“Inside The Gates” dove deeper into Byron and Michael’s cases. It also took Ryan back to the prison he spent 8 years in when he was wrongfully convicted. But first, let’s take a look at the information we gathered in episode 6 of Unlocking The Truth.

Previously on Unlocking The Truth…

Byron

We learn that Justin committed suicide before Anastasia was identified. Justin was known to have suicidal tendencies and depression. We also learn that Justin attended a gun show one week before Anastasia was murdered and that 7 hours after she was murdered he purchased a shot gun (the weapon he used to kill himself). Is this a murder-suicide? Or was Justin so grief stricken he chose to end his life?

One of the major issues in Byron’s case is that they cannot identify or locate a murder weapon. A high velocity gun (rifle or handgun) could have been used. The projectile found at the scene of the crime was lead but had no copper jacket like shot guns would have. However, this doesn’t rule out a shotgun or a long barreled gun as one could have been used if it only used lead projectiles.

Kalvin

Ryan and Eva spoke with Chris Swecker, former Assistant Director of the FBI. Swecker viewed Kalvin’s case and does not believe Kalvin committed the crime. Swecker stated that the evidence and investigation was flawed from the start.

Shane Fleetcher, a mentally unstable man, confessed to attacking Jill Marker months after Kalvin was arrested. He gave details that he shouldn’t have known about the crime. We then find out that he was connected to Kenneth Lamoureux. At one point they lived across the hall from one another in a psych ward. It is possible they could have communicated after the attack. Shane did have telephone privileges.

Ryan went to talk to Shane but couldn’t really get much out of him. He was not in a good state of mind and went where Ryan would take him. However, he does say that Kalvin did not commit the crime.

“Inside the Gates”

Byron

Ryan and Eva went to speak with Francesca, Anastasia’s sister. She said that there was no way all three (Byron, Justin and Kelly) weren’t there when Anastasia was murdered. Ryan and Eva also brought back the forensic linguist, Dr. Robert Leonard to examine the statements of Byron and Kelly. In both of their ’99 statements Byron and Kelly’s stories match up. There are a few differences but they are minor. If they were exactly the same it would look like the two met up before hand to corroborate their information. When the linguist looked at Kelly’s 2000 statement he noticed many contradictions within the same statement. Also Kelly was not very knowledgeable as to the location of where Anastasia was murdered. If she was that traumatized you think she would remember where her friend was killed.

We also got to look deeper into the timeline of the murder. Kelly claimed that they picked up Anastasia from the Dairy Queen around 4:30/5pm. However, when speaking to the manager at the time he claims that Anastasia was picked up near closing time, around 8/8:30pm. It was very dark out at that time. Ryan and Eva then speak to Glenn Colliver who was the grounds keeper of the first cemetery they got kicked out of. He told Ryan and Eva he kicked the group of teens out at about 8:45pm as he wanted to be home for his 9 o’clock television program.

These two statements do not corroborate with Kelly’s depiction of what happened. She’s either lying or she was so badly traumatized that she can’t get her timeline straight.

Michael

Ryan and Eva speak to Tina Carter, a friend of Rita Politte’s.  She tells the duo that Michael and Rita had a close relationship until the divorce. Michael got a lot of flak from his father who put all the blame for the divorce on Rita. Tina also believes Ed orchestrated Rita’s death and had Michael set the fire.

Ryan and Eva also speak to Derek Politte (no familial relation to Rita), an ex-boyfriend of Rita. Prosecutors made a big deal about the fact that Derek told them that Michael was flicking a lighter at the dinner table when he was over. Derek knew Michael did not want him there but he did not think the lighter thing was a big deal. To him he was just a kid who was struggling with his parent’s divorce. It was a non-issue to him.

Paul Bieber, fire/explosions investigator was also brought in to go over the evidence presented in Michael’s case. He tells Ryan and Eva that there is no research to suggest a pattern was made with liquid and that you can’t eye ball a crime scene and determine what kind of accelerant was used. You have to take samples from the scene and test them. After reviewing the evidence it was determined that neither the crime scene nor Michael’s tennis shoes came back positive for gasoline. No accelerant was found at the scene of the crime.

Ryan then meets with Michael in prison. The same prison Ryan spent 8 years locked up in for a crime he did not commit. This meeting really brought home the fact that Michael was stripped from society at such a young age. He has never used the internet and he never got a driver’s license. He basically grew up in prison.

After gathering all this information, Ryan and Eva sat down with Michael’s attorneys for a case review and determined that he was wrongfully convicted; they believe him to be innocent. The case review revealed the following:

• Johnny won’t sit down with Ryan or Eva, so we do not have his side of the story. Why was he in the field so early in the morning? Why was his truck parked there? We may never get an answer to these questions.
• Josh does not implicate Michael
• There was a possible misheard confession
• The evidence against Michael was incorrect

Based on this information Michael’s attorneys are filing a habeas corpus petition on his behalf. Whether or not the petition is accepted is up to a judge.

Next Week:

Ryan meets Byron

Ryan and Eva wrap up Kalvin’s case

The search for D.R. Williams begins

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This week’s episode of Unlocking The Truth, “You Don’t Know Murderers Bro” took us deeper into the red flags and inconsistencies of the investigations for Kalvin and Michael’s cases.

Kalvin:

It is unveiled that Kalvin and his girlfriend at the time were separated when they went downtown for questioning. Kalvin was then told by officers that his girlfriend was making an incriminating statement about him but if he wrote a similar statement (confession) they will be able to go home right away. Kalvin claims the detectives told him what to write.

Eva and Ryan continue to investigate the protocols used during the investigation and seek advice from Special Agent Scott Williams who looks into cases of police misconduct. He says that they cannot prove that Kalvin or any other witnesses were coerced by police and therefore believes he is guilty. To him there are too many people pointing the finger in his direction. Add that to the signed confession by Kalvin, which mentions information that was not public knowledge at the time and its hook, line and sinker. However, when looking back at the statements/stories Ryan and Eva notice that they all differ, yet no red flags are raised.

The duo also looked at the police line-up identification. In the first video of Jill Marker looking at a photo line-up she is unable to identify anyone. 1 year later Kalvin was identified by Jill. Jill was still non-verbal at the time and in the first video investigators had a hard time deciphering what she was trying to say. The first doctor to examine Jill said she would have had amnesia about the attacked, while a second doctor, her primary care physician, said she could make a positive ID. Which is it?

Ryan and Eva also learn that Jill’s son survived and was born while she was still in a coma. They meet up with Baron Marker to hear his side of the story. One that isn’t really heard because he wasn’t born when she was attacked, yet the attack had a significant impact on his life. Baron tells us that his dad raised him and eventually remarried. He also let Ryan and Eva know that he still has a relationship with his mother. We also learn that his stepmother has said his parents would still be together if this never happened and that Baron’s dad is still very much in love with Jill. However, his dad has become really closed off to the world and his family because of this tragedy. He lost his love and his family, only getting half of it back. That’s a horrible burden not only for his father to carry but for Baron as well.

Michael:

Ryan finally gets Josh Sansoucie to talk but not to go on camera. Josh stands by his last statement where he said he couldn’t see whether or not Michael was in his bed. He also told Ryan that he would be willing to testify if called upon. A huge victory for Michael’s case!

Eva and Ryan then go talk to former Washington Sherriff Ronnie Skiles. He goes over when he arrived on the scene. The fire was out when he arrived but he did view the rest of the crime scene. Skiles says you could tell Rita was attacked in her bed and put up a fight because of the blood splatter on the pillows and walls. He then went into the use of the stress test used on Michael, claiming it is mainly used for the process of elimination. If you pass, you are no longer a suspect. The problem with these tests, as told by forensic linguist Dr. Robert Leonard later on in the episode, is that Computer Voice Stress Analyzers (CVSA) are 50% accurate. Essentially a coin toss as to whether or not you will pass or fail.

Skiles does not think Michael attacked alone, he believed his father Ed had something to do with it. Yet, Ed was never looked at again. Skiles refused to go further into detail. The tension continued to build between Ryan and the sheriff. You could see how uncomfortable he was getting, especially when the sheriff said all people in prison claim they are innocent but they are guilty. Even if it wasn’t what they were caught for, it eventually comes full circle. Ryan had no words. Much like myself. The ignorance this man displayed was incredible.

His reasoning for Michael’s guilt is even more dumbfounding. He claims Michael was acting normally and that’s not how someone should act when they just found their mother dead. Sorry he must have missed that day in school were they read Skiles’s book on how to behave when you find your mother beaten and burned to death. Is this guy serious? It directly contradicts his statement to not have “tunnel-vision” when investigating these types of cases. He immediately assumed Michael was guilty because he didn’t act the way the sheriff would have under the same circumstances. It should be noted that Michael did ask weird questions like: who gets her [his mother’s] truck? Who slit her throat? But maybe that was his way of processing what he just witnessed.

Another thing that raised a red flag was after Michael made his “confession” after a suicide attempt there was no follow up to the confession. No additional interrogations. Nothing. Unfortunately in the U.S. the criminal justice system does not continue to search for the truth. Once there is enough evidence or information gathered to win, the investigation ceases. This is exactly why we have approximately 60,000 innocent people in prison right now. Something’s got to change!

Next Ryan and Eva visit the lead investigator in Rita’s murder, Curt Davis. He spoke to both Ryan and Eva but did not want to be seen on camera. He also thinks Ed [Michael’s father] was involved in the murder. More specifically that he convinced Michael to do it. WHY WASN’T ED INVESTIGATED FURTHER?! WHY IS HE ALLOWED TO ROAM FREE IF THEY THINK HE WAS INVOLVED IN THE MURDER?!

Melissa Mercer also tells her deceased mother’s side of the story. A day before Rita was murdered a man came to Melissa’s mother’s door and asked if she was Rita. He asked her about 10 times and became extremely aggressive and irritable when she kept telling him that she was not Rita. She then pointed out where Rita lived and the man strangely went off in the opposite direction. Up until her death she blamed herself for Rita’s death because she pointed out her home to the strange man. Melissa always told her mother to keep quiet about this information for fear of retaliation. Mercer believes that man was hired to kill Rita by Ed. Their divorce was finalized just a week before and Rita got almost everything.

Next Week:

Another suspect arises in Byron’s case — Justin

Shane’s confession — Kalvin’s case

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The post ‘Unlocking The Truth’ Recap: “You Don’t Know Murderers Bro” *SPOILERS AHEAD* appeared first on RESPECT. | The Photo Journal of Hip-Hop Culture.