1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:04,083 (ominous music) 2 00:00:07,208 --> 00:00:08,417 - I couldn't find Krystal 3 00:00:08,417 --> 00:00:10,375 and I knew there was something wrong. 4 00:00:11,458 --> 00:00:15,042 You don't expect your child to be murdered. 5 00:00:15,917 --> 00:00:17,833 It was such a nightmare. 6 00:00:17,833 --> 00:00:19,125 - She just disappeared. 7 00:00:20,417 --> 00:00:24,000 Then her body was found under the Trinity River Bridge. 8 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:25,792 (dramatic music) 9 00:00:25,792 --> 00:00:28,167 - I can still see her just like it was yesterday. 10 00:00:28,167 --> 00:00:29,875 I still see it here. 11 00:00:29,875 --> 00:00:31,542 (camera shutter clicking) 12 00:00:31,542 --> 00:00:34,875 - We just kept having girls coming up missing 13 00:00:34,875 --> 00:00:36,500 (ominous music) 14 00:00:36,500 --> 00:00:39,458 and their bodies being dumped along the bayous, the swamps. 15 00:00:40,333 --> 00:00:42,500 We've got a monster somewhere. 16 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:45,875 - It's disturbing that you've got somebody out there 17 00:00:45,875 --> 00:00:48,542 that's hunting young girls. 18 00:00:55,708 --> 00:00:58,500 - We're gonna go find the man that killed my daughter 19 00:00:58,500 --> 00:01:01,375 and he's gonna have to pay for what he did. 20 00:01:01,375 --> 00:01:03,750 (tense music) 21 00:01:05,667 --> 00:01:09,167 (twangy suspenseful music) 22 00:01:26,167 --> 00:01:29,458 (soft ominous music) 23 00:01:37,750 --> 00:01:38,917 - Thank you. 24 00:01:38,917 --> 00:01:41,375 That's genuine Chambers County alligator 25 00:01:41,375 --> 00:01:43,542 that I actually shot myself. 26 00:01:45,208 --> 00:01:48,042 I moved down here in 1976. 27 00:01:48,042 --> 00:01:48,750 This is home now. 28 00:01:51,375 --> 00:01:53,083 Down here you've got a lot of bayous. 29 00:01:53,083 --> 00:01:55,792 You got a lot of marshland. 30 00:01:55,792 --> 00:01:57,375 At Chambers County, 31 00:01:57,375 --> 00:02:01,833 I think we actually have more water than we do land. 32 00:02:01,833 --> 00:02:04,833 (soft ominous music) 33 00:02:04,833 --> 00:02:08,500 - Being on the Texas Gulf Coast, 34 00:02:08,500 --> 00:02:11,625 it's very green, it's very lush. 35 00:02:11,625 --> 00:02:15,125 It's a lot of fishing, a lot of crabbing. 36 00:02:15,125 --> 00:02:18,042 It's a big place for birders. 37 00:02:18,042 --> 00:02:23,083 (birds squawking) (tense music) 38 00:02:24,167 --> 00:02:25,042 - I see the beauty of the swamps, 39 00:02:25,042 --> 00:02:27,625 but also I'm aware of the beast. 40 00:02:27,625 --> 00:02:31,167 I see the other side of it as a dangerous place, 41 00:02:32,250 --> 00:02:35,167 alive with death. 42 00:02:35,167 --> 00:02:38,500 (tense music continues) 43 00:02:45,875 --> 00:02:48,875 (insects chirping) 44 00:02:48,875 --> 00:02:50,375 (twangy suspenseful music) 45 00:02:50,375 --> 00:02:52,083 - [Narrator] The sun is starting to set 46 00:02:52,083 --> 00:02:54,125 on the wetlands of Chambers County. 47 00:02:55,250 --> 00:02:57,208 The sheriff's office receives a call 48 00:02:57,208 --> 00:02:59,958 about a body found along the marshy banks 49 00:02:59,958 --> 00:03:00,792 of the Trinity River. 50 00:03:03,417 --> 00:03:05,875 - It was almost time to go home. 51 00:03:05,875 --> 00:03:09,042 It was 4:30, 4:45. 52 00:03:09,042 --> 00:03:10,000 (dispatcher chattering) 53 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,208 I left and went to the scene. 54 00:03:14,792 --> 00:03:19,375 When I arrived, the victim is about 150 yards, at that time, 55 00:03:19,375 --> 00:03:20,875 down to the bank of the river. 56 00:03:22,792 --> 00:03:24,833 We had a young white female. 57 00:03:26,417 --> 00:03:30,792 Her dress was pulled up, so I'm thinking sexual assault, 58 00:03:34,250 --> 00:03:36,792 and I can clearly see it's a homicide. 59 00:03:38,542 --> 00:03:41,250 She didn't have any kind of identifying information. 60 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:45,833 I could tell that she had been strangled with something 61 00:03:47,708 --> 00:03:50,708 just because of the abrasions on the throat. 62 00:03:53,250 --> 00:03:55,958 I can still see her just like she was laying, 63 00:03:55,958 --> 00:03:57,167 just like it was yesterday. 64 00:03:57,167 --> 00:03:58,333 I still see it here. 65 00:03:59,500 --> 00:04:03,333 To be as young as she was and then dumped, 66 00:04:04,500 --> 00:04:06,667 in my mind, there's no excuse for that. 67 00:04:08,625 --> 00:04:11,417 (dramatic music) 68 00:04:15,833 --> 00:04:18,167 - [Narrator] 40 miles across the bay 69 00:04:18,167 --> 00:04:21,625 in the Gulf Coast town of Texas City, 70 00:04:21,625 --> 00:04:25,292 the family of 13-year-old Krystal Jean Baker is on edge. 71 00:04:26,333 --> 00:04:29,208 Earlier that day, Krystal left the house 72 00:04:29,208 --> 00:04:30,875 while under her grandmother's care. 73 00:04:32,125 --> 00:04:34,292 - She wanted to go be with her friends, 74 00:04:34,292 --> 00:04:35,875 but her grandma said no, 75 00:04:35,875 --> 00:04:37,875 and of course she got in an argument with her. 76 00:04:37,875 --> 00:04:40,917 She walked down the street and she called me 77 00:04:40,917 --> 00:04:41,917 and I was at work. 78 00:04:43,292 --> 00:04:44,875 - [Narrator] Krystal tells her mother 79 00:04:44,875 --> 00:04:47,250 that she's calling from the corner store. 80 00:04:48,708 --> 00:04:52,292 - I was a little angry at Krystal when I talked to her 81 00:04:52,292 --> 00:04:53,708 and I told her, I said, "Krystal," I said, 82 00:04:53,708 --> 00:04:56,333 "You need to go back to your grandma's." 83 00:04:56,333 --> 00:04:58,792 But about an hour later, 84 00:04:58,792 --> 00:05:02,042 my mom calls me and tells me she didn't show up. 85 00:05:02,042 --> 00:05:03,875 (dramatic music) 86 00:05:03,875 --> 00:05:07,208 I was trying to get in touch with everybody, 87 00:05:07,208 --> 00:05:09,542 and I kept calling up her friends. 88 00:05:09,542 --> 00:05:11,542 There was no sign of Krystal 89 00:05:12,708 --> 00:05:14,875 and I knew there was something wrong, 90 00:05:14,875 --> 00:05:18,667 that she would be here right now if something wasn't wrong. 91 00:05:19,458 --> 00:05:21,708 (crickets chirping) 92 00:05:21,708 --> 00:05:23,750 - [Narrator] Krystal's mom, Jeanie, 93 00:05:23,750 --> 00:05:26,750 contacts her local police department in Texas City. 94 00:05:29,417 --> 00:05:32,042 - When we first got the call with Krystal Baker, 95 00:05:32,042 --> 00:05:34,417 we assumed that she had run away. 96 00:05:34,417 --> 00:05:37,375 Krystal was 13 years old. 97 00:05:37,375 --> 00:05:39,625 She rebelled against her grandmother. 98 00:05:41,125 --> 00:05:44,583 It seemed she had just gone somewhere and didn't call home. 99 00:05:46,792 --> 00:05:50,583 And back then we didn't really address runaways 100 00:05:50,583 --> 00:05:52,208 the way you would do today. 101 00:05:52,208 --> 00:05:56,042 99.9% of the time the child returns home. 102 00:05:58,458 --> 00:06:01,333 In the Texas City Police Department, they made a report. 103 00:06:02,417 --> 00:06:04,458 They gave out a BOLO to the patrol officers 104 00:06:04,458 --> 00:06:06,542 to be on the lookout for Krystal Baker. 105 00:06:07,833 --> 00:06:10,583 - They just kept telling me, "Oh, well, she's a runaway." 106 00:06:12,375 --> 00:06:15,292 And I kept telling 'em, "No, she's not." 107 00:06:15,292 --> 00:06:18,125 - Historically along the Gulf Coast, 108 00:06:18,125 --> 00:06:22,792 there had been a real problem with the police assuming 109 00:06:22,792 --> 00:06:26,542 that someone who had gone missing had run away. 110 00:06:26,542 --> 00:06:30,083 Working on this book about Krystal's case, 111 00:06:30,083 --> 00:06:32,583 I spent a lotta time with Jeanie. 112 00:06:32,583 --> 00:06:36,583 Jeanie knew that Krystal had not run away 113 00:06:36,583 --> 00:06:38,458 and she was really scared. 114 00:06:40,833 --> 00:06:43,917 - I really felt like something bad happened to her. 115 00:06:43,917 --> 00:06:45,708 (soft ominous music) 116 00:06:45,708 --> 00:06:49,125 I just had this feeling in my stomach and in my heart 117 00:06:49,125 --> 00:06:52,292 'cause me and Krystal had such a good connection. 118 00:06:52,292 --> 00:06:55,542 (ominous music) 119 00:06:55,542 --> 00:06:57,083 (bright twangy music) 120 00:06:57,083 --> 00:06:59,917 - [Narrator] Like many residents of the Texas bayou region, 121 00:06:59,917 --> 00:07:03,000 Krystal and her mother have spent much of their time 122 00:07:03,000 --> 00:07:04,500 enjoying the water. 123 00:07:06,417 --> 00:07:10,042 - Texas City Dike is like a beach 124 00:07:10,042 --> 00:07:12,042 and then there's a little bayou, 125 00:07:12,042 --> 00:07:16,042 where you go fishing, and you go with your family, 126 00:07:16,042 --> 00:07:17,625 and go out and have a good day. 127 00:07:18,875 --> 00:07:21,292 We'd swim in the ocean and sometimes Krystal would go 128 00:07:21,292 --> 00:07:23,875 a little farther than I wanted her to, 129 00:07:23,875 --> 00:07:26,458 and I had to tell her, "Come on in," you know? 130 00:07:28,083 --> 00:07:30,292 And I liked the spunk in her. 131 00:07:30,292 --> 00:07:33,625 Good spirit. A beautiful smile. 132 00:07:33,625 --> 00:07:35,500 She was just a natural beauty. 133 00:07:37,208 --> 00:07:39,208 - [Narrator] The striking teen bears a resemblance 134 00:07:39,208 --> 00:07:44,042 to an iconic star, who some believe is her great aunt. 135 00:07:46,042 --> 00:07:50,625 - We found out through my husband's side 136 00:07:50,625 --> 00:07:54,542 that Krystal was related to Marilyn Monroe. 137 00:07:54,542 --> 00:07:57,917 I think she does look a little bit like Marilyn Monroe. 138 00:07:58,875 --> 00:08:01,208 - The connection to Marilyn Monroe 139 00:08:01,208 --> 00:08:02,875 is kind of a family legend. 140 00:08:02,875 --> 00:08:05,333 Nobody knows if it's true or not, 141 00:08:05,333 --> 00:08:07,208 but some of the pictures of Krystal, 142 00:08:07,208 --> 00:08:09,792 she's this very vulnerable, 143 00:08:09,792 --> 00:08:13,250 very beautiful young girl breaking out into the world 144 00:08:13,250 --> 00:08:16,292 and it reminded me a little bit 145 00:08:16,292 --> 00:08:19,542 of portraits of Marilyn at that age. 146 00:08:20,708 --> 00:08:23,750 That's what stays with you about these cases. 147 00:08:23,750 --> 00:08:26,583 When Krystal went missing, this was a young girl 148 00:08:26,583 --> 00:08:29,000 just at the very beginning of her life. 149 00:08:31,125 --> 00:08:36,208 - It's heartbreaking to not know where your kid's at. 150 00:08:37,125 --> 00:08:39,167 You want your kid home. 151 00:08:39,167 --> 00:08:41,833 (tense music) 152 00:08:49,542 --> 00:08:51,208 - [Narrator] Across the bay, 153 00:08:51,208 --> 00:08:52,500 deputies are investigating 154 00:08:52,500 --> 00:08:53,917 the murder of the Jane Doe 155 00:08:53,917 --> 00:08:57,208 found in the boggy wetlands of Chambers County. 156 00:08:58,500 --> 00:09:01,167 - It was basically my first big homicide. 157 00:09:01,167 --> 00:09:05,042 To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement. 158 00:09:06,042 --> 00:09:07,875 There's no witnesses. 159 00:09:07,875 --> 00:09:12,042 We're looking around for any kind of evidence. 160 00:09:12,042 --> 00:09:15,917 We picked up a cigarette pack, cold drink bottle, 161 00:09:15,917 --> 00:09:19,375 anything that was in probably about a 50-foot radius. 162 00:09:19,375 --> 00:09:21,000 As I'm looking around the area, 163 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,833 I don't see signs of a scuffle in the dirt. 164 00:09:24,833 --> 00:09:26,792 - I think it was pretty clear that she was killed 165 00:09:26,792 --> 00:09:28,458 somewhere else and then dumped 166 00:09:28,458 --> 00:09:32,167 because the crime scene was just her. 167 00:09:34,625 --> 00:09:36,958 - I don't have anything that tells me who she is, 168 00:09:36,958 --> 00:09:39,708 knowing that there's parents somewhere 169 00:09:39,708 --> 00:09:41,292 wondering where she's at. 170 00:09:41,292 --> 00:09:43,542 That's frustrating. 171 00:09:43,542 --> 00:09:46,167 (tense music) 172 00:09:46,167 --> 00:09:47,708 After we found the victim, 173 00:09:47,708 --> 00:09:50,542 we tried to reach out to other agencies in the area 174 00:09:50,542 --> 00:09:55,208 asking if anyone had any missing persons. 175 00:09:55,208 --> 00:09:56,875 This was 1996. 176 00:09:56,875 --> 00:09:59,167 We did not have the computer system 177 00:09:59,167 --> 00:10:01,208 to network like we do now. 178 00:10:04,042 --> 00:10:05,167 (birds chirping) 179 00:10:05,167 --> 00:10:06,417 (tense music) 180 00:10:06,417 --> 00:10:07,583 - [Narrator] Finally, two weeks after 181 00:10:07,583 --> 00:10:09,917 the dead Jane Doe was found, 182 00:10:09,917 --> 00:10:11,792 Investigator Moon gets a call 183 00:10:11,792 --> 00:10:15,708 from the Texas City Police about a missing girl. 184 00:10:17,458 --> 00:10:18,417 - They had the missing 185 00:10:18,417 --> 00:10:19,625 person that was very similar 186 00:10:19,625 --> 00:10:21,542 to what I had described. 187 00:10:21,542 --> 00:10:25,250 Height, weight, and there was a birthmark. 188 00:10:25,250 --> 00:10:26,750 (tense music continues) 189 00:10:26,750 --> 00:10:29,042 So I left and went to Texas City. 190 00:10:31,333 --> 00:10:33,708 I'm thinking in my mind, 191 00:10:33,708 --> 00:10:36,333 we're gonna be able to make a positive identification. 192 00:10:39,167 --> 00:10:40,708 (somber music) 193 00:10:40,708 --> 00:10:44,083 - [Narrator] Investigator Moon and the Texas City Police 194 00:10:44,083 --> 00:10:48,042 ask Krystal's mom to view some photos at the station. 195 00:10:48,042 --> 00:10:49,208 - I thought I was gonna go down there 196 00:10:49,208 --> 00:10:52,792 and look at pictures of Krystal, you know, 197 00:10:52,792 --> 00:10:53,917 good pictures, you know, 198 00:10:53,917 --> 00:10:55,875 to put in the newspaper or something. 199 00:10:58,250 --> 00:11:01,833 And then they put down all these graphic pictures 200 00:11:01,833 --> 00:11:06,042 of my daughter, how they found her, 201 00:11:06,042 --> 00:11:10,125 what she looked like, for me to identify her. 202 00:11:10,125 --> 00:11:12,750 (tense music) 203 00:11:14,458 --> 00:11:16,875 And I seen the little freckles she had right here. 204 00:11:16,875 --> 00:11:18,583 I knew it was my daughter. 205 00:11:18,583 --> 00:11:21,458 (tense music continues) 206 00:11:21,458 --> 00:11:23,208 I almost passed out 207 00:11:23,208 --> 00:11:25,125 'cause she didn't even look like herself. 208 00:11:25,125 --> 00:11:30,167 There was so many bruises on her body and even on her face. 209 00:11:30,917 --> 00:11:32,583 It was like, who did this? 210 00:11:32,583 --> 00:11:37,125 This is my baby that's lying in here dead. 211 00:11:38,042 --> 00:11:39,917 (dramatic music) 212 00:11:44,083 --> 00:11:46,417 (twangy music) (chirping bird) 213 00:11:51,125 --> 00:11:54,042 - You know, it felt like I was just in a daydream, 214 00:11:54,042 --> 00:11:55,208 in a nightmare. 215 00:11:55,208 --> 00:11:57,458 I didn't know I was gonna look at pictures 216 00:11:57,458 --> 00:11:59,125 of my daughter dead. 217 00:12:01,292 --> 00:12:02,083 And murdered. 218 00:12:03,708 --> 00:12:05,208 It was heartbreaking. 219 00:12:06,333 --> 00:12:08,208 It was evil. 220 00:12:10,208 --> 00:12:12,875 (tense music) 221 00:12:21,292 --> 00:12:24,083 - [Narrator] With Krystal's death now confirmed, 222 00:12:24,083 --> 00:12:26,708 detectives set out to find the killer 223 00:12:26,708 --> 00:12:29,667 who disposed of her body in the thick marshlands 224 00:12:29,667 --> 00:12:31,083 of Chambers County. 225 00:12:32,542 --> 00:12:36,125 - The suspect had a two week headstart, and it's a swamp. 226 00:12:36,125 --> 00:12:37,958 It's desolate. 227 00:12:37,958 --> 00:12:40,375 We know it's rough terrain if there's a body 228 00:12:40,375 --> 00:12:44,125 dumped out there for us to obtain any sort of evidence. 229 00:12:45,375 --> 00:12:50,375 - In other words, if you wanna dispose of a body, 230 00:12:50,958 --> 00:12:52,250 that's the perfect place to do it. 231 00:12:54,875 --> 00:12:58,542 - We started taking statements and knocking on doors 232 00:12:58,542 --> 00:13:01,542 to see if we could determine what happened to her. 233 00:13:01,542 --> 00:13:04,417 (tense music) 234 00:13:04,417 --> 00:13:09,000 Krystal Baker went to the corner store and used a payphone. 235 00:13:10,167 --> 00:13:13,083 - At some point, she got off the phone and left. 236 00:13:13,083 --> 00:13:16,083 It was right in the middle of the day, 237 00:13:16,083 --> 00:13:20,375 busy street, busy convenience store. 238 00:13:20,375 --> 00:13:22,000 (tense music) 239 00:13:22,000 --> 00:13:23,750 - [Brian] And she just disappeared. 240 00:13:24,833 --> 00:13:27,417 Then her body was found about ten after five 241 00:13:27,417 --> 00:13:30,958 in the afternoon, 46 miles away 242 00:13:30,958 --> 00:13:32,542 under the Trinity River Bridge. 243 00:13:34,667 --> 00:13:38,458 - We needed to know how she got there, 244 00:13:38,458 --> 00:13:43,458 how she met her demise, who it was that brought her there. 245 00:13:43,458 --> 00:13:46,833 (tense music continues) 246 00:13:51,417 --> 00:13:54,708 It was during that time that we spoke with Krystal's family 247 00:13:54,708 --> 00:13:58,250 hoping they could point us to some potential suspects. 248 00:13:59,375 --> 00:14:01,042 - [Narrator] The family shares that Krystal 249 00:14:01,042 --> 00:14:03,583 had been spending time with a local boy 250 00:14:03,583 --> 00:14:05,333 named Randall Robbins. 251 00:14:07,250 --> 00:14:08,083 - She's 13. 252 00:14:09,375 --> 00:14:13,542 And of course, Krystal being a little teenage girl, 253 00:14:13,542 --> 00:14:15,000 it was more like puppy love. 254 00:14:16,167 --> 00:14:17,875 - [Narrator] According to Krystal's mother, 255 00:14:17,875 --> 00:14:20,958 Randall claimed to be 15 years old. 256 00:14:20,958 --> 00:14:23,500 Yet, while digging into his background, 257 00:14:23,500 --> 00:14:27,958 detectives discover that he's actually 19. 258 00:14:27,958 --> 00:14:29,208 (dramatic music) 259 00:14:29,208 --> 00:14:30,708 - That was a major turning point. 260 00:14:30,708 --> 00:14:34,542 We're going, "Wow, we got a 19-year-old with a 13-year-old." 261 00:14:34,542 --> 00:14:37,250 You know, this is unusual. 262 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:40,500 - [Narrator] Police then uncover 263 00:14:40,500 --> 00:14:43,583 an even more unsettling find. 264 00:14:43,583 --> 00:14:47,167 It turns out Randall has a wife. 265 00:14:48,542 --> 00:14:50,917 - It's a very big red flag 266 00:14:50,917 --> 00:14:52,417 when I find out he was married. 267 00:14:52,417 --> 00:14:54,625 He may have been separated at the time, 268 00:14:54,625 --> 00:14:56,792 but nonetheless, he was married, 269 00:14:56,792 --> 00:14:58,875 and he was substantially older. 270 00:14:59,917 --> 00:15:01,875 - After I found out how old he was, 271 00:15:01,875 --> 00:15:05,208 his real age, I freaked out. 272 00:15:05,208 --> 00:15:06,583 I thought he was a little boy. 273 00:15:06,583 --> 00:15:08,042 He had a baby face. 274 00:15:08,042 --> 00:15:10,208 I assumed that he was telling me the truth 275 00:15:10,208 --> 00:15:12,125 when he even told me he was 15. 276 00:15:13,458 --> 00:15:17,375 And Krystal, she didn't know that he was married. 277 00:15:17,375 --> 00:15:19,667 She didn't know any of that stuff. 278 00:15:19,667 --> 00:15:22,083 - The fact that he was married, it could have been 279 00:15:22,083 --> 00:15:26,125 that the wife discovered his relationship with Krystal 280 00:15:27,333 --> 00:15:31,208 and may have instigated what happened to Krystal. 281 00:15:32,208 --> 00:15:35,708 - At this point, he was the primary suspect. 282 00:15:35,708 --> 00:15:38,417 He was the number one person we were going to look at. 283 00:15:40,167 --> 00:15:41,750 - [Narrator] When questioned, 284 00:15:41,750 --> 00:15:44,667 Randall claims that he struck up a friendship with Krystal 285 00:15:44,667 --> 00:15:47,250 while separated from his wife. 286 00:15:47,250 --> 00:15:50,458 - He told us of his relationship with Krystal. 287 00:15:51,208 --> 00:15:53,583 You know, this is unusual, 288 00:15:53,583 --> 00:15:57,167 but the police didn't get a report of indecency 289 00:15:57,167 --> 00:15:59,042 with a child or anything like that. 290 00:16:00,375 --> 00:16:02,417 He had an alibi for the whole day. 291 00:16:02,417 --> 00:16:04,375 There were documents that were provided 292 00:16:04,375 --> 00:16:07,458 from the business that he was in. 293 00:16:07,458 --> 00:16:09,250 He had dates and times. 294 00:16:09,250 --> 00:16:12,583 Randall Robbins was an immature 19-year-old 295 00:16:12,583 --> 00:16:14,542 having a relationship with a 13-year-old. 296 00:16:14,542 --> 00:16:17,375 We did a solid investigation and cleared him. 297 00:16:17,375 --> 00:16:20,000 (tense music) 298 00:16:22,042 --> 00:16:23,625 (dramatic music) 299 00:16:23,625 --> 00:16:26,292 (tense music) 300 00:16:26,292 --> 00:16:29,417 - [Narrator] As police search for new clues, 301 00:16:29,417 --> 00:16:32,708 the medical examiner releases his findings. 302 00:16:32,708 --> 00:16:34,250 (tense music continues) 303 00:16:34,250 --> 00:16:37,042 - It was ligature strangulation was the cause of death. 304 00:16:37,042 --> 00:16:39,417 She was strangled with something other than the hands, 305 00:16:39,417 --> 00:16:43,042 just because of the abrasions on the throat. 306 00:16:44,458 --> 00:16:47,125 Because of the injuries that did look like 307 00:16:47,125 --> 00:16:49,417 she'd been sexually assaulted, 308 00:16:49,417 --> 00:16:52,167 but they didn't found any kind of traces, 309 00:16:52,167 --> 00:16:55,042 any body fluid on her person. 310 00:16:55,042 --> 00:16:56,833 (tense music continues) 311 00:16:56,833 --> 00:16:59,125 Her dress was sent to the crime lab 312 00:16:59,125 --> 00:17:03,125 as well as the fingernail scrapings and clippings. 313 00:17:05,542 --> 00:17:08,042 The lab told us that there just wasn't enough there 314 00:17:08,042 --> 00:17:11,000 for them to tell you what you needed to know. 315 00:17:11,750 --> 00:17:13,333 - Back in the '90s, 316 00:17:13,333 --> 00:17:15,708 it was a general rule for law enforcement 317 00:17:15,708 --> 00:17:20,667 that you needed at least a dime-size bodily fluid 318 00:17:20,667 --> 00:17:25,750 to get a DNA reading, and a dime-size is a lot, 319 00:17:26,750 --> 00:17:27,458 and you gotta be able to see it. 320 00:17:28,458 --> 00:17:31,208 Nowadays, you're swiping something 321 00:17:31,208 --> 00:17:35,542 and you need to get DNA when you swab it with a Q-tip. 322 00:17:42,500 --> 00:17:45,125 - The clothing and the fingernail scrapings 323 00:17:45,125 --> 00:17:47,042 and clippings were all put into evidence 324 00:17:47,042 --> 00:17:49,667 and secured at our facility. 325 00:17:51,083 --> 00:17:55,667 I was hoping we may eventually have technology 326 00:17:55,667 --> 00:17:59,708 that would help us find something useful 327 00:17:59,708 --> 00:18:01,125 in the evidence that we had. 328 00:18:04,958 --> 00:18:07,583 (tense music) 329 00:18:12,750 --> 00:18:15,542 - [Narrator] Two weeks after her body is discovered, 330 00:18:15,542 --> 00:18:20,167 Krystal's loved ones gather in Texas City to say goodbye. 331 00:18:20,167 --> 00:18:23,167 - I had bought her a dress that covers up her neck, 332 00:18:23,167 --> 00:18:25,000 covers up her hands. 333 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:26,833 I seen the bruises on her face 334 00:18:26,833 --> 00:18:30,583 and I had to get into my purse, put some makeup, 335 00:18:30,583 --> 00:18:33,167 a little bit of makeup where the bruises were at, 336 00:18:33,167 --> 00:18:37,125 and put a little bitty eyeshadow, 337 00:18:37,125 --> 00:18:39,542 little lipstick that's light. 338 00:18:41,542 --> 00:18:42,917 I wasn't gonna let her go out there 339 00:18:42,917 --> 00:18:44,833 lookin' like they had her. 340 00:18:49,542 --> 00:18:52,375 And I knocked down a whole bunch of flowers 341 00:18:54,458 --> 00:18:57,875 'cause I was so mad about everything. 342 00:18:57,875 --> 00:19:01,875 I was mad, I was heartbroken, and I was devastated. 343 00:19:04,792 --> 00:19:07,917 I kept telling her, "I'm so sorry, baby, 344 00:19:07,917 --> 00:19:09,208 you went through this. 345 00:19:09,208 --> 00:19:12,875 I'm so sorry, Krystal, you went through this. 346 00:19:12,875 --> 00:19:14,875 I'm so sorry." 347 00:19:14,875 --> 00:19:17,500 (somber music) 348 00:19:26,167 --> 00:19:28,667 (tense music) 349 00:19:34,083 --> 00:19:38,542 - [Narrator] As leads dry up, the investigation stalls. 350 00:19:38,542 --> 00:19:42,083 Then the sheriff's office learns of a chilling development 351 00:19:42,083 --> 00:19:44,500 further up the coast. 352 00:19:44,500 --> 00:19:48,542 Another young girl has gone missing in the soggy marshlands 353 00:19:48,542 --> 00:19:51,875 just 30 miles from where Krystal had disappeared. 354 00:19:53,417 --> 00:19:55,083 - [Reporter] Laura Kate Smither told her parents 355 00:19:55,083 --> 00:19:56,625 she was going out for a quick run. 356 00:19:56,625 --> 00:19:58,458 The 12-year-old, who is homeschooled, 357 00:19:58,458 --> 00:20:00,667 was last seen around nine in the morning. 358 00:20:00,667 --> 00:20:02,375 (tense music) 359 00:20:02,375 --> 00:20:05,417 - Laura Kate Smither, like Krystal, 360 00:20:05,417 --> 00:20:08,208 she disappeared on the side of a road. 361 00:20:08,208 --> 00:20:10,250 They were about the same age. 362 00:20:11,250 --> 00:20:13,167 Laura was about six months younger. 363 00:20:14,208 --> 00:20:16,250 - [Narrator] Three weeks after she vanished, 364 00:20:16,250 --> 00:20:19,292 Laura's body is found in a nearby weedy pond. 365 00:20:20,375 --> 00:20:24,208 Like Krystal, she too had been strangled. 366 00:20:24,208 --> 00:20:26,708 (tense music) 367 00:20:26,708 --> 00:20:30,292 - And then three months after Laura's body was found, 368 00:20:30,292 --> 00:20:33,708 Jessica Cain's truck was found on I-45. 369 00:20:34,750 --> 00:20:36,375 Just gone. 370 00:20:36,375 --> 00:20:38,750 She had vanished. 371 00:20:38,750 --> 00:20:42,375 Was a lot of speculation that perhaps the three killings, 372 00:20:42,375 --> 00:20:45,417 Krystal's, Laura's, and Jessica's were all connected. 373 00:20:47,625 --> 00:20:51,083 - It's disturbing that you've got somebody out there 374 00:20:51,083 --> 00:20:53,667 that's hunting young girls. 375 00:20:55,333 --> 00:20:57,375 It just seemed like every time you turned on the news, 376 00:20:57,375 --> 00:20:59,875 some young girl was missing. 377 00:20:59,875 --> 00:21:02,208 It was almost like we were living in the Twilight Zone. 378 00:21:02,208 --> 00:21:04,292 It was just like every day we were thinking, 379 00:21:04,292 --> 00:21:05,875 who's gonna go missing today? 380 00:21:05,875 --> 00:21:07,333 (ominous music) 381 00:21:11,833 --> 00:21:13,625 (somber music) 382 00:21:14,875 --> 00:21:18,458 - We just kept having missing persons come up. 383 00:21:19,208 --> 00:21:22,375 1996, we have Krystal Baker. 384 00:21:23,667 --> 00:21:28,583 And then in 1997 we had Laura Smithers and Jessica Cain. 385 00:21:30,167 --> 00:21:32,167 We've got a monster somewhere. 386 00:21:32,167 --> 00:21:34,667 (tense music) 387 00:21:42,375 --> 00:21:44,208 - [Narrator] With the disappearance of 3 young girls 388 00:21:44,208 --> 00:21:46,208 in the Texas marshlands, 389 00:21:46,208 --> 00:21:48,792 fear hangs heavy in the thick bayou air. 390 00:21:50,250 --> 00:21:52,000 - I just remember everyone being in disbelief, 391 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,667 and in horror, actually, 392 00:21:53,667 --> 00:21:56,208 thinking that it's outta control, 393 00:21:56,208 --> 00:21:58,625 that there's some serial killer out there 394 00:21:58,625 --> 00:22:01,167 who's obviously not gonna stop. 395 00:22:01,167 --> 00:22:03,667 (tense music) 396 00:22:05,958 --> 00:22:08,625 - With these murders happening as the way they did, 397 00:22:09,708 --> 00:22:12,583 I did reach out to other agencies. 398 00:22:12,583 --> 00:22:15,208 Maybe we can pool our information 399 00:22:15,208 --> 00:22:16,708 and come up with a suspect. 400 00:22:17,875 --> 00:22:21,375 - Also, we were in constant contact with the FBI, 401 00:22:21,375 --> 00:22:22,625 and they were the profilers. 402 00:22:22,625 --> 00:22:23,917 They were the persons 403 00:22:23,917 --> 00:22:26,875 that could examine someone's characteristics. 404 00:22:26,875 --> 00:22:29,667 - But after talking with the other agencies, 405 00:22:29,667 --> 00:22:31,750 there's no leads that are developed at that time 406 00:22:31,750 --> 00:22:34,292 to take us any further than what we already were. 407 00:22:36,375 --> 00:22:40,208 - The police eventually concluded that Krystal's murder 408 00:22:40,208 --> 00:22:44,875 was not connected to Jessica Cain's or to Laura Smithers'. 409 00:22:47,333 --> 00:22:49,583 They had a DNA profile. 410 00:22:49,583 --> 00:22:52,667 It was a man named William Lewis Reece, 411 00:22:52,667 --> 00:22:56,792 who was ultimately charged with their murders. 412 00:22:59,500 --> 00:23:01,375 - [Narrator] The investigation into Krystal's death 413 00:23:01,375 --> 00:23:05,083 slows to a crawl like the sluggish waters of a bayou 414 00:23:06,208 --> 00:23:07,875 and the case goes cold. 415 00:23:09,000 --> 00:23:11,667 (ominous music) 416 00:23:17,917 --> 00:23:20,958 (somber fiddle music) 417 00:23:26,542 --> 00:23:30,000 - Everybody kept telling me it's a cold case 418 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,042 and there was no evidence. 419 00:23:33,083 --> 00:23:35,208 (soft ominous music) 420 00:23:35,208 --> 00:23:38,875 - [Narrator] Back in 1996, lab results failed to detect 421 00:23:38,875 --> 00:23:42,167 any foreign DNA on Krystal's body, 422 00:23:42,167 --> 00:23:46,500 but Jeanie holds out hope that one day there will be a clue. 423 00:23:47,625 --> 00:23:51,708 - My child actually fought for her life 424 00:23:51,708 --> 00:23:54,250 in every way with her legs, her arms, everything. 425 00:23:54,250 --> 00:23:55,792 She had bruises all over her. 426 00:23:57,167 --> 00:24:00,875 So I knew that there had to be some evidence on her. 427 00:24:02,000 --> 00:24:04,833 I said, "I need to hire a private investigator." 428 00:24:04,833 --> 00:24:09,792 So I call him, and they went to investigate. 429 00:24:12,750 --> 00:24:15,917 - [Narrator] The PI digs deep into Krystal's file 430 00:24:15,917 --> 00:24:18,083 at the Chambers County Sheriff's office. 431 00:24:19,417 --> 00:24:21,042 He finds nothing. 432 00:24:23,583 --> 00:24:25,750 - An evidence officer, she pulled the case 433 00:24:25,750 --> 00:24:29,208 after the private investigator contacts her. 434 00:24:29,208 --> 00:24:31,458 She pulled the case and she started reading through it, 435 00:24:31,458 --> 00:24:32,792 got interested in it. 436 00:24:33,833 --> 00:24:37,500 - She remembered Krystal being murdered. 437 00:24:37,500 --> 00:24:39,042 She was a high school student. 438 00:24:39,042 --> 00:24:40,042 It stuck with her. 439 00:24:41,042 --> 00:24:43,333 - It was after this that we get what could be 440 00:24:43,333 --> 00:24:45,333 a major break in the case. 441 00:24:45,333 --> 00:24:48,125 (dramatic music) 442 00:24:49,625 --> 00:24:51,667 - I became the sheriff after the sheriff's office 443 00:24:51,667 --> 00:24:56,417 started this case back from what had relatively turned cold 444 00:24:56,417 --> 00:24:58,583 and making that cold case hot again. 445 00:24:59,375 --> 00:25:01,083 It was a major case. 446 00:25:01,083 --> 00:25:05,917 Anytime you have a 13-year-old body that is disposed of 447 00:25:05,917 --> 00:25:09,167 like it was, it's really never put away. 448 00:25:09,167 --> 00:25:11,667 It's usually kind of waiting for that tip. 449 00:25:13,417 --> 00:25:16,042 In 2009, our state police lab, 450 00:25:16,042 --> 00:25:18,500 the Department of Public Safety Laboratory, 451 00:25:18,500 --> 00:25:20,625 was making great strides 452 00:25:20,625 --> 00:25:23,167 with some of the new technology from DNA. 453 00:25:25,042 --> 00:25:26,500 In this particular case, 454 00:25:26,500 --> 00:25:29,583 'cause it was a cold case for a long time, 455 00:25:29,583 --> 00:25:33,792 they were able to get that evidence resubmitted 456 00:25:33,792 --> 00:25:38,750 and reanalyzed, the dress and some fingernail scrapings. 457 00:25:39,375 --> 00:25:41,583 (tense music) 458 00:25:42,958 --> 00:25:46,042 - This time when the sample was tested, they got a profile. 459 00:25:46,042 --> 00:25:47,792 (tense music continues) 460 00:25:47,792 --> 00:25:51,500 And it was loaded into CODIS, the national database. 461 00:25:54,167 --> 00:25:57,042 - In September of 2010, we got the call 462 00:25:57,042 --> 00:25:59,375 we had been waiting for all those years. 463 00:25:59,375 --> 00:26:00,958 (phone ringing) 464 00:26:00,958 --> 00:26:02,917 - Brad is the one that called me and told me, you know, 465 00:26:02,917 --> 00:26:04,708 "You're not gonna believe this." 466 00:26:04,708 --> 00:26:07,750 (dramatic music) 467 00:26:08,750 --> 00:26:11,167 We had a hit on Krystal's killer. 468 00:26:11,500 --> 00:26:14,250 (dramatic music) 469 00:26:18,542 --> 00:26:20,958 (tense music) 470 00:26:24,042 --> 00:26:27,875 - When we got the CODIS hit, it was a huge moment. 471 00:26:29,667 --> 00:26:33,292 Everybody was ecstatic that we now had a suspect 472 00:26:33,750 --> 00:26:36,000 for Krystal Baker's murder. 473 00:26:36,875 --> 00:26:39,125 So we finally get a name, 474 00:26:39,125 --> 00:26:42,292 and then we start trying to track him down. 475 00:26:42,292 --> 00:26:44,958 (tense music) 476 00:26:52,708 --> 00:26:55,542 - The sheriff's office sent me a picture of him 477 00:26:55,542 --> 00:26:58,208 and they said his name is Kevin Edison Smith. 478 00:26:59,542 --> 00:27:04,208 In 2010, Kevin Smith got arrested in Louisiana. 479 00:27:05,708 --> 00:27:07,542 - [Narrator] Smith was arrested on a drug charge 480 00:27:07,542 --> 00:27:09,500 in Pointe Coupee Parish, 481 00:27:09,500 --> 00:27:12,500 located in Louisiana's bayou country, 482 00:27:12,500 --> 00:27:15,250 300 miles from Texas City. 483 00:27:16,542 --> 00:27:20,542 - He subsequently had his DNA taken 484 00:27:20,542 --> 00:27:22,625 and put in the CODIS database, 485 00:27:22,625 --> 00:27:25,250 which subsequently wound up matching up 486 00:27:25,250 --> 00:27:28,000 with our suspect information. 487 00:27:29,042 --> 00:27:31,917 - In Texas, we were only taking DNA samples 488 00:27:31,917 --> 00:27:33,792 from people who had been convicted 489 00:27:33,792 --> 00:27:35,250 of certain sex offenses, 490 00:27:35,250 --> 00:27:38,375 but in the state of Louisiana at that time, 491 00:27:38,375 --> 00:27:43,292 they would take your DNA upon arrest even for misdemeanors. 492 00:27:44,542 --> 00:27:45,750 The fact that we had his genetic profile 493 00:27:45,750 --> 00:27:48,542 in the system, it's huge. 494 00:27:48,542 --> 00:27:50,000 I mean, it's a big deal. 495 00:27:50,000 --> 00:27:52,958 Once we got a hit on Kevin Smith, 496 00:27:52,958 --> 00:27:56,375 they started doing some background on him. 497 00:27:57,625 --> 00:27:59,708 Kevin Smith was under the radar. 498 00:27:59,708 --> 00:28:03,458 No criminal record except for the drug charge. 499 00:28:03,458 --> 00:28:05,500 (tense music) 500 00:28:05,500 --> 00:28:08,750 - [Brad] I come to find out he's from the Texas City area. 501 00:28:10,583 --> 00:28:14,167 He's worked all up and down the Interstate-10 corridor. 502 00:28:16,125 --> 00:28:19,958 - In 1996, he was working as a contractor at the time 503 00:28:19,958 --> 00:28:22,083 at one of the refineries 504 00:28:22,083 --> 00:28:25,417 very close to where Krystal Baker's body was discovered. 505 00:28:26,958 --> 00:28:29,167 - [Narrator] Detectives discover that Kevin Smith 506 00:28:29,167 --> 00:28:32,833 is back in Texas and working in Port Arthur, 507 00:28:32,833 --> 00:28:36,708 an industrial coastal town near the Louisiana state line. 508 00:28:36,708 --> 00:28:39,667 (dramatic music) 509 00:28:41,125 --> 00:28:44,958 - In September of 2010, we traveled to Port Arthur 510 00:28:46,667 --> 00:28:51,625 and with the assistance of Port Arthur PD, 511 00:28:51,625 --> 00:28:54,167 made contact with the suspect. 512 00:28:56,000 --> 00:28:58,208 The day we arrested him, 513 00:28:58,208 --> 00:29:01,500 I was actually able to put my handcuffs on him, 514 00:29:01,500 --> 00:29:03,542 (dramatic music) 515 00:29:03,542 --> 00:29:06,458 which is something I'd been waiting for all those years. 516 00:29:08,500 --> 00:29:13,375 When our suspect was arrested, he maintained his innocence. 517 00:29:14,833 --> 00:29:16,917 - Said he didn't know what we were talking about. 518 00:29:19,042 --> 00:29:21,042 Very quiet, very unassuming. 519 00:29:21,042 --> 00:29:24,042 And then they took his DNA. 520 00:29:24,042 --> 00:29:25,917 - Myself and one of the rangers were in there with him. 521 00:29:25,917 --> 00:29:30,042 We explained to him, you know, being nice. 522 00:29:30,042 --> 00:29:32,000 You know, "We've got a court order 523 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:33,875 to get your buccal swabs." 524 00:30:12,083 --> 00:30:13,708 - I pretty much held him down 525 00:30:13,708 --> 00:30:15,542 while the ranger swabbed his cheeks. 526 00:30:23,833 --> 00:30:26,042 (tense music) 527 00:30:29,542 --> 00:30:31,208 - We got his DNA. 528 00:30:33,708 --> 00:30:34,792 - [Investigator Moon] Let's go. 529 00:30:37,083 --> 00:30:38,375 - [Narrator] Later that week, 530 00:30:38,375 --> 00:30:41,458 lab results for the DNA sample come back. 531 00:30:44,042 --> 00:30:48,167 - Sure enough, it's confirmed. He is our man. 532 00:30:48,375 --> 00:30:51,083 (dramatic music) 533 00:30:52,042 --> 00:30:53,958 (soft tense music) 534 00:30:53,958 --> 00:30:57,333 Around the time we rode to Jeanie's house, Krystal's mom, 535 00:30:57,333 --> 00:30:59,917 We were able to tell her that we'd found 536 00:30:59,917 --> 00:31:02,875 the person responsible for her daughter's death. 537 00:31:03,875 --> 00:31:06,292 It got very emotional for everybody. 538 00:31:09,208 --> 00:31:11,292 - They showed me a picture of him. 539 00:31:11,292 --> 00:31:14,875 I have already lived through 14, 15, 540 00:31:14,875 --> 00:31:19,917 almost 15 years of not knowing who it was. 541 00:31:21,042 --> 00:31:21,875 And then all of a sudden I have a face 542 00:31:21,875 --> 00:31:23,292 to who murdered my daughter. 543 00:31:24,833 --> 00:31:26,458 I've never seen him. 544 00:31:26,458 --> 00:31:29,458 I don't understand why he did this to my daughter. 545 00:31:31,708 --> 00:31:36,042 Thank God the detectives went and made sure 546 00:31:36,042 --> 00:31:38,042 that the cold case got looked at. 547 00:31:38,042 --> 00:31:41,000 It was a miracle that we caught this guy. 548 00:31:42,042 --> 00:31:44,375 It was just remarkable. 549 00:31:46,917 --> 00:31:49,917 - Kevin Smith was charged with capital murder 550 00:31:49,917 --> 00:31:52,542 because he committed a murder during 551 00:31:52,542 --> 00:31:55,333 or in the commission of an aggravated sexual assault. 552 00:31:56,375 --> 00:31:58,375 It would be a death penalty case. 553 00:31:58,375 --> 00:31:59,542 (cell door slams) 554 00:31:59,542 --> 00:32:02,208 - [Narrator] As prosecutors prepare for trial, 555 00:32:02,208 --> 00:32:04,500 they receive a surprising request. 556 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:09,000 - I was told, "Kevin Smith wants to talk to you 557 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:12,500 if you'll take the death penalty off the table." 558 00:32:12,500 --> 00:32:15,542 And of course I think my first reaction was, "Oh (bleep)." 559 00:32:16,833 --> 00:32:18,042 You know, I mean, this was a big deal. 560 00:32:18,042 --> 00:32:20,250 We still don't know what really happened 561 00:32:20,250 --> 00:32:22,417 on the day that Krystal was abducted. 562 00:32:23,292 --> 00:32:26,000 Maybe I can get some answers. 563 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:28,375 I thought, hell yeah, I'll go talk to him. 564 00:32:28,375 --> 00:32:31,042 I wanted the son of bitch to confess. 565 00:32:31,042 --> 00:32:34,042 (dramatic music) 566 00:32:39,167 --> 00:32:41,333 (twangy blues music) 567 00:32:45,333 --> 00:32:48,250 - Kevin Smith wanted to confess 568 00:32:48,250 --> 00:32:51,083 if I took the death penalty off the table. 569 00:32:51,083 --> 00:32:54,542 I knew that a confession would help. 570 00:32:54,542 --> 00:32:58,375 We would use it in trial, and I wanted to talk to him. 571 00:32:58,375 --> 00:33:01,042 I wanted to hear what he had to say. 572 00:33:01,042 --> 00:33:04,042 (soft tense music) 573 00:33:11,458 --> 00:33:13,042 (ominous music) 574 00:33:21,750 --> 00:33:24,875 - Kevin, myself, one of the rangers, 575 00:33:24,875 --> 00:33:28,167 and prosecutor were all in the room, 576 00:33:28,167 --> 00:33:31,083 and Cheryl did the majority of the talking. 577 00:33:31,083 --> 00:33:33,417 She was asking the questions. 578 00:33:33,417 --> 00:33:36,958 - Kevin said that he wanted to be very clear 579 00:33:36,958 --> 00:33:42,125 that he was not the same man today that he was back in 1996, 580 00:33:43,583 --> 00:33:48,375 that he was a Christian man, and that he was a good person. 581 00:33:51,375 --> 00:33:54,542 If you get into their faces and you start berating them, 582 00:33:54,542 --> 00:33:56,542 they're not gonna tell you anything. 583 00:33:56,542 --> 00:33:59,542 So I sat there and listened to him and agreed with him, 584 00:33:59,542 --> 00:34:04,500 trying to be his friend and being nice and sympathetic. 585 00:34:06,042 --> 00:34:09,375 And then we talked about Krystal. 586 00:34:28,042 --> 00:34:29,542 - Somehow he got her in his truck. 587 00:34:29,542 --> 00:34:33,917 He said that she asked him for a ride. 588 00:34:33,917 --> 00:34:36,750 Her family says there's no way in hell 589 00:34:36,750 --> 00:34:38,125 she would have done that. 590 00:34:41,042 --> 00:34:44,708 I guess at some point he wants to have sex. 591 00:35:11,875 --> 00:35:14,375 - He says that he used his hands, 592 00:35:14,375 --> 00:35:19,375 then that goes more in line to it being an accident. 593 00:35:19,375 --> 00:35:21,083 You know, like, "Oh, I just, I freaked out 594 00:35:21,083 --> 00:35:22,625 'cause she was freaking out, 595 00:35:22,625 --> 00:35:24,875 so I just choked her and before I knew it, she was dead." 596 00:35:24,875 --> 00:35:26,333 Which I knew all of that was (bleep) 597 00:35:26,333 --> 00:35:27,542 because you don't accidentally 598 00:35:27,542 --> 00:35:29,333 strangle somebody for four minutes. 599 00:36:03,083 --> 00:36:05,875 - But it's so funny how he quickly remembered 600 00:36:05,875 --> 00:36:09,750 when I told him that he did not strangle her with his hands. 601 00:36:09,750 --> 00:36:13,375 Then all of a sudden he just starts telling it, 602 00:36:13,375 --> 00:36:14,917 just like it was yesterday. 603 00:36:49,542 --> 00:36:50,833 - When they get to the part where they're like, 604 00:36:50,958 --> 00:36:53,750 "Oh, wait a minute, I'm supposed to be upset right now," 605 00:36:53,750 --> 00:36:55,875 then the tears will come. 606 00:36:55,875 --> 00:36:58,208 (tense music) 607 00:36:58,208 --> 00:36:59,208 - He knows what he's doing. 608 00:36:59,208 --> 00:37:00,417 He knew what he was doing. 609 00:37:01,792 --> 00:37:05,833 - When Kevin started crying, I didn't pity him. 610 00:37:08,417 --> 00:37:10,208 I felt like he was crying 611 00:37:10,208 --> 00:37:12,292 because he knew he had been caught 612 00:37:12,292 --> 00:37:17,292 and his goose was cooked, so to speak. 613 00:37:20,042 --> 00:37:22,375 - That man wasn't sorry for nothin'. 614 00:37:22,375 --> 00:37:24,417 He went on about his life. 615 00:37:24,417 --> 00:37:27,583 He had no concerns about what he did to Krystal. 616 00:37:28,708 --> 00:37:30,000 (tense music) 617 00:37:30,000 --> 00:37:32,542 - [Narrator] With the suspect's damning statements, 618 00:37:32,542 --> 00:37:35,833 prosecutors are confident as they head to trial. 619 00:37:36,208 --> 00:37:40,208 - We have the DNA, we had his confession, 620 00:37:41,042 --> 00:37:42,208 which was everything. 621 00:37:42,208 --> 00:37:44,542 But there's never a slam dunk. 622 00:37:44,542 --> 00:37:46,750 I don't care what anybody says. 623 00:37:46,750 --> 00:37:49,375 You don't know what he's gonna do with his defense, 624 00:37:49,375 --> 00:37:53,125 and you never know what 12 people on a jury are gonna do. 625 00:37:53,125 --> 00:37:54,875 You never know. 626 00:37:54,875 --> 00:37:57,750 (dramatic music) 627 00:38:25,875 --> 00:38:27,333 - I mean, if he was such a changed man, 628 00:38:27,333 --> 00:38:29,875 why didn't he confess one year, two year, 629 00:38:29,875 --> 00:38:33,333 three year, four year, ten years after he killed her? 630 00:38:33,333 --> 00:38:38,375 (tense music) (insects chirping) 631 00:38:41,458 --> 00:38:43,292 - [Narrator] With spectators packing the benches 632 00:38:43,292 --> 00:38:45,542 of the small county courtroom, 633 00:38:45,542 --> 00:38:48,375 Kevin Smith's recorded statements are presented 634 00:38:48,375 --> 00:38:49,667 during his trial. 635 00:38:50,833 --> 00:38:55,375 - He confessed that he had hurt Krystal. 636 00:38:55,375 --> 00:38:57,542 He confessed that he strangled her. 637 00:38:58,792 --> 00:39:03,792 To hear the details, it was such a nightmare. 638 00:39:04,417 --> 00:39:05,667 It was devastating. 639 00:39:07,417 --> 00:39:09,500 - A jury hearing a confession from a defendant 640 00:39:09,500 --> 00:39:12,333 is very impactful because a lotta times 641 00:39:12,333 --> 00:39:14,042 defendants don't testify. 642 00:39:14,042 --> 00:39:16,583 Kevin Smith didn't testify. 643 00:39:16,583 --> 00:39:19,208 He basically put on no defense. 644 00:39:19,208 --> 00:39:21,208 (tense music) 645 00:39:21,208 --> 00:39:25,000 - [Narrator] The jury reaches a verdict within 30 minutes. 646 00:39:26,625 --> 00:39:28,833 - They find Kevin Smith guilty of capital murder, 647 00:39:29,833 --> 00:39:32,333 which carries an automatic life sentence. 648 00:39:33,417 --> 00:39:35,542 He won't ever get out. 649 00:39:35,542 --> 00:39:37,542 I was just glad that it was over, 650 00:39:37,542 --> 00:39:42,125 glad that we got the result that we wanted, 651 00:39:42,125 --> 00:39:43,625 that Krystal deserved. 652 00:39:45,708 --> 00:39:48,417 - It felt really good to hear Kevin convicted 653 00:39:48,417 --> 00:39:50,458 of the murder of Krystal Baker. 654 00:39:52,250 --> 00:39:53,625 It was long overdue. 655 00:39:56,083 --> 00:39:58,167 - How could you do that to my baby? 656 00:39:58,167 --> 00:39:59,375 How could you do that? 657 00:40:00,167 --> 00:40:01,708 I can't understand that. 658 00:40:02,792 --> 00:40:06,583 He's I think evil is too good of a word. 659 00:40:09,542 --> 00:40:11,917 - He's a monster. We put a monster away. 660 00:40:13,208 --> 00:40:14,458 - I probably have a little more peace 661 00:40:14,458 --> 00:40:16,625 knowing that that man is never gonna get out. 662 00:40:18,542 --> 00:40:23,125 Thank God his DNA ended up in the system. 663 00:40:24,917 --> 00:40:27,875 - If Louisiana hadn't had a law mandating the testing 664 00:40:27,875 --> 00:40:31,792 of DNA for all felons, Kevin Edison Smith 665 00:40:31,792 --> 00:40:33,542 would never have been found. 666 00:40:34,708 --> 00:40:36,083 - [Narrator] Following the trial, 667 00:40:36,083 --> 00:40:39,042 Krystal's mother continues her fight for justice 668 00:40:39,042 --> 00:40:42,750 by pushing for a similar DNA law in Texas. 669 00:40:44,042 --> 00:40:46,958 - He took everything from me when he took my daughter. 670 00:40:46,958 --> 00:40:49,833 And he took everything from her that day. 671 00:40:49,833 --> 00:40:51,708 I don't want any other parent 672 00:40:51,708 --> 00:40:53,958 to go through what I went through. 673 00:40:53,958 --> 00:40:58,917 - The Krystal Baker Law in Texas passed in 2019. 674 00:40:58,917 --> 00:41:03,083 We got 24 felonies that you could be tested for 675 00:41:03,083 --> 00:41:05,125 once you get arrested. 676 00:41:05,125 --> 00:41:08,750 Even in the short time that that has been the law in Texas, 677 00:41:08,750 --> 00:41:12,083 we have solved over 250 cold cases. 678 00:41:13,417 --> 00:41:16,458 - And now we just recently were able to pass 679 00:41:16,458 --> 00:41:19,375 some additional legislation to now collect the DNA 680 00:41:19,375 --> 00:41:21,833 off, off of all felony arrests. 681 00:41:25,583 --> 00:41:26,875 - [Narrator] Krystal's mother is pushing 682 00:41:26,875 --> 00:41:31,083 to expand the law to cover even misdemeanor arrests. 683 00:41:31,083 --> 00:41:33,708 - Krystal Baker's Law has already helped a lot, 684 00:41:33,708 --> 00:41:36,583 but this would even help more. 685 00:41:36,583 --> 00:41:39,583 We need to get these criminals off the streets. 686 00:41:40,708 --> 00:41:43,208 So if we could get their DNA like a fingerprints, 687 00:41:43,208 --> 00:41:45,708 maybe they might think twice about what they do. 688 00:41:48,750 --> 00:41:50,667 - Krystal is being remembered 689 00:41:50,667 --> 00:41:53,042 and will forever be remembered 690 00:41:53,042 --> 00:41:55,458 as changing the law in the State of Texas. 691 00:41:55,458 --> 00:41:57,167 That's a big deal. 692 00:41:57,167 --> 00:41:59,875 (dramatic music) 693 00:42:05,708 --> 00:42:09,833 - [Jeanine] This is a bench that we dedicated to Krystal. 694 00:42:11,083 --> 00:42:14,500 I come out here to bring my great-grandkids and my grandson, 695 00:42:14,500 --> 00:42:16,708 bring the kids out here to play. 696 00:42:16,708 --> 00:42:19,792 Coming out here, I really feel close to her. 697 00:42:19,792 --> 00:42:21,375 I try my very best to think 698 00:42:21,375 --> 00:42:23,750 about the good things of Krystal, 699 00:42:23,750 --> 00:42:27,375 laughing and having fun and enjoying her life. 700 00:42:27,375 --> 00:42:30,625 She was a joy to be around. 701 00:42:32,708 --> 00:42:35,625 I have dreams of her still. 702 00:42:36,875 --> 00:42:39,958 I dream mostly of her being a little girl 703 00:42:39,958 --> 00:42:43,167 and I'd like to remember all the fun things we did together, 704 00:42:44,375 --> 00:42:48,667 and remember all the love I had for her. 705 00:42:49,625 --> 00:42:52,208 (tense guitar music)