1 00:00:04,104 --> 00:00:06,372 [Gavin] We think that this is a robbery, 2 00:00:06,374 --> 00:00:09,174 but there's also what appears to be rage. 3 00:00:09,176 --> 00:00:10,876 - He shot nine times. - [gunshots firing] 4 00:00:10,878 --> 00:00:12,478 This seems more personal. 5 00:00:17,517 --> 00:00:20,152 He was well revered within the Hispanic community. 6 00:00:20,154 --> 00:00:21,954 He was someone that people looked up to. 7 00:00:25,558 --> 00:00:28,027 She's sending the victim a text message 8 00:00:28,029 --> 00:00:30,362 after she knows that he's dead. 9 00:00:30,364 --> 00:00:33,232 We see a vehicle that matches 10 00:00:33,234 --> 00:00:35,234 the description from our tipster. 11 00:00:35,236 --> 00:00:37,002 We're on to something here. 12 00:00:37,004 --> 00:00:39,371 [Kyle] He was upset with Rafael because 13 00:00:39,373 --> 00:00:42,207 he found out that he was hitting on his wife. 14 00:00:42,209 --> 00:00:46,512 Jealousy as a motive for murder, drives people into a blind rage 15 00:00:46,514 --> 00:00:49,148 that can only be satisfied through murder. 16 00:00:51,584 --> 00:00:54,853 This is the only number that we didn't have identified. 17 00:00:54,855 --> 00:00:57,156 This is the person that called Rafael 18 00:00:57,158 --> 00:00:58,824 who called him to another place, 19 00:00:58,826 --> 00:01:01,460 which ended up being the place that he was murdered. 20 00:01:03,696 --> 00:01:05,564 [Tish] Every day in North America, 21 00:01:05,566 --> 00:01:07,800 dozens of people are murdered. 22 00:01:07,802 --> 00:01:10,669 The key to solving the toughest of these homicides 23 00:01:10,671 --> 00:01:14,006 lies in the final 24 hours of the victim's life. 24 00:01:14,741 --> 00:01:16,408 To crack the case, 25 00:01:16,410 --> 00:01:19,945 detectives must reconstruct that critical timeline. 26 00:01:19,947 --> 00:01:22,781 The minutes and hours containing evidence 27 00:01:22,783 --> 00:01:24,416 that can help unlock the mystery... 28 00:01:24,418 --> 00:01:26,318 - [woman screaming] - and catch the killer. 29 00:01:34,194 --> 00:01:35,794 Tulsa, Oklahoma, 30 00:01:35,796 --> 00:01:38,564 once dubbed the oil capital of the world, 31 00:01:38,566 --> 00:01:40,299 now a bustling and vibrant 32 00:01:40,301 --> 00:01:43,135 multicultural city in America's south. 33 00:01:43,137 --> 00:01:45,437 Tulsa is not a really large metropolis 34 00:01:45,439 --> 00:01:46,972 like some of the major cities in America, 35 00:01:46,974 --> 00:01:49,975 but it is a pretty large city, especially for Oklahoma. 36 00:01:49,977 --> 00:01:52,144 As far as demographics of Tulsa, 37 00:01:52,146 --> 00:01:55,114 the Hispanic population is about 15 percent. 38 00:01:56,616 --> 00:01:59,651 The area around 21st Garnett, the Santa Cecilia Plaza 39 00:01:59,653 --> 00:02:02,888 is a pretty big hub for the Hispanic community. 40 00:02:04,023 --> 00:02:05,724 It is the heart of the community 41 00:02:05,726 --> 00:02:09,261 because everything that they need and want is in that area. 42 00:02:12,432 --> 00:02:15,400 [Tish] At first light, on a warm spring morning, 43 00:02:15,402 --> 00:02:17,136 a 911 call is made 44 00:02:17,138 --> 00:02:19,171 to the Rogers County Sheriff's Office. 45 00:02:20,106 --> 00:02:22,508 On the morning of May 1st, 2015, 46 00:02:22,510 --> 00:02:25,077 a dump truck driver who was actually 47 00:02:25,079 --> 00:02:26,778 driving across the river bridge 48 00:02:26,780 --> 00:02:30,082 and looked down and noticed a silver car. 49 00:02:30,084 --> 00:02:33,352 That truck driver called Rogers County 911. 50 00:02:33,354 --> 00:02:35,053 [siren wailing] 51 00:02:35,055 --> 00:02:36,889 A deputy arrived on scene 52 00:02:36,891 --> 00:02:39,391 and the trooper began operations 53 00:02:39,393 --> 00:02:41,827 to recover the vehicle from the river. 54 00:02:41,829 --> 00:02:44,229 As the vehicle was being pulled up the embankment, 55 00:02:44,231 --> 00:02:45,731 the trunk pops open 56 00:02:45,733 --> 00:02:48,200 and when it gets to the top, the deputy is able to see 57 00:02:48,202 --> 00:02:49,501 that there is a body in the trunk. 58 00:02:54,440 --> 00:02:57,009 [Tish] Homicide detectives Gavin Catrell 59 00:02:57,011 --> 00:03:00,579 and Kyle Baker of Rogers County Sheriff's Office 60 00:03:00,581 --> 00:03:01,980 are called to the scene. 61 00:03:03,816 --> 00:03:05,517 When I received the call, 62 00:03:05,519 --> 00:03:07,719 I was driving into work that morning 63 00:03:07,721 --> 00:03:10,222 and I proceeded to the location 64 00:03:10,224 --> 00:03:12,958 of where the body was found. 65 00:03:15,461 --> 00:03:17,863 The Oklahoma State Highway Patrol trooper 66 00:03:17,865 --> 00:03:21,233 and the Rogers County sheriff's deputy directed me to the trunk 67 00:03:21,235 --> 00:03:24,703 where I can see that there is a Hispanic male, 68 00:03:24,705 --> 00:03:29,241 approximately mid-40s, that is in the back of the trunk. 69 00:03:29,243 --> 00:03:32,978 The body appeared to have multiple gunshots to his torso. 70 00:03:32,980 --> 00:03:35,747 It appeared that the victim was robbed 71 00:03:35,749 --> 00:03:38,450 and then murdered or vice versa. 72 00:03:38,452 --> 00:03:40,352 And we know that because 73 00:03:40,354 --> 00:03:42,254 his pockets were turned inside out, 74 00:03:42,256 --> 00:03:44,122 somebody rifled through his pockets. 75 00:03:44,124 --> 00:03:47,259 A normal person wouldn't leave their pocket turned inside out. 76 00:03:49,062 --> 00:03:51,763 [Tish] As investigators survey the crime scene, 77 00:03:51,765 --> 00:03:55,467 a narrative of the crime starts to come into focus. 78 00:03:55,469 --> 00:03:57,336 As we do some further investigation, 79 00:03:57,338 --> 00:03:58,737 we can see on the ground 80 00:03:58,739 --> 00:04:01,440 that there are multiple tire tracks. 81 00:04:01,442 --> 00:04:05,344 So we know that not only did we have multiple people there, 82 00:04:05,346 --> 00:04:06,812 but we also had another vehicle. 83 00:04:08,514 --> 00:04:11,149 There were nine millimeter shell casings located there. 84 00:04:11,151 --> 00:04:13,852 There were other calibers that we identified, 85 00:04:13,854 --> 00:04:16,855 but the bullet entry points to the body 86 00:04:16,857 --> 00:04:20,359 appear to be consistent with a .380 or a nine millimeter. 87 00:04:22,528 --> 00:04:24,630 We also find several beer cans 88 00:04:24,632 --> 00:04:26,231 in the immediate vicinity 89 00:04:26,233 --> 00:04:27,799 of where we found the tire tracks. 90 00:04:29,335 --> 00:04:32,204 We also discovered some blood on the ground, 91 00:04:32,206 --> 00:04:34,473 which led us to be fairly certain 92 00:04:34,475 --> 00:04:37,976 that he was actually killed at that scene. 93 00:04:37,978 --> 00:04:40,479 So that gave us a little bit more confidence 94 00:04:40,481 --> 00:04:43,582 that we're going to get some sort of physical evidence from our killers. 95 00:04:45,218 --> 00:04:47,953 My initial thought to this crime was a true whodunnit. 96 00:04:47,955 --> 00:04:49,688 We don't have any leads at this time. 97 00:04:49,690 --> 00:04:51,456 We don't have any witnesses 98 00:04:51,458 --> 00:04:54,326 that say they saw somebody 99 00:04:54,328 --> 00:04:56,428 kill this person or saw somebody 100 00:04:56,430 --> 00:04:57,996 push this vehicle off into the river. 101 00:04:59,666 --> 00:05:02,267 [Tish] For the investigation to move forward, 102 00:05:02,269 --> 00:05:05,270 detectives will first need to identify the victim. 103 00:05:06,406 --> 00:05:09,541 The vehicle has a name of "El Corre Caminos", 104 00:05:09,543 --> 00:05:11,443 which translates to Road Runner. 105 00:05:11,445 --> 00:05:15,814 And we quickly figured out that he is a taxi cab driver. 106 00:05:15,816 --> 00:05:17,182 During the search of the vehicle, 107 00:05:17,249 --> 00:05:20,185 we located a couple of different cell phones in the cab. 108 00:05:20,187 --> 00:05:23,188 One of them was the victim's cell phone. 109 00:05:23,190 --> 00:05:25,991 As we're conducting our investigation on the scene, 110 00:05:25,993 --> 00:05:29,328 someone pulls up and they're pretty hysterical, 111 00:05:29,330 --> 00:05:30,962 they're, you know, crying, they're upset. 112 00:05:32,131 --> 00:05:34,566 We discovered that that individual's name is Oscar 113 00:05:34,568 --> 00:05:38,003 and he was actually the victim's brother. 114 00:05:38,005 --> 00:05:41,940 While speaking to Oscar. He told me that his brother's name is Rafael 115 00:05:41,942 --> 00:05:44,976 and that he was a local taxi cab driver. 116 00:05:46,412 --> 00:05:49,681 [Tish] The victim is 38-year-old Rafael Hernandez, 117 00:05:49,683 --> 00:05:52,184 originally from Guanajuato, Mexico, 118 00:05:52,186 --> 00:05:55,420 who has been living in Tulsa for 20 years. 119 00:05:55,422 --> 00:05:58,090 Oscar gives us a lot of information about Rafael. 120 00:05:58,624 --> 00:06:00,492 Rafael pretty much 121 00:06:00,494 --> 00:06:03,929 specifically gave Hispanic individuals rides to court, 122 00:06:03,931 --> 00:06:05,697 any appointments that they needed. 123 00:06:08,801 --> 00:06:10,802 Rafael spoke Spanish and English, 124 00:06:10,804 --> 00:06:14,940 so he could provide both translation services and the ride there. 125 00:06:14,942 --> 00:06:19,111 According to Oscar, he was well revered within the Hispanic community. 126 00:06:19,113 --> 00:06:20,645 He was someone that people looked up to 127 00:06:20,647 --> 00:06:22,781 and people really required, you know, 128 00:06:22,783 --> 00:06:24,583 to get through their daily lives. 129 00:06:24,585 --> 00:06:28,587 Someone that would drop whatever he's doing to try to help somebody. 130 00:06:28,589 --> 00:06:31,957 [Tish] To find out who killed Rafael Hernandez, 131 00:06:31,959 --> 00:06:36,261 investigators will need to piece together his final 24 hours. 132 00:06:37,530 --> 00:06:40,665 Oscar said Rafael didn't really have a lot of enemies, 133 00:06:40,667 --> 00:06:44,069 that he did not know anybody that wanted to harm him. 134 00:06:44,071 --> 00:06:48,707 He told us that Rafael was a business owner and dealt a lot in cash. 135 00:06:50,810 --> 00:06:52,377 That quite frequently 136 00:06:52,379 --> 00:06:56,948 Rafael would carry around $2,000 on his person daily, 137 00:06:56,950 --> 00:07:01,153 and that was no secret to, to anyone, you know, in the community. 138 00:07:01,155 --> 00:07:02,788 [horn honking] 139 00:07:02,790 --> 00:07:05,624 Driving a taxi or operating a ride share service, 140 00:07:05,626 --> 00:07:08,860 these are inherently dangerous occupations. 141 00:07:08,862 --> 00:07:11,897 You're letting strangers into your vehicle 142 00:07:11,899 --> 00:07:15,901 and you're in a position of great vulnerability. 143 00:07:15,903 --> 00:07:18,203 The difference with a traditional taxi cab is, 144 00:07:18,205 --> 00:07:19,871 of course, fares being paid by cash, 145 00:07:19,873 --> 00:07:23,375 which then also makes you a susceptible target for robbery. 146 00:07:23,377 --> 00:07:25,043 [tapping sound] 147 00:07:27,046 --> 00:07:28,680 As we're looking at this... 148 00:07:30,049 --> 00:07:32,350 we think that, you know, this is a robbery, 149 00:07:32,352 --> 00:07:35,220 but there's also what appears to be rage 150 00:07:35,222 --> 00:07:38,824 and overkill in killing him. He's shot nine times. 151 00:07:39,892 --> 00:07:42,160 This is something that seems more personal, 152 00:07:42,162 --> 00:07:45,330 like the victim knows the killer. 153 00:07:45,332 --> 00:07:48,366 Oscar tells us that he had talked to his brother on the phone 154 00:07:48,368 --> 00:07:51,303 at approximately 11:30 on April 30th. 155 00:07:51,305 --> 00:07:53,672 Rafael tells Oscar that he's picking up a client, 156 00:07:53,674 --> 00:07:57,175 an individual by the name of Ernesto at 9:00 p.m. 157 00:07:57,177 --> 00:08:00,078 and is going to be driving him to Houston. 158 00:08:00,080 --> 00:08:02,581 He doesn't expect that he'll be back until May 1st 159 00:08:02,583 --> 00:08:05,116 at approximately 10:00-10:30. 160 00:08:07,119 --> 00:08:09,855 [Tish] Investigators now have their first person of interest 161 00:08:09,857 --> 00:08:15,093 in the brutal murder of Rafael Hernandez: Ernesto Lores. 162 00:08:15,095 --> 00:08:17,796 The crime occurred in Rogers County, 163 00:08:17,798 --> 00:08:19,698 but the people we are investigating 164 00:08:19,700 --> 00:08:21,933 and need to speak with lived in Tulsa County. 165 00:08:21,935 --> 00:08:23,802 We collaborated with them, 166 00:08:23,804 --> 00:08:25,403 digging up information on the people 167 00:08:25,405 --> 00:08:27,272 that we knew we're looking into. 168 00:08:28,307 --> 00:08:30,742 We tracked down Ernesto Lores 169 00:08:30,744 --> 00:08:34,379 and I interviewed him. He was very cooperative. 170 00:08:34,381 --> 00:08:38,283 He seemed to be open to what our questioning was, 171 00:08:38,285 --> 00:08:40,218 that he didn't have anything to do with this 172 00:08:40,220 --> 00:08:42,020 and that he was telling us the truth. 173 00:08:43,089 --> 00:08:45,023 Ernesto told me that he was supposed to meet 174 00:08:45,025 --> 00:08:47,726 with Rafael at 9 p.m. at the gas station 175 00:08:47,728 --> 00:08:49,961 and they were going to make the trip to Texas. 176 00:08:49,963 --> 00:08:52,130 [car engine working] 177 00:08:52,132 --> 00:08:55,767 Ernesto then sends a text to Rafael at 9:00 p.m. 178 00:08:55,769 --> 00:08:57,736 when he arrives at the gas station. 179 00:09:00,540 --> 00:09:03,575 So at 9:22 p.m., Rafael calls Ernesto 180 00:09:03,577 --> 00:09:06,111 and indicates to him that he is going to be late. 181 00:09:06,113 --> 00:09:08,747 He got a phone call from an individual that he knows 182 00:09:08,749 --> 00:09:09,948 and that he has to help him, 183 00:09:09,950 --> 00:09:12,450 that he was having some car trouble on the highway 184 00:09:12,452 --> 00:09:15,787 and then that he would be back to get Ernesto and that they would leave. 185 00:09:18,724 --> 00:09:21,593 Ernesto told me that he attempted to call Rafael 186 00:09:21,595 --> 00:09:26,097 multiple times at 10 p.m. and didn't get any answer. 187 00:09:26,099 --> 00:09:29,801 Ernesto then tells us he went ahead and drove to Texas himself. 188 00:09:31,537 --> 00:09:33,872 We began digging into Ernesto's phone records 189 00:09:33,874 --> 00:09:36,775 to see if he's telling us the truth and reviewing those records, 190 00:09:36,777 --> 00:09:40,745 we did see that he did, in fact, drive to Texas like he said. 191 00:09:41,747 --> 00:09:43,348 Based on those call detail records, 192 00:09:43,350 --> 00:09:44,983 we can be fairly certain 193 00:09:44,985 --> 00:09:48,353 that Rafael was not killed by Ernesto. 194 00:09:50,356 --> 00:09:52,791 [Tish] But the information Ernesto provides 195 00:09:52,793 --> 00:09:56,795 allows detectives to start building a timeline for Rafael's murder. 196 00:09:58,064 --> 00:10:00,131 We know that Ernesto 197 00:10:00,133 --> 00:10:05,036 spoke with Rafael at 9:22 p.m. on April 30th, 198 00:10:05,038 --> 00:10:09,007 and then at 10:24 p.m. on April 30th, 199 00:10:09,009 --> 00:10:12,911 Ernesto was no longer able to get a hold of Rafael. 200 00:10:12,913 --> 00:10:14,879 So we're able to presume at this point 201 00:10:14,881 --> 00:10:17,649 that Rafael is not answering his phone because he's already dead. 202 00:10:17,651 --> 00:10:22,954 So we use those times of 9:22 to roughly 10:24 203 00:10:22,956 --> 00:10:27,125 to establish that he was killed in that window of time. 204 00:10:27,127 --> 00:10:31,863 We needed to figure out who this mystery person was who called Rafael, 205 00:10:31,865 --> 00:10:33,465 saying that they had a broken down vehicle 206 00:10:33,467 --> 00:10:35,800 and that they needed help translating. 207 00:10:35,802 --> 00:10:39,971 This is the person that called Rafael to pull him to another place 208 00:10:39,973 --> 00:10:42,173 which ended up being the place that he was murdered. 209 00:10:42,175 --> 00:10:44,242 [gunshot fires] 210 00:10:48,247 --> 00:10:52,450 [Tish] In the murder of well-loved local taxi driver Rafael Hernandez... 211 00:10:53,319 --> 00:10:55,320 investigators are working the theory 212 00:10:55,322 --> 00:10:57,789 that they're dealing with a robbery gone wrong. 213 00:10:58,724 --> 00:11:00,158 Looking for leads, 214 00:11:00,160 --> 00:11:02,327 investigators reach out to the media. 215 00:11:03,562 --> 00:11:05,764 We received information off our tip line that 216 00:11:05,766 --> 00:11:09,334 some passerby's had seen a black truck, 217 00:11:09,336 --> 00:11:11,636 a black SUV and a silver car 218 00:11:11,638 --> 00:11:12,937 on the side of the road 219 00:11:12,939 --> 00:11:16,341 on the Carney River Bridge between 9:30 and 10:00. 220 00:11:16,343 --> 00:11:19,644 So this was a good lead for us in what kind of vehicles were there. 221 00:11:21,147 --> 00:11:23,114 So as we're thinking about possible theories 222 00:11:23,116 --> 00:11:25,116 on what had happened at the scene, 223 00:11:25,118 --> 00:11:27,252 we know that there's at least two people. 224 00:11:27,254 --> 00:11:30,822 There's two cars involved and there's multiple sets of footprints. 225 00:11:35,361 --> 00:11:38,763 [Tish] With this new evidence that they're likely looking for two killers, 226 00:11:38,765 --> 00:11:42,834 detectives are hoping Rafael's brother, Oscar Hernandez, 227 00:11:42,836 --> 00:11:47,038 can shed more light on who might have wanted Rafael dead. 228 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,375 Oscar tells us that Rafael is kind of a ladies man. 229 00:11:51,077 --> 00:11:52,477 He's not married, 230 00:11:52,479 --> 00:11:56,414 but he's got a girl that he's kind of trying to pursue romantically. 231 00:11:57,683 --> 00:12:00,552 The individual's name is Laura Contreras, 232 00:12:00,554 --> 00:12:03,755 and she is very friendly with Rafael, 233 00:12:03,757 --> 00:12:07,358 but she lives with a man who she has a child with. 234 00:12:07,360 --> 00:12:09,894 They're kind of common law married. 235 00:12:09,896 --> 00:12:12,063 So this was very interesting to figure out 236 00:12:12,065 --> 00:12:14,699 that she was in a relationship with Rafael 237 00:12:14,701 --> 00:12:16,468 and with a different person. 238 00:12:17,703 --> 00:12:19,804 It starts to build into this theory 239 00:12:19,806 --> 00:12:22,440 that there is a revenge motive to this death, 240 00:12:22,442 --> 00:12:26,711 that Rafael was possibly killed because of a relationship 241 00:12:26,713 --> 00:12:28,880 he was pursuing with a married woman. 242 00:12:28,882 --> 00:12:30,749 [car engine working] 243 00:12:30,751 --> 00:12:32,417 [Tish] Looking for answers, 244 00:12:32,419 --> 00:12:34,686 investigators bring Laura Contreras 245 00:12:34,688 --> 00:12:36,888 into the station for questioning. 246 00:12:36,890 --> 00:12:40,592 During the interview, Laura was very guarded, 247 00:12:40,594 --> 00:12:43,862 trying to be as vague as possible with us. 248 00:12:43,864 --> 00:12:45,697 We knew that she was hiding something from us. 249 00:12:45,699 --> 00:12:47,031 We just didn't know what it was. 250 00:12:48,467 --> 00:12:50,201 So while we're interviewing Laura, 251 00:12:50,203 --> 00:12:55,073 she tells us that she is friendly with Rafael and they talk frequently 252 00:12:55,075 --> 00:12:57,408 and that Rafael will come up and see her 253 00:12:57,410 --> 00:13:00,545 at her place of employment and bring her flowers and things like that. 254 00:13:14,994 --> 00:13:17,729 Laura told us that her lover, Pablo, 255 00:13:17,731 --> 00:13:19,931 knew about Rafael, but he was okay with it 256 00:13:19,933 --> 00:13:21,933 because it wasn't something serious. 257 00:13:31,744 --> 00:13:33,344 We realize it does not match up 258 00:13:33,346 --> 00:13:35,947 for what Oscar had told us previously. 259 00:13:35,949 --> 00:13:38,049 Somebody wasn't telling us the truth. 260 00:13:39,685 --> 00:13:42,720 Laura tells us that she had actually seen 261 00:13:42,722 --> 00:13:45,223 Rafael multiple times on April 30th. 262 00:13:45,225 --> 00:13:47,091 But the last time she says 263 00:13:47,093 --> 00:13:49,828 Rafael had actually came into her work 264 00:13:49,830 --> 00:13:52,030 at 11 p.m. on April 30th. 265 00:13:53,332 --> 00:13:56,401 That didn't match up with the information that we had. 266 00:13:56,403 --> 00:13:58,536 We had called detail records indicating 267 00:13:58,538 --> 00:14:01,806 that Rafael was already dead at that point. 268 00:14:01,808 --> 00:14:05,176 It just increased the suspicion we had for her 269 00:14:05,178 --> 00:14:06,845 from that entire interview. 270 00:14:08,180 --> 00:14:11,316 She indicates to us that she left a little after 11 p.m. 271 00:14:11,318 --> 00:14:13,818 and that she went straight home. 272 00:14:13,820 --> 00:14:15,753 Pablo and the daughter already asleep. 273 00:14:17,923 --> 00:14:20,558 So, Laura tells us that at approximately 7:00 a.m. 274 00:14:20,560 --> 00:14:21,960 on May 1st 275 00:14:21,962 --> 00:14:25,330 that she saw on Facebook that Rafael had been murdered. 276 00:14:26,665 --> 00:14:29,033 Based on the fact that, you know, she's given us 277 00:14:29,035 --> 00:14:32,704 times that aren't matching up with what we know to be true, 278 00:14:32,706 --> 00:14:35,373 we think that Laura could absolutely be involved. 279 00:14:35,375 --> 00:14:38,209 And because of that, we have to dig deeper into her 280 00:14:38,211 --> 00:14:41,045 to determine if she is or is not involved. 281 00:14:42,715 --> 00:14:45,984 [Tish] As detectives work to verify Laura's alibi, 282 00:14:45,986 --> 00:14:48,720 Rafael's cell phone records come in. 283 00:14:49,822 --> 00:14:51,789 In order for cell phones to work, 284 00:14:51,791 --> 00:14:53,391 they have to make a connection, 285 00:14:53,393 --> 00:14:56,561 which is commonly called a handshake with a tower. 286 00:14:56,563 --> 00:14:59,297 And as you're traveling down the highway, as, as you're moving, 287 00:14:59,299 --> 00:15:04,903 your cell phone constantly updates and pings to the closest tower. 288 00:15:04,905 --> 00:15:07,071 We received Rafael's phone records 289 00:15:07,073 --> 00:15:11,442 and we were able to corroborate Ernesto's story that at 9:22, 290 00:15:11,444 --> 00:15:16,080 when Rafael texted, that he was actually traveling northbound on 169, 291 00:15:16,082 --> 00:15:19,584 headed towards the area where he was ultimately killed. 292 00:15:20,819 --> 00:15:23,521 We know Rafael's location by triangulating 293 00:15:23,523 --> 00:15:25,757 the signal of his cell phone 294 00:15:25,759 --> 00:15:27,358 as it's moving down the highway. 295 00:15:29,094 --> 00:15:32,931 So as we're examining these call detail records... 296 00:15:32,933 --> 00:15:35,166 [car engine working] 297 00:15:35,168 --> 00:15:38,102 We find one number that kind of stands out to us. 298 00:15:38,104 --> 00:15:40,738 This number made the phone call to Rafael's phone 299 00:15:40,740 --> 00:15:43,241 approximately 9:15 p.m., 300 00:15:43,243 --> 00:15:45,476 before Rafael tells Ernesto 301 00:15:45,478 --> 00:15:48,246 that he is diverting to go help someone. 302 00:15:48,248 --> 00:15:51,582 We found out that it was a burner phone. 303 00:15:51,584 --> 00:15:53,184 This number is very suspicious 304 00:15:53,186 --> 00:15:55,620 because people who don't want to be found 305 00:15:55,622 --> 00:15:57,622 or don't want us knowing who they are, 306 00:15:57,624 --> 00:16:00,191 will use a burner phone to conceal their identity. 307 00:16:02,294 --> 00:16:05,596 This is the only number that we didn't have identified 308 00:16:05,598 --> 00:16:07,598 as to who was behind that number. 309 00:16:07,600 --> 00:16:11,703 It was crucial for us to determine who was using that phone. 310 00:16:13,138 --> 00:16:17,141 At 9:48 p.m., Rafael called this mystery number, 311 00:16:17,143 --> 00:16:20,712 and it was the last time Rafael had communicated with anybody. 312 00:16:22,881 --> 00:16:27,518 We know that Ernesto tried to call Rafael at 10:24 p.m... 313 00:16:27,520 --> 00:16:30,321 - [gunshot firing] - and Rafael doesn't answer. 314 00:16:30,323 --> 00:16:32,290 But now we also know that Rafael 315 00:16:32,292 --> 00:16:35,526 has called this burner phone at 9:48. 316 00:16:35,528 --> 00:16:38,096 So the window gets narrower and narrower 317 00:16:38,098 --> 00:16:39,664 with every piece of information we get. 318 00:16:39,666 --> 00:16:40,965 [gunshot firing] 319 00:16:43,202 --> 00:16:45,870 [Tish] Having narrowed down Rafael's window of death 320 00:16:45,872 --> 00:16:50,608 to between 9:48 p.m. and 10:24 p.m., 321 00:16:50,610 --> 00:16:54,879 investigators dig into his cell phone records looking for new leads. 322 00:16:55,981 --> 00:16:58,082 While we're examining call detail records, 323 00:16:58,084 --> 00:17:02,020 we learn that Laura has actually called 324 00:17:02,022 --> 00:17:07,759 or communicated with Rafael's phone at 8:39 a.m. on May 1st, 325 00:17:07,761 --> 00:17:11,496 which struck us again as odd and very suspicious, 326 00:17:11,498 --> 00:17:13,531 because Laura has indicated to us 327 00:17:13,533 --> 00:17:18,436 that she was aware of Rafael's death at 7:00 a.m. on May 1st. 328 00:17:18,438 --> 00:17:21,239 We also knew Laura was lying, unquestionably, 329 00:17:21,241 --> 00:17:25,209 because she says she saw him at 11 p.m. on April 30th. 330 00:17:25,211 --> 00:17:27,879 We know that he was on the highway at 9:30. 331 00:17:27,881 --> 00:17:29,680 [car engine working] 332 00:17:29,682 --> 00:17:31,249 Her lies exposed 333 00:17:31,251 --> 00:17:35,887 because the phone records show that the phone was traveling at the time 334 00:17:35,889 --> 00:17:39,057 when she claims that she was meeting him. 335 00:17:39,059 --> 00:17:42,360 It certainly gives the investigators 336 00:17:42,362 --> 00:17:46,731 cause to consider why she's lying and who she's protecting. 337 00:17:49,201 --> 00:17:53,071 We already began to think that Laura was a potential suspect 338 00:17:53,073 --> 00:17:55,173 because of her deceitfulness. 339 00:17:55,175 --> 00:17:58,142 And now we're wondering if she really was involved 340 00:17:58,144 --> 00:18:03,481 because she's sending the victim a text message after she knows that he's dead. 341 00:18:07,953 --> 00:18:10,254 [bell ringing] 342 00:18:10,256 --> 00:18:12,590 [Tish] In the brutal shooting of local taxi driver 343 00:18:12,592 --> 00:18:15,726 and businessman Rafael Hernandez... 344 00:18:15,728 --> 00:18:20,098 detectives are zeroing in on his girlfriend, Laura Contreras. 345 00:18:21,400 --> 00:18:23,101 During the course the interview, 346 00:18:23,103 --> 00:18:26,437 Laura actually gives us the wrong address. 347 00:18:26,439 --> 00:18:29,507 So it was suspicious to us that she would provide us 348 00:18:29,509 --> 00:18:31,375 with an address that wasn't accurate. 349 00:18:32,277 --> 00:18:34,545 Through multiple different sources, 350 00:18:34,547 --> 00:18:37,081 we were able to locate her residence. 351 00:18:38,383 --> 00:18:41,352 We decide to go over and we want to put eyes on her. 352 00:18:41,354 --> 00:18:46,657 While we're there, we see a vehicle that matches the description 353 00:18:46,659 --> 00:18:50,061 of one of the vehicles that we got from our tipster. 354 00:18:50,063 --> 00:18:53,131 It was a black pickup truck. 355 00:18:53,133 --> 00:18:55,333 We also noticed a black SUV, 356 00:18:55,335 --> 00:18:58,569 and that's when we made the conclusion that the trucks and this SUV 357 00:18:58,571 --> 00:19:02,340 were more than likely the ones that the tipster saw at the scene of the crime. 358 00:19:03,675 --> 00:19:05,610 We're on to something here, 359 00:19:05,612 --> 00:19:08,412 and we need to dig a lot deeper into Laura 360 00:19:08,414 --> 00:19:11,082 and the people that live at her house. 361 00:19:11,084 --> 00:19:16,721 Then we observed Laura getting into her black SUV and she leaves her residence. 362 00:19:16,723 --> 00:19:20,324 We contacted Tulsa police and they made a traffic stop on her. 363 00:19:20,326 --> 00:19:21,759 She ended up having some warrants 364 00:19:21,761 --> 00:19:23,594 and she was subsequently arrested on those. 365 00:19:23,596 --> 00:19:24,762 [siren wailing] 366 00:19:24,764 --> 00:19:27,131 That allowed us to be able to get her into custody 367 00:19:27,133 --> 00:19:29,333 and really put some pressure on her, 368 00:19:29,335 --> 00:19:32,170 because at this point we really feel like she's involved. 369 00:19:34,306 --> 00:19:35,973 [Tish] Back at Laura's residence, 370 00:19:35,975 --> 00:19:39,944 Detectives Catrell and Baker observed two males exit the house 371 00:19:39,946 --> 00:19:41,879 and approach the black pickup truck. 372 00:19:43,615 --> 00:19:47,752 They're identified as Pablo Lopez, Laura's common law partner, 373 00:19:47,754 --> 00:19:51,155 and Roberto Rincon, a friend who was living with them 374 00:19:51,157 --> 00:19:53,057 and the owner of the truck. 375 00:19:53,059 --> 00:19:54,959 The truck that we locate there, 376 00:19:54,961 --> 00:19:57,461 we end up kind of walking around looking at it 377 00:19:57,463 --> 00:19:58,963 and it has a paper tag on it 378 00:19:58,965 --> 00:20:02,800 which indicates that it's been purchased within the last month. 379 00:20:02,802 --> 00:20:04,835 We see blood on the tag. 380 00:20:04,837 --> 00:20:08,372 It's a bloody fingerprint and it shocks us. 381 00:20:09,608 --> 00:20:11,976 We talked to Roberto about the vehicle he was driving 382 00:20:11,978 --> 00:20:15,246 and why there was blood on the paper tag. 383 00:20:15,248 --> 00:20:17,315 Roberto said he didn't know anything about the blood 384 00:20:17,317 --> 00:20:20,618 and that he had just purchased the vehicle on May 2nd. 385 00:20:21,787 --> 00:20:23,120 So while searching the truck, 386 00:20:23,122 --> 00:20:25,623 we did locate two cellular devices. 387 00:20:25,625 --> 00:20:28,226 Roberto told us that the one in the glove box was not his 388 00:20:28,228 --> 00:20:30,094 and that he had found it the day before 389 00:20:30,096 --> 00:20:31,329 and was going to hold on to it 390 00:20:31,331 --> 00:20:33,998 until the person who lost it was going to call. 391 00:20:35,467 --> 00:20:38,169 He's got this other phone that he's keeping around 392 00:20:38,171 --> 00:20:41,505 that potentially could be a burner phone. 393 00:20:41,507 --> 00:20:44,108 We asked, "Are there any firearms inside the house?" 394 00:20:44,110 --> 00:20:46,477 Pablo told us that he did own a firearm 395 00:20:46,479 --> 00:20:49,714 and that was a .380 and it was inside the house. 396 00:20:49,716 --> 00:20:53,517 A .380 pistol is extremely similar in size 397 00:20:53,519 --> 00:20:56,454 as far as projectile goes to a nine millimeter. 398 00:20:56,456 --> 00:21:00,791 That interests us because the holes that are in Rafael's body 399 00:21:00,793 --> 00:21:03,661 could, could very well have come from a .380. 400 00:21:05,697 --> 00:21:08,366 [Kyle] It all started to add up that there's blood at the scene. 401 00:21:08,368 --> 00:21:11,802 We have a cell phone that no one wants to claim ownership of, 402 00:21:11,804 --> 00:21:13,871 but the vehicles match the same descriptions 403 00:21:13,873 --> 00:21:17,375 of the people who saw them at the homicide scene. 404 00:21:20,312 --> 00:21:23,214 We're excited at this point. We think that we've solved the case. 405 00:21:24,650 --> 00:21:27,018 [Tish] Knowing that they are looking for two killers 406 00:21:27,020 --> 00:21:30,521 and with the evidence stacking up against Roberto and Pablo, 407 00:21:30,523 --> 00:21:34,458 investigators haul them into the station for questioning. 408 00:21:34,460 --> 00:21:37,194 The question gets brought up about the relationship 409 00:21:37,196 --> 00:21:39,964 between Laura and Rafael. 410 00:21:39,966 --> 00:21:43,801 Pablo is not really concerned with the idea of a relationship. 411 00:21:43,803 --> 00:21:46,637 He describes them as just being friends. 412 00:21:46,639 --> 00:21:50,441 I do not believe that Pablo is not jealous. 413 00:21:50,443 --> 00:21:53,611 I believe that there has to be some jealousy 414 00:21:53,613 --> 00:21:58,849 with his lover talking to another man all the time. 415 00:21:59,985 --> 00:22:04,622 Jealousy is among the top motives for murder. 416 00:22:04,624 --> 00:22:06,857 Especially in cases where males perceive 417 00:22:06,859 --> 00:22:10,261 that they're in part of a romantic love triangle. 418 00:22:10,263 --> 00:22:12,697 They want to get back at the person 419 00:22:12,699 --> 00:22:15,566 that they're thinking is involved with their partner. 420 00:22:15,568 --> 00:22:19,270 It drives people into a blind rage, if you will, 421 00:22:19,272 --> 00:22:23,708 and they ultimately become blinded by this impulse, 422 00:22:23,710 --> 00:22:26,911 that can only be satisfied through murder. 423 00:22:28,313 --> 00:22:30,548 [Tish] Detectives dig into Pablo's timeline 424 00:22:30,550 --> 00:22:32,483 for the night of Rafael's murder. 425 00:22:33,485 --> 00:22:35,886 The night of April 30th, Pablo was telling us 426 00:22:35,888 --> 00:22:38,089 he was helping get the kids to sleep. 427 00:22:38,091 --> 00:22:41,625 He wasn't sure where Roberto was and hadn't seen him. 428 00:22:41,627 --> 00:22:44,762 Pablo tells investigators that when Laura got home, 429 00:22:44,764 --> 00:22:46,464 he was already asleep. 430 00:22:47,666 --> 00:22:50,634 [Tish] Then detectives shift from Pablo to Roberto 431 00:22:50,636 --> 00:22:53,337 to see if their stories match up. 432 00:22:53,339 --> 00:22:57,942 Roberto tells me that he gets home around 5:00 p.m. on April 30th 433 00:22:57,944 --> 00:23:00,311 and that he hung out with Pablo all night. 434 00:23:00,313 --> 00:23:05,850 They cooked dinner and that Laura arrived home around 11:00. 435 00:23:05,852 --> 00:23:09,453 It is very interesting when Pablo and Roberto give us their accounts 436 00:23:09,455 --> 00:23:12,857 of what happened that night, because none of it makes sense. 437 00:23:12,859 --> 00:23:15,426 We were really unsure 438 00:23:15,428 --> 00:23:17,495 what is going on and what the truth was. 439 00:23:19,231 --> 00:23:23,134 [Tish] Detectives turn their attention back to Pablo's partner Laura 440 00:23:23,136 --> 00:23:27,938 in hopes she'll reveal what really happened the night of Rafael's murder. 441 00:23:27,940 --> 00:23:30,474 We're talking to Laura and trying to put some more pressure on her 442 00:23:30,476 --> 00:23:34,745 to try to figure out why there are so many inconsistencies in her story. 443 00:23:34,747 --> 00:23:35,813 And as we're asking her, 444 00:23:35,815 --> 00:23:39,283 she indicates that the time that she saw Rafael 445 00:23:39,285 --> 00:23:44,121 was actually earlier, a lot closer to 8:00 p.m. than 11:00 p.m. 446 00:23:44,123 --> 00:23:46,123 We're able to track down her employer 447 00:23:46,125 --> 00:23:49,093 who confirmed that she was at work at 11:00 448 00:23:49,095 --> 00:23:53,931 and that she was there during the time that Rafael was killed. 449 00:23:53,933 --> 00:23:57,268 At this point, we know now that her alibi has been confirmed 450 00:23:57,270 --> 00:24:01,405 and she was not at the scene where Rafael was killed. 451 00:24:02,641 --> 00:24:06,010 [Tish] Despite Laura being ruled out as a suspect, 452 00:24:06,012 --> 00:24:12,516 investigators still believe that Pablo and Roberto were involved in Rafael's murder. 453 00:24:12,518 --> 00:24:16,921 We began questioning Roberto more about the blood on the tag of his vehicle. 454 00:24:16,923 --> 00:24:19,890 He did confirm again that he didn't know anything about the blood 455 00:24:19,892 --> 00:24:22,159 and that he purchased the vehicle on May 2nd. 456 00:24:22,961 --> 00:24:24,061 We went to the dealership 457 00:24:24,063 --> 00:24:26,530 and found out that the vehicle was, in fact, 458 00:24:26,532 --> 00:24:30,000 inside the lot at the time of the murder on May 1st. 459 00:24:30,002 --> 00:24:35,506 So that vehicle was not involved in this case whatsoever. 460 00:24:35,508 --> 00:24:40,077 And then we get the information back on the burner phone that Roberto has 461 00:24:40,079 --> 00:24:43,481 and we're expecting that we're going to see the number 462 00:24:43,483 --> 00:24:47,184 is our suspect number that communicated with Rafael. 463 00:24:47,186 --> 00:24:49,053 And it comes back that it's not the number. 464 00:24:49,055 --> 00:24:50,821 [gunshot firing] 465 00:24:50,823 --> 00:24:54,425 That was just something that just deflated us. 466 00:24:54,427 --> 00:24:57,428 Although the things that they're telling us may not be truthful, 467 00:24:57,430 --> 00:25:00,364 they are really not involved in Rafael's death. 468 00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:05,069 [Tish] With Pablo and Roberto eliminated as suspects 469 00:25:05,071 --> 00:25:07,471 in the murder of Rafael Hernandez, 470 00:25:07,473 --> 00:25:09,840 the investigation grinds to a halt. 471 00:25:10,742 --> 00:25:14,612 This was a true whodunnit homicide. 472 00:25:14,614 --> 00:25:18,115 We have a lot of pressure on us to try to figure out what happened. 473 00:25:18,117 --> 00:25:21,952 At this point we have no idea who could have murdered Rafael. 474 00:25:21,954 --> 00:25:24,989 We have to start at square one looking for who owns 475 00:25:24,991 --> 00:25:28,826 that mystery number that we can't identify. 476 00:25:28,828 --> 00:25:32,563 It was the last number that Rafael had made contact with. 477 00:25:32,565 --> 00:25:34,698 And he's lured to his demise. 478 00:25:35,467 --> 00:25:37,568 So we believe that person 479 00:25:37,570 --> 00:25:40,638 is either our killer or a witness to the murder. 480 00:25:44,976 --> 00:25:47,945 [Tish] In the cold-blooded murder of Rafael Hernandez, 481 00:25:47,947 --> 00:25:51,415 investigators turned to state of the art technology 482 00:25:51,417 --> 00:25:54,552 to uncover who called Rafael from the burner phone 483 00:25:54,554 --> 00:25:56,353 that lured him to his death. 484 00:25:58,523 --> 00:26:01,992 We obtained the records for the burner phone... 485 00:26:01,994 --> 00:26:05,329 and as we tracked that phone, we noticed that it left Tulsa 486 00:26:05,331 --> 00:26:08,499 and eventually began pinging on a cell phone tower 487 00:26:08,501 --> 00:26:12,269 near the Kaney River Bridge at approximately 9:30 p.m. 488 00:26:12,271 --> 00:26:14,038 on the night that Rafael was murdered. 489 00:26:15,674 --> 00:26:18,442 This is very significant because it puts 490 00:26:18,444 --> 00:26:21,979 the burner phone and Rafael's phone in the same vicinity 491 00:26:21,981 --> 00:26:25,382 on the night of April 30th at 9:30 p.m. 492 00:26:25,384 --> 00:26:28,819 At 9:48, Rafael contacts the burner phone. 493 00:26:28,821 --> 00:26:32,323 At 10:17, the burner phone leaves the area 494 00:26:32,325 --> 00:26:34,558 and Rafael's phone does not leave. 495 00:26:34,560 --> 00:26:36,126 It stays at the same location. 496 00:26:36,962 --> 00:26:38,395 At 10:24 p.m. 497 00:26:38,397 --> 00:26:42,232 Ernesto calls Rafael in which he does not answer. 498 00:26:42,234 --> 00:26:45,769 This is telling us that there's a 29 minute period where Rafael was murdered. 499 00:26:45,771 --> 00:26:47,938 His phone never leaves the vicinity. 500 00:26:49,941 --> 00:26:53,043 We conducted cell phone search records on the burner phone 501 00:26:53,045 --> 00:26:57,014 and learned that the phone was purchased five days prior to the homicide 502 00:26:57,016 --> 00:26:59,516 under the name of Arnulfo Mora. 503 00:26:59,518 --> 00:27:04,021 We later learned that that was a fake name. No one existed by that name. 504 00:27:06,358 --> 00:27:08,826 This is where it gets really crazy. 505 00:27:08,828 --> 00:27:11,061 So digging more into the cell phone records, 506 00:27:11,063 --> 00:27:12,463 we learned that this phone number 507 00:27:12,465 --> 00:27:14,531 had communicated with some other phone numbers. 508 00:27:14,533 --> 00:27:17,635 So we began calling and trying to identify those people 509 00:27:17,637 --> 00:27:19,770 that this burner phone was connected to. 510 00:27:21,406 --> 00:27:23,173 [Tish] Investigators zero in 511 00:27:23,175 --> 00:27:27,177 on a number that a Arnulfo Mora's burner phone called numerous times 512 00:27:27,179 --> 00:27:31,715 between April 25th and April 30th, the day Rafael was killed. 513 00:27:33,184 --> 00:27:34,718 We come across a number 514 00:27:34,720 --> 00:27:38,222 that communicates very frequently with the burner phone, 515 00:27:38,224 --> 00:27:42,059 and that person is named Marco Martinez. 516 00:27:43,194 --> 00:27:44,662 We do some research into him 517 00:27:44,664 --> 00:27:47,131 and we find out that he has a felony warrant. 518 00:27:47,133 --> 00:27:48,899 So we arrest Marco. 519 00:27:50,669 --> 00:27:54,738 While Marco is in custody, we interview him. 520 00:27:54,740 --> 00:27:56,940 And Marco says, "Well, I don't know who that is." 521 00:27:56,942 --> 00:27:59,143 He's never seen that number before. 522 00:27:59,145 --> 00:28:01,578 But typing the phone number into his phone, 523 00:28:01,580 --> 00:28:04,882 it did pop up a name of Periquin. 524 00:28:04,884 --> 00:28:07,851 Marco tells us that he does not know Periquin's real name 525 00:28:07,853 --> 00:28:11,255 and that everyone goes by nicknames in that area. 526 00:28:11,257 --> 00:28:13,757 Even though Marco doesn't know Periquins's real name... 527 00:28:15,560 --> 00:28:19,530 He was able provide us the location of where Periquin lives. 528 00:28:19,532 --> 00:28:23,267 And he describes Periquin's car as being a black Nissan Cube, 529 00:28:23,269 --> 00:28:25,969 which is an SUV style of vehicle. 530 00:28:27,105 --> 00:28:29,907 So, Periquin, he's attached to the burner phone 531 00:28:29,909 --> 00:28:31,975 and now he drives a vehicle 532 00:28:31,977 --> 00:28:35,379 that is very consistent with the type of vehicle that was seen 533 00:28:35,381 --> 00:28:37,915 in the area of the homicide. 534 00:28:37,917 --> 00:28:43,053 Marco, elaborated even more about how Periquin did have some money problems. 535 00:28:43,055 --> 00:28:44,722 He had a lot of debt to people 536 00:28:44,724 --> 00:28:48,826 and that he needed money to pay all these debts off. 537 00:28:49,961 --> 00:28:52,696 And Marco overheard a conversation with Periquin 538 00:28:52,698 --> 00:28:55,532 talking to some friends that he was upset with Rafael 539 00:28:55,534 --> 00:28:58,836 because he found out that he was hitting on his wife. 540 00:29:21,392 --> 00:29:24,027 Well, at this point, we're putting together 541 00:29:24,029 --> 00:29:27,664 that there is a motive for jealousy 542 00:29:27,666 --> 00:29:30,033 and a motive for money 543 00:29:30,035 --> 00:29:32,436 - because it was known to people... - [gunshot fires] 544 00:29:32,438 --> 00:29:34,972 that Rafael carried, you know, around $2,000 in cash. 545 00:29:37,809 --> 00:29:40,577 [Tish] Thinking Periquin could be their killer, 546 00:29:40,579 --> 00:29:44,581 investigators descend on his apartment in hopes of tracking him down. 547 00:29:45,650 --> 00:29:48,018 We've basically staked the apartment complex out. 548 00:29:48,820 --> 00:29:50,921 And it wasn't very long at all. 549 00:29:50,923 --> 00:29:52,189 We're sitting in the parking lot 550 00:29:52,191 --> 00:29:55,092 and this little guy comes out from the apartment 551 00:29:55,094 --> 00:29:57,161 exactly like Marco described, 552 00:29:57,163 --> 00:30:00,063 and he comes out to a black Cube. 553 00:30:01,032 --> 00:30:03,667 So we end up running the tag of the vehicle 554 00:30:03,669 --> 00:30:07,471 and determine that this belongs to Roman Medrano. 555 00:30:11,376 --> 00:30:13,677 [Tish] With the mounting evidence against Roman, 556 00:30:13,679 --> 00:30:16,547 detectives secure a search warrant for his home. 557 00:30:16,549 --> 00:30:18,515 We located a ledger 558 00:30:18,517 --> 00:30:21,318 which had all the people that he owed money to, 559 00:30:21,320 --> 00:30:25,422 which is significant because now we corroborated that he did have debt. 560 00:30:25,424 --> 00:30:27,124 During the process of the search, 561 00:30:27,126 --> 00:30:31,461 we were able to find eight different phones in the house of Roman and his wife. 562 00:30:32,664 --> 00:30:35,265 We did not find an actual cell phone 563 00:30:35,267 --> 00:30:40,037 that was associated with the burner phone number that we were looking for. 564 00:30:40,039 --> 00:30:42,573 However, one of the cell phones we discovered 565 00:30:42,575 --> 00:30:48,111 was a number that the burner phone had communication with over 160 times. 566 00:30:48,113 --> 00:30:52,816 We determined that cell phone belongs to Blanca who is Roman's wife. 567 00:30:54,252 --> 00:30:57,487 This is very significant at the point of this investigation, 568 00:30:57,489 --> 00:31:02,726 because it's only relevant and probable that that phone actually belongs to Roman 569 00:31:02,728 --> 00:31:04,595 and that they were communicating together. 570 00:31:04,597 --> 00:31:05,896 [car engine working] 571 00:31:05,898 --> 00:31:08,232 [Tish] Having connected Roman to the burner phone 572 00:31:08,234 --> 00:31:10,767 that called Rafael the night he was killed, 573 00:31:10,769 --> 00:31:14,171 they haul him down to the station for questioning. 574 00:31:14,173 --> 00:31:18,709 During that conversation, Roman was very standoffish 575 00:31:18,711 --> 00:31:20,844 and he's very short with his answers. 576 00:31:20,846 --> 00:31:23,547 And it was very clear that he was being deceitful. 577 00:31:24,315 --> 00:31:26,183 Roman ended up stating 578 00:31:26,185 --> 00:31:28,252 that he did know of Rafael 579 00:31:28,254 --> 00:31:32,923 and he did know that Blanca had gotten a ride from him in the past. 580 00:31:32,925 --> 00:31:37,160 We asked Roman about his alibi that night and where he was. 581 00:31:37,162 --> 00:31:39,363 He told us that he was at home the entire night 582 00:31:39,365 --> 00:31:43,467 and that his wife does not let him leave the house after 7:00, 8:00 at night. 583 00:31:44,702 --> 00:31:48,005 In confronting Roman about the burner phone number, 584 00:31:48,007 --> 00:31:51,208 Roman began to tell us that he does not know that number. 585 00:32:06,424 --> 00:32:08,425 Roman's wife, Blanca, 586 00:32:08,427 --> 00:32:14,164 has been in communication with this phone over 100 times. 587 00:32:14,166 --> 00:32:18,869 So I'm asking, "Roman, if it's not you calling your wife 100 times, who is?" 588 00:32:18,871 --> 00:32:21,638 And he can't provide me with a good answer for that. 589 00:32:21,640 --> 00:32:26,109 Eventually he has to just kind of concede that, yes, that's me, 590 00:32:26,111 --> 00:32:28,278 and that at the time of the homicide 591 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,814 that he had actually loaned the phone to someone else. 592 00:32:31,883 --> 00:32:36,687 I think Roman is the killer. I think Roman's lying. 593 00:32:38,289 --> 00:32:42,092 We can prove that a vehicle like his is in the area. 594 00:32:42,094 --> 00:32:45,896 We can prove that this burner phone was in the area at the scene 595 00:32:45,898 --> 00:32:47,564 communicating with his wife. 596 00:32:47,566 --> 00:32:49,199 [gunshot firing] 597 00:33:10,121 --> 00:33:15,058 We are convinced that Roman is actually the person that has lured Rafael 598 00:33:15,060 --> 00:33:16,827 to the scene of the crime. 599 00:33:16,829 --> 00:33:19,029 [gunshot firing] 600 00:33:19,031 --> 00:33:20,697 Based on the evidence that we had at that point, 601 00:33:20,699 --> 00:33:22,666 we felt very confident 602 00:33:22,668 --> 00:33:27,804 that we could arrest Roman for the crime of murder in the first degree. 603 00:33:27,806 --> 00:33:29,740 [Tish] Roman is taken into custody, 604 00:33:29,742 --> 00:33:31,375 but there is still the question 605 00:33:31,377 --> 00:33:35,045 of Roman's accomplice, the second killer. 606 00:33:35,047 --> 00:33:38,915 We know from the scene that there was two people involved 607 00:33:38,917 --> 00:33:42,619 and that one person could not have committed this crime alone. 608 00:33:42,621 --> 00:33:44,521 We were very worried because 609 00:33:44,523 --> 00:33:46,857 - you have a person who had killed somebody... - [gunshot firing] 610 00:33:46,859 --> 00:33:48,258 running loose in the community, 611 00:33:48,260 --> 00:33:50,293 - who could potentially kill another. - [gunshot firing] 612 00:33:50,295 --> 00:33:51,628 So it is important for us 613 00:33:51,630 --> 00:33:53,230 - to try to track this person down... - [gunshot firing] 614 00:33:53,232 --> 00:33:55,732 to get him into custody so he didn't harm anyone else. 615 00:34:01,539 --> 00:34:04,041 [Tish] In the brutal murder of Rafael Hernandez, 616 00:34:04,043 --> 00:34:09,012 investigators have Roman Medrano in custody for first degree murder, 617 00:34:09,014 --> 00:34:14,117 but they believe he had an accomplice and this person is at large. 618 00:34:14,119 --> 00:34:19,256 It was clear that Roman was probably involved and that he wasn't cooperating... 619 00:34:20,525 --> 00:34:22,993 but we got a break when the lab results come in 620 00:34:22,995 --> 00:34:26,096 from the evidence that we sent off to be analyzed. 621 00:34:27,365 --> 00:34:31,334 We find that one of the beer cans we recovered from the scene 622 00:34:31,336 --> 00:34:34,304 had Roman Medrano's DNA on it. 623 00:34:34,306 --> 00:34:38,708 So that gave us a physical tie to the scene with Roman Medrano. 624 00:34:38,710 --> 00:34:41,244 But also there was a fingerprint pulled off 625 00:34:41,246 --> 00:34:44,848 that belonged to a man by the name of Adon Mora. 626 00:34:47,885 --> 00:34:49,419 [Tish] Armed with physical evidence 627 00:34:49,421 --> 00:34:54,424 tying Roman Medrano and Adon Mora to the crime scene... 628 00:34:54,426 --> 00:34:58,295 investigators confront Roman about his association with Adon. 629 00:34:59,831 --> 00:35:03,900 He told us that he was there at the scene 630 00:35:03,902 --> 00:35:05,936 because Adon had called him 631 00:35:05,938 --> 00:35:08,805 because he was thirsty and brought him some beer. 632 00:35:08,807 --> 00:35:13,877 They hung out for a period of time and then he left. 633 00:35:13,879 --> 00:35:16,780 Which is just one of about four versions 634 00:35:16,782 --> 00:35:18,782 of the story that Roman gave to us 635 00:35:18,784 --> 00:35:20,584 during the course of this investigation. 636 00:35:21,385 --> 00:35:23,086 He's now admitting that he's there, 637 00:35:23,088 --> 00:35:26,790 but it doesn't make sense that they were just down there drinking beer 638 00:35:26,792 --> 00:35:28,191 and didn't see anything 639 00:35:28,193 --> 00:35:32,529 because we know that Rafael was there at the time they were. 640 00:35:32,531 --> 00:35:37,100 [Tish] Having established that Roman and Adon conspired to murder Rafael, 641 00:35:37,102 --> 00:35:40,737 a first degree murder warrant is issued for Adon. 642 00:35:40,739 --> 00:35:42,639 It was very difficult to locate Adon. 643 00:35:43,674 --> 00:35:45,876 We know that he left the state. 644 00:35:45,878 --> 00:35:51,181 It took us just over one year to track down and locate Adon. 645 00:35:51,183 --> 00:35:55,452 We were ultimately able to find Adon on social media 646 00:35:55,454 --> 00:35:58,688 and locate him in Detroit, Michigan. 647 00:35:58,690 --> 00:36:01,591 We contacted the U.S. Marshals 648 00:36:01,593 --> 00:36:05,595 and within a day they had Adon in custody 649 00:36:05,597 --> 00:36:08,465 and he was en route back to Oklahoma. 650 00:36:08,467 --> 00:36:11,835 When interviewing Adon, we asked them about him and Roman's relationship. 651 00:36:11,837 --> 00:36:16,339 And Adon was telling us that Roman was constantly asking him for money. 652 00:36:16,341 --> 00:36:17,607 He was always broke. 653 00:36:17,609 --> 00:36:19,943 Adon gives Roman $500 654 00:36:19,945 --> 00:36:23,113 and Roman promises to give it back, but he doesn't. 655 00:36:23,115 --> 00:36:26,349 We talked to Adon about the night the Rafael was killed, 656 00:36:26,351 --> 00:36:28,218 and Adon began telling us that... 657 00:36:29,554 --> 00:36:31,955 he wanted his $500 from Roman. 658 00:36:31,957 --> 00:36:35,592 And Roman told him, "I don't have it, but a friend is going to pay it." 659 00:36:35,594 --> 00:36:41,198 He said, "Meet us over here at the Kaney River Bridge and we'll get your money." 660 00:36:42,300 --> 00:36:45,702 So Adon goes out there and meets Roman. 661 00:36:46,971 --> 00:36:49,673 Roman makes several phone calls. 662 00:36:49,675 --> 00:36:52,676 Eventually, ultimately, Rafael does show up. 663 00:36:52,678 --> 00:36:54,878 Roman begins talking to Rafael about, 664 00:36:54,880 --> 00:36:56,746 "Hey, I need a job. Can you help me?" 665 00:36:56,748 --> 00:37:01,518 So Adon then goes in front of the vehicle to lift the hood up 666 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:03,687 and starts looking at the battery. 667 00:37:03,689 --> 00:37:05,155 And then hears two gunshots. 668 00:37:05,157 --> 00:37:07,057 [gunshot fires] 669 00:37:07,059 --> 00:37:11,228 Adon then sees that Roman had shot and killed Rafael. 670 00:37:13,764 --> 00:37:16,700 Adon says he was very confused about it all, 671 00:37:16,702 --> 00:37:18,735 he says that he had no part in it 672 00:37:18,737 --> 00:37:22,872 and that he didn't help plan it and that he was completely shocked. 673 00:37:22,874 --> 00:37:25,842 I don't believe that Adon was telling the truth. 674 00:37:25,844 --> 00:37:28,945 I believe that Adon wanted his money 675 00:37:28,947 --> 00:37:34,484 and that Roman had a plan and he carried out that plan with Roman. 676 00:37:34,486 --> 00:37:36,753 [gunshot fires] 677 00:37:36,755 --> 00:37:38,688 It does seem that Adon and Roman 678 00:37:38,690 --> 00:37:41,491 are trying to pin the homicide on each other... 679 00:37:41,493 --> 00:37:42,993 [gunshot fires] 680 00:37:42,995 --> 00:37:44,527 both pointing the fingers at one another. 681 00:37:46,130 --> 00:37:47,998 - When two or more offenders... - [gunshot fires] 682 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,499 commit at least one murder, 683 00:37:49,501 --> 00:37:53,136 there can be advantages such as getting one to crack. 684 00:37:53,138 --> 00:37:57,907 But if they've established a consistent and believable alibi 685 00:37:57,909 --> 00:38:02,045 and are loyal to each other, getting one to crack or betray the other or break ranks 686 00:38:02,047 --> 00:38:05,115 can be very difficult. And what you have is essentially a stalemate. 687 00:38:07,251 --> 00:38:11,755 Roman lawyered up and then part of his plea deal was to tell us what happened. 688 00:38:13,491 --> 00:38:16,626 Roman eventually implicated himself during this homicide 689 00:38:16,628 --> 00:38:19,562 and admitted that he was there. 690 00:38:19,564 --> 00:38:25,735 The motive of Adon and Roman for this case is jealousy and money. 691 00:38:25,737 --> 00:38:28,738 They both wanted money because they're both broke. 692 00:38:28,740 --> 00:38:34,811 And that Roman had an additional motive for Rafael hitting on his wife. 693 00:38:37,515 --> 00:38:43,286 [Tish] Detectives are now able to unravel the final 24 hours of Rafael Hernandez's life. 694 00:38:44,689 --> 00:38:48,525 The plan was Roman and Adon agree to kill Rafael 695 00:38:48,527 --> 00:38:51,528 and then split the money that they take from him. 696 00:38:51,530 --> 00:38:56,366 On April 25th, Roman Medrano purchases the burner phone 697 00:38:56,368 --> 00:38:58,134 using a fake identity. 698 00:38:58,136 --> 00:38:59,736 [car engine working] 699 00:38:59,738 --> 00:39:03,707 Approximately 8:30 in the evening on April 30th, 700 00:39:03,709 --> 00:39:06,042 Roman and Adon drive to the area 701 00:39:06,044 --> 00:39:09,813 of the King River Bridge at Highway 169. 702 00:39:09,815 --> 00:39:14,551 At 9:15, they make contact with Rafael. 703 00:39:14,553 --> 00:39:20,557 Roman and Adon used the ruse that they are going to get Rafael to drive them somewhere 704 00:39:20,559 --> 00:39:23,360 because they're having car problems and they need help. 705 00:39:24,195 --> 00:39:27,163 Rafael calls Ernesto at 9:22 p.m. 706 00:39:27,165 --> 00:39:31,601 and lets him know that he has to go help a friend before he takes him to Texas. 707 00:39:32,737 --> 00:39:35,505 Rafael's phone begins making contact with the tower, 708 00:39:35,507 --> 00:39:40,610 putting him in the location of the homicide at approximately 9:30 p.m. 709 00:39:40,612 --> 00:39:43,546 At 9:48, Rafael makes a phone call 710 00:39:43,548 --> 00:39:46,549 back to the burner phone, which was his last call. 711 00:39:48,352 --> 00:39:50,553 We believe that Rafael 712 00:39:50,555 --> 00:39:55,225 was lured down below the bridge once he got to the area by Roman and Adon. 713 00:39:56,660 --> 00:39:58,561 And once Rafael is down there, 714 00:39:58,563 --> 00:40:01,197 I think that he probably starts to realize 715 00:40:01,199 --> 00:40:03,600 that there's something going on that's not right. 716 00:40:04,368 --> 00:40:05,735 And I think at that point, 717 00:40:05,737 --> 00:40:08,705 I think that's when Roman pulls out the gun and shoots him. 718 00:40:08,707 --> 00:40:10,273 [gunshot fires] 719 00:40:11,742 --> 00:40:13,176 Rafael gets shot 720 00:40:13,178 --> 00:40:17,313 and then Roman and Adon take the money from his pants' pockets. 721 00:40:17,315 --> 00:40:22,519 Adon and a Roman then loaded Rafael's body into the trunk of the car. 722 00:40:22,521 --> 00:40:23,787 [water dripping] 723 00:40:23,789 --> 00:40:28,124 They drive the car right up to the edge of the river 724 00:40:28,126 --> 00:40:30,760 and then pushed it over the edge into the river. 725 00:40:33,431 --> 00:40:35,698 Roman's cell phone was making communication 726 00:40:35,700 --> 00:40:39,769 with the tower at the scene of the homicide at 10:17, 727 00:40:39,771 --> 00:40:43,206 and then records indicate that he's back in Tulsa 728 00:40:43,208 --> 00:40:47,110 at 10:33 p.m. on the night of homicide. 729 00:40:47,112 --> 00:40:48,545 [car engine working] 730 00:40:48,547 --> 00:40:52,081 Without the cellular device and without the recent phone numbers, 731 00:40:52,083 --> 00:40:53,783 this case would not have been made. 732 00:40:55,953 --> 00:40:57,854 [Tish] In April 2017, 733 00:40:57,856 --> 00:41:01,024 Roman Medrano waives his right to a jury trial 734 00:41:01,026 --> 00:41:05,128 and enters a plea of no contest to murder in the first degree. 735 00:41:05,130 --> 00:41:10,600 The judge ended up sentencing him to life with the possibility of parole. 736 00:41:11,602 --> 00:41:14,070 Roman is also ordered to pay $7,000 737 00:41:14,072 --> 00:41:16,539 of restitution to Rafael's family. 738 00:41:16,541 --> 00:41:21,110 [Tish] Adon Mora Ramos is charged with accessory to first degree murder 739 00:41:21,112 --> 00:41:24,347 and sentenced to 15 years in jail. 740 00:41:24,349 --> 00:41:28,117 This is the most complex homicide I've been involved in to date. 741 00:41:29,653 --> 00:41:33,256 With all the phone numbers, the nicknames, 742 00:41:33,258 --> 00:41:36,593 the Hispanic Latino community with a language barrier. 743 00:41:36,595 --> 00:41:40,830 All we wanted was information that we could use that was true and accurate 744 00:41:40,832 --> 00:41:43,132 to find out who did this and to solve it. 745 00:41:44,502 --> 00:41:45,735 It was a lot of hard work. 746 00:41:45,737 --> 00:41:48,538 You know, it was a lot of frustration, 747 00:41:48,540 --> 00:41:53,276 it was a lot of hours, you know, away from my family and all of our families. 748 00:41:53,278 --> 00:41:56,746 But, you know, the end justifies it. 749 00:42:00,518 --> 00:42:04,187 [Tish] Today, Rafael Hernandez is remembered by his family 750 00:42:04,189 --> 00:42:06,623 and community as a caring man, 751 00:42:06,625 --> 00:42:10,026 always ready to help a friend in need. 752 00:42:10,028 --> 00:42:13,162 It was heartbreaking to learn that he was killed over money 753 00:42:13,164 --> 00:42:15,231 and a possible relationship... 754 00:42:16,400 --> 00:42:18,635 and that his family had to go through all that. 755 00:42:18,637 --> 00:42:23,139 It is very saddening because he was a breadwinner for the family. 756 00:42:23,141 --> 00:42:25,942 You know, that big heart is ultimately what lured him out there 757 00:42:25,944 --> 00:42:27,210 and got him murdered.