to hunt someone down and kill them. 810 00:41:46,570 --> 00:41:50,807 This case was very important to me, and I'm very, 811 00:41:50,908 --> 00:41:51,941 very proud of myself. 812 00:41:52,042 --> 00:41:56,379 We were able to narrow down suspects very quickly, 813 00:41:56,480 --> 00:42:00,016 get the suspect off the streets, make the public 814 00:42:00,117 --> 00:42:03,286 more safer, so I'm very satisfied with the way this 815 00:42:03,387 --> 00:42:05,121 investigation panned out. 816 00:42:07,291 --> 00:42:09,325 MOSHER: I can't bring Nick back. 817 00:42:09,426 --> 00:42:10,727 And the family -- 818 00:42:10,828 --> 00:42:12,895 It will still be a devastating tragedy 819 00:42:12,963 --> 00:42:14,430 for them the rest of their lives. 820 00:42:14,532 --> 00:42:18,368 But we can do something that helps them in some small way. 821 00:42:20,371 --> 00:42:22,438 They're looking for justice, 822 00:42:22,540 --> 00:42:25,975 and I get to try my best to give them a little piece 823 00:42:26,076 --> 00:42:27,277 of justice, 824 00:42:27,378 --> 00:42:31,080 and so I'm honored to serve my community and do that work.