The grenade exploded next to a living-room couch where a 7-year-old girl, Aiyana Jones, slept. On a nearby beach, a young woman lies dead. I don't unpack my belongings, but I gently lay my green duffle bag up against the footlocker. Can she see me bear this deserving pain I caused her over the last decade? Clarke Raines was questioned after they searched the home. Merritt had an uncanny knack for catching killers. From that moment, a tension grew between the two young men. Evidence later established that police made important mistakes in their investigation. Eyes suddenly electric, he looked at Carter. "It seems like your best is preceded by a decision you will never outlive," he replies. Put in touch with attorney Joe Klock, who's taken the case pro bono, Smart has filed a civil lawsuit against the City of Miami for false arrest and imprisonment. It had been between Smart and an unnamed "Spanish guy.". In a twist, the authorities arrest . Dallas police say a 28-year-old man shot another man who had been "labeled a snitch" for talking about a murder case on A&E's documentary show The First 48. Volcy, a Haitian orphan whose only family was a nearby sister, was on the phone with his girlfriend. And in Miami, according to a New Times examination of court records, at least 15 men have walked free of murder charges spawned under the program's glare. Every televised murder, every person whose case is segmented for action, was also somebody's child. Taiwan Smart, 27, spent 19 months in jail before the charges were dropped against him in the November 2009 fatal shootings of two teens. Carter asked Smart, according to court records filed in Smart's defense. The First 48 follows detectives from around the country during these first critical hours as they race against time to find the suspect. independent local journalism in Miami. Police arrived at the scene at approximately 12:26 a.m. and discovered two males deceased at the scene. Season: 48 Hours Mystery - Season 18. A&E has continued to broadcast its First 48 episode featuring Smart. In February 2012 after Coker had spent nearly three years in jail Steven M. Smith, a professor of psychology at Texas A&M and an expert in human memory, tracked down the witnesses as part of Coker's defense. He is facing trial for sexual battery and armed kidnapping. Currently you are able to watch "The First 48" streaming on DIRECTV, Sling TV Orange and Blue, A&E, Hulu, Discovery Plus Amazon Channel, Discovery Plus, Peacock Premium or for free with ads on Peacock, Peacock Premium, A&E, Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, Freevee. To be truly accountable, there has to be some inner sufferingand not guilt, per se. They'd take an impoverished kid and destroy his character not only on the streets but on a national scale. "[5], On November 18, 2009, 21-year-old Taiwan Smart of Miami was charged with two counts of second-degree murder of his two roommates in Little Haiti. This story was originally published February 6, 2013, 10:52 AM. She'd been in there for hours, telling and retelling how she'd found the bodies and what had happened before the murders. Brooke Cain is a North Carolina native who has worked at The . The chances of solving a homicide are cut in half if a lead isn't found within 48 hours. But neither Evans nor Jackson sought shorter sentences in exchange for their depositions, so Smart's attorney quickly interviewed them and shipped their statements to prosecutors. "I know you killed my friends!". According to the logs, police discovered fewer casings than bullet holes, six of which had trajectories leading from the window where Smart claimed the stranger had shot. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. Smart was released in June 2011 and has since sued the city of Miami for false imprisonment. A fire lights inside of me. The First 48 crew filmed the whole thing, although the show decided not to air that episode. CAKEGATE 2023: Bad Bunny's Restaurant Accused of Gobbling Birthday Girl's Cake, Death Train: A Timeline of Brightline Fatalities in South Florida UPDATED, Neighborhood Nazi Jon Minadeo Peddles Hate by the Minute, Sen. Rubio's Permanent Daylight Savings Bill Sees Light of Day Once More, NFL Legend Ray Lewis Joins World Jai-Alai League Board of Directors, Affordable New "Micro-Units" Slated for Little River, Edgewater. He knew the police were looking for him but vacillated about whether to call them. "Because [The First 48] shows 'All suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty' at the beginning of the program, they're covered. "They made what I said into something entirely different," she says. ), The families of the murdered never see a dime of the show's profits. Herrera, a 22-year veteran, retired in December, three months after the crash. (Sanchez later "admitted" to prosecutor Marie Mato that he "dropped the ball" in his delay, according to emails obtained by New Times. The husband claims he and his wife were robbed and shot, but the police bring in the most surprising suspect of all: the husband himself. She crept into the 500-square-foot apartment, cluttered with Moon Pie wrappers and baggies of coke. Their suspect lived next door. The suspect, who was reportedly living on the USS Kidd, is accused of fatally hitting a pedestrian and fleeing the scene. "The clock starts ticking the moment they . and our Miami Police would grossly misrepresent witness statements and tell outright lies. So, I must be ready at all times and honor their strike by keeping it between the parties. The original soundtrack, opening title theme and dark ambient sound design for the overall program was composed by Chuck Hammer (20042006). Upon entry, however, the cops realized they'd raided the wrong house. Q: So the argument was strictly with the Spanish guy? While most cases are solved within the first 48 hours, some go on days, weeks, months or even years after the first 48. "I believe the evidence ten times more. I am suffering the consequences. He slowly shook his head. So when a curvaceous 18-year-old woman named Ciara Armbrister ducked out of her one-bedroom apartment just minutes after hearing multiple gunshots, she wasn't worried. And if so, what was the verdict? As for Smart, he was arrested for the execution-style killings of Jonathan Volcy, 18, and his 14-year-old friend, Raynathan Ray, inside the Little Haiti apartment. Sanchez paused. The . So The First 48, which doesn't compensate police departments in any way, left Miami and now films in Broward County, Houston, Cleveland, and Dallas. I saw the world as dog eat dog.