Transcripts For MSNBCW Dateline 20191007

Who would shoot crystie . Whats going on here . That was our question. Reporter police zeroed in on the men in her life. One, two, three of them. Were trying to find out who would have the motivation to do this. Reporter to help find her killer, her sisters would turn amateur detectives. I couldnt even sleep. I needed an answer. That was my sister, my baby sister. Reporter the twist that stopped everyone cold . There had been another attack on another pregnant woman. She was assaulted. And her neck was cut. Who was targeting momstobe . In this life or the next, youre gonna pay for what youve done wrong. I couldnt believe what i was hearing. How does this happen . Reporter in the megasprawl of los angeles county, the city of hawthorne occupies about six square miles, none of them especially glamorous. For decades local pride centered on the beach boys. They grew up here and quickly left. Nowadays its tech giants like spacex with headquarters at the local airport. But the heart and soul of hawthorne was and is working families. Strivers who stay close and look out for each other. This is a story about one of those families. They faced ups and downs like everyone else and always worked through them together. Until one moment, one morning, one bullet, came to tear them apart. Growing up, sisters crystal, michelle, and Monica Taylor were always there for each other. We have this tradition of having a Family Support group. Reporter it was their mother, known as momo, who set the tone. I thought it was the most wonderful family there was. My mom and i were best friends and my little sister were best friends. And, you know, so, i thought life was great. Im the oldest. Michelles the middle, and crystie is the baby. And she was every bit the baby. Shes my moms baby. Reporter crystal taylor was the youngest by six years. And both older sisters thought momo loved crystie a little extra. Spoiled her too, say michelle and monica. They talked every day. And she would just immediately start whining as soon as she talked to my mom. She could be, like, being a grownup, and as soon as the phone rang, she went right back to 8yearold. All the time. Reporter tia, her niece, remembers crystie as both a homebody and a romantic dreamer. She wasnt flashy. She wasnt someone who, like, shopped a lot. She was just a really down to earth, simple, just happy to be at home watching movies. She watched the same movies all the time. All the time. Over. And she loved love stories. Hope floats. Ever after. Love jones. Reporter those are all stories of women who find love in improbable ways and end up happy. Right. Reporter is what she wanted . Yes. I know she wanted love. I know that she she wanted a fairytale life. I know she always talked about it, but, you know, she was happy with the life that she had. Reporter the life she had, working, being with family, and raising a son who was born the very day she turned 17. I went in and she was singing it never rains in Southern California in labor, like shaking the bed. Reporter crystal called her little boy javonte, against the wishes of the boys father. He came in the room when we were in there, and he was like, i want his name to be junior. She just like in labor stop labor, no. She said, well, oh, no. Because im not marrying him. And if i get married to somebody else i dont wanna have two juniors, like no. Reporter so she already made the decision that she was having the baby, but she was not gonna be his wife . And she was not gonna be his wife. But that was crystie. She made a decision. Theres no changing her mind. Reporter wrapped in the blanket of her big family, crystal knew she and javonte would do just fine. We are some baby whisperers in the sense. We love babies. Strangers babies, anybody baby. Reporter anybody say thats too young to be having a baby . No, we all had babies young. Wed still said it. It would still be said, but it would also be followed by, youre still gonna finish school. You know, life isnt over. You made your bed harder, but youre gonna lay in it. And were gonna love this baby. Reporter those were rules set down by momo. Everyone finished school, started a career, and raised their children on their own successfully. Reporter as javonte grew, crystie grew up. She just really took care of her baby, went to work, and, like, brought her lunch cause she was never spending any money. If she went to the movies with her son, no, he knew not to ask for snacks. She just wouldnt spend any money. Reporter money was for the important things, like javontes education. She always talked about, you know, his prom, or when he goes to college, or what she wanted him to do with his life and and, you know, how she wanted him to be different. So she took her job as a mother really seriously. Reporter by 2001 michelle and crystie and their kids were living in separate apartments in the the same Apartment Building in hawthorne. Even momo lived there until her health began to fail and she moved to texas where her sisterinlaw, a nurse, could take care of her. But soon came word, momos in bad shape. Come quick. That day was easy to remember. It was september 11, 2001. They couldnt fly. No one in the u. S. Could. So they drove from hawthorne to texas. Crystie wouldnt leave momos side the entire time they were there. Crysties like, im sorry, but i came here for just to see mom. She wasnt leaving her room. Like, she was just focused on her. If she can get next to my mom, shes gonna be on her like glue. Reporter and that worked. Your mom kind of rallied. Oh, yeah. Reporter after two weeks, the family drove back to los angeles, arriving in the middle of the night on september 23rd. Two days later, this family learned a difficult truth. No matter how much you love, and how much you care, sometimes you cant help your loved one when harm is headed their way. 911. Yes. Id like to report a gunshot. Theres a woman. Shes shot. Shes laying in the floor in the garage. Reporter soon after, a neighbor of crysties called tia with some brutal news. They just said that she was shot. I remember saying, who would shoot crystie . Coming up she screamed the most harrowing scream. A family in anguish. I broke down crying. I just cried myself to sleep that night. And the first clues to the mystery. Her purse still intact. Clothes appeared to be intacts. What was going on here . That was our question. When dateline continues. Cs packed with b vitamins, electrolytes, antioxidants, plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. Why not feel this good every day . Emerge and see. But since they bought their new house. Which menu am i looking at here . Start with tapaz. Oh, its tapas. Tapas. Get out of town. Its like eating dinner with your parents. Sandra, are you in school . Yes, im in art school. Oh, wow. So have you thought about how youre gonna make money . At least were learning some new things. We bundled our home and auto with progressive, saved a bunch. Oh, we got a wobbler. Progressive cant protect you from becoming your parents, but we can protect your home and auto when you bundle with us. Thats what the extra menus for. When you bundle with us. [baby crying] unlike ordinary diapers, pampers is the first and only diaper to distribute wetness evenly into 3 air dry channels. They stay up to 3 times drier. So babies can sleep soundly all night. Pampers. 911. Yes. Id like to report a gunshot. Theres a woman. Shes shot. Shes laying on the floor in the garage. Reporter minutes after a 911 call, the Hawthorne Police arrived at crystal taylors Apartment Building. Detective Robbie Williams wasnt far behind. I was at my desk and received a call from my patrol units that they had a young lady who was unresponsive and appeared that she may have suffered a gunshot wound to the head. Reporter williams arrived and quickly sized up the scene. Theres officers already trying to revive her. Shes laying down in the lobby area of her apartment complex that leads from the upper stairs, which are their apartment, and to the garage area. And then we just started getting into the processing of a crime scene, making sure that we identify as many witnesses and if theres also other victims. Reporter but the only obvious victim was crystal. Shed been shot in the head. Paramedics took her to the hospital, and detective williams got straight to work finding witnesses. Because this is early morning. Theres kids walking to school. Theres people preparing themselves for their day of work so a lot of people were up. A lot of people reported hearing a gunshot. Reporter a father making breakfast for his kids looked out the kitchen window when he heard the shot. He saw a man running. An 11yearold girl on the sidewalk in front of the building also heard it and saw a man holding a shiny object. He jumped a fence and ran north. Anybody actually see the shooting . No, and there was no surveillance cameras that captured it either. Reporter but the crime scene was talking to detective williams. Was she robbed . The evidence doesnt support a robbery. Her purse was still intact. The amount of time between someone hearing a shot and someone else seeing someone running away from the crime scene doesnt necessarily support a robbery. Was she sexually assaulted . No evidence supported that she was sexually assaulted. Her clothes appeared to be intact. You go into her apartment . Yes. Anything amiss in her apartment . No. It didnt appear there was a conflict. No sign of any type of physical confrontation. So whats going on here . That was our question. Reporter it was the first of many questions detective williams would have. Crysties family was gathering at the hospital. Later, theyd have questions too. But right now, they were all in shock. I got there first. They were like, go in that go in this room, that was off to the side. Well, i had already been to the hospital a lot with my mom, so i knew that they took the family to a side room. So i told them, like, no, no, no, i dont want to go in there. I just want to see about my sister. Then the doctor came out and he told me, he was like, well, she didnt make it. And im driving on the freeway, and all of a sudden, i just felt like she wasnt here. Reporter the news that they lost their baby sister was unbearable. Crystal taylor was just 27. When i got in, michelle was on the floor. Im just, like, looking at her. I try to hug her. Reporter now they had to tell their ailing momo her baby was gone. When i had to call my mom to say, somebody killed crystie, and she screamed the most harrowing just scream. I just knew this is gonna kill mom, too. Yeah. Theres nothing worse than burying your kids. I mean no. Especially when youre already so sick. So sick. I i remember when i was talking to my my mom. I was like, dont you leave me. Reporter telling crystals 10yearold son was even harder. And we kind of sat next to him like, javonte, your mom died. And he crossed his arms like this and screamed. And kind of laid back and screamed, my poor little mommy. Reporter your mom died. They didnt say how. You all kind of shielded javonte from what had happened. Yes. Yeah. We were older and couldnt grasp what had happened to her. So why give it to him . So in one day, his whole world goes away. Goes away. No more mom. No more home. No more life as he knew it. Yeah, and he taught himself to just be like, not even talk about it. You dont even know javontes in a room. He learned to just i dont know. He just shut down. Reporter even now, javonte seems almost numb when talking about the worst day of his life. That night i pretty much i broke down crying. I just cried myself to sleep that night. You remember that . Yes. You remember what she looked like . Yes. I heard you cant remember the sound of her voice. I cannot remember what her she would sound like, no. That bother you . A bit, yes. Reporter this family tragedy would only get worse. Because crystal taylor wasnt the only one killed by that bullet. Coming up, police drill down in the search for a suspect. We tend to focus on relatives or relationship partners. The men in crystals life. One, two, three of them. Were trying to find out who would have the motivation to do this. When dateline continues. burke at farmers insurance, we know a thing or two because weve seen a thing or two. 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Since were obviously lost, mom and dad Maria Ramirez im rescheduling my Xfinity Customer Service appointment. Ah, relax. I got this. Which gps are you using anyway . A Little Something called instinct. Been using it for years. Yeah, thats what im afraid of. He knows exactly where were going. My whole body is a compass. Oh boy. The my account app makes todays Xfinity Customer Service simple, easy, awesome. Not my thing. As crystal taylors family tried to figure out how to cope with her murder, detective Robbie Williams tried to figure out who might have wanted her dead. When we started recreating that persons life, you know, were trying to find out who would have the motivation to do this. And oftentimes, you know, a civilian like she was, not involved in any criminal enterprise, we tend to focus on relatives or relationship partners. Reporter the 11yearold girl whod seen the shooter running told cops just before the shot rang out, she heard a man and a woman arguing. Was that a clue . Detective williams learned crystal had a boyfriend named dino. Just a hardworking guy. Was in a relationship with crystal on and off. And this is coming from the family and friends that knew about dino. Reporter and there was kenneth woods, father of crystals 10yearold son javonte. Javontes fathers got to be somebody youre gonna look at. Most definitely, and we did. Trying to identify if there was a ongoing conflict. Kenneth wasnt helping with javonte and there had been conflict over Child Support in the past. Crystal had obtained a court order requiring kenneth to pay. So two possible leads. A third surfaced when williams went to crystals office. We get to her place of employment and we talk to several young ladies that identified themselves as being her friend. And theyre shocked that this has happened. They told him the day before she was killed, crystal received a phone call at work that seemed to upset her. And then they dropped a bombshell. That a, she was pregnant, and b, the person that she was pregnant by did not want her to be pregnant any longer. You couldnt tell crystal taylor was pregnant when you saw her lying on the ground . I couldnt tell. I couldnt tell. In fact, she was five months along. Her unborn son died when she did. Crystal had told friends the father of her child was a guy named derek smyer. So you want to find out where derek is. Most definitely. We want to find everything about him right now. The detective learned crystal and derek had a quick fling. It only lasted a month or so. Theyd met at Anderson Park, which is near both their jobs. By now, it was lunch time. Derek wasnt in his office. So williams drove to the park. Bringing crystals work friends with him. And one of them immediately noticed something. She points out a car that derek drives. Reporter his car was easy to spot. It had vanity plates that said my whip, slang for a fancy car. Then crystals friend pointed out derek. And detectives brought him in for a talk. Go ahead and compose yourself. What is your last name, sir . Smyer. And your first name, sir . Derek. Do you have a middle name, derek . Paul. He freely answered your questions . He didnt ask for an attorney . No. No, he he never requested an attorney during our Interview Time with him. When was the last time that you saw her at her apartment that you can recall . Last time was not recently. Okay. I havent seen her physically in about lets see, a couple months. About two months . Longer than that. He kind of discounted it as yeah, we were on and off really quick. Does derek offer any theory of what he thinks might have happened to crystal . At some point in the interview, he talks about her being involved with other people. Did she mention this other boyfriend at all . She mentioned that sometimes hed pop up at her apartment. Sometimes shed say, i wish this guy would stop calling me, or hes trying to get back with me. At least thats the impression from what i got. Right. It might be true. She might have been trying to make me jealous or something . I dont know. You know what i mean . Right. People say things, theyre not always the truth, you know what i mean . Did he acknowledge that crystal was pregnant with his child . He acknowledged that she was pregnant but came short of acknowledging that the child was his. Youre the father of her child or she thinks you are . Well, anyway. [ laughter ] you had a basic description of someone that witnesses saw running from the scene. Yes. Africanamerican male wearing a darkcolored hoodie with a scarf around his head, or handkerchief around his head. Small build. Wearing dark clothing. With light facial hair. That description resemble derek smyer . It does. Derek smyer had no criminal record. He had a white collar office job and he came from a closeknit, loving family, said his sister, danielle. I really i looked up to my brother growing up. As a young child, he was my best friend. We went to high school, he was more of a protector for me. I was really quiet in school, but everyone knew who derek smyer was. He had your back . He had my back. And there is no doubt that if anything happened, they would be there to take care of me. So when she heard police were interviewing her brother about a murder, she questioned him herself. And i asked derek, what is this . He said, i dont know. I said, what happened . He said, i dont know what happened. He didnt say that he knew anything about crystal taylors death . Nothing about crystal taylors death. It sounds to me like you were pretty fixated on derek pretty early. Well, he was he was one of our our top three. Because remember, were looking at the sons father, were looking at her love interest, on and off guy, dino. And were looking at now derek. How did javontes father react when you told him crystal had been murdered . His reaction was shock. He was shocked. And her boyfriend dino was devastated, police said. More important, both men had alibis. Witnesses put them nowhere near crystals apartment at the time of the murder. The same was true for derek smyer. His neighbors saw him at home at 7 30 that morning, meaning he couldnt have shot crystal. Doesnt sound like theres enough to hold anybody on at that point. No. But soon enough there would be another Person Police would be looking at. Coming up i came around the corner, and it was a guy. He was sitting on the stairs. He startled me a little bit. I got this instinct. I said, remember what he looked like. Sisters turned investigators . We had been watching cold case and criminal files. So we thought we were real detectives. He wasnt going to get away with killing our sister. When dateline continues. Everyone says i should fight my cravings. No. You know what i do . I snack on blue diamond almonds. Oh, come on sriracha . Woo dont fight your cravings. Eat em. 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At least seven more people were killed in iraq amid ongoing antigovernment protests bringing the death toll to 104. The demonstrators were gather forward the sixth consecutive day demanding jobs, Better Services and an end to corruption. Now back to dateline. Sometimes the things people have to deal with after a loved one is murdered only intensify the agony. There was the bloody mess left at the crime scene. Crystals pastor and a family friend stepped in to clean it so the family wouldnt have to. The sisters were asked to donate crystals organs. That proved too difficult a question to answer quickly. And there was one more thing. Somebody told you you had to name the baby . She was already going to name him jeremiah, so we just stuck with it. Reporter Jeremiah Taylor wasnt supposed to be born for 20 more weeks. He never got a birth certificate. Only a death certificate. Then the coroner released his body along with his mothers, so their family could say goodbye. It was an open casket. I remember i wanted to reach out and touch her. I just kind of sat in the chair looking down at the floor, waiting for it to be over. Reporter in the days after crystie died, everyone in the family spoke with police hoping they could help in some way. Any way. Michelle had a story about the day before crystie died. As she left with the kids that morning, there was a man in the lobby of their building. And i came around the corner, and it was a guy. He was sitting on the stairs. And when i came around he startled me a little bit, so i stopped to ask him what was he doing there, and then he told me he was waiting for someone. Reporter michelle had a bad feeling about him. I kind of got this instinct that said, remember what he looked like. And then i froze on what he looked like and went on about my business. Reporter and she warned crystie about the man. I called her to tell her that it was a strange guy that was on the stairs. Just be careful when she came out. Reporter so was the man michelle saw on monday the same man witnesses saw on tuesday running from the scene after the murder . What id like to do, chavonna, is know a little bit about Reporter Police brought in chavonna hall, the 11yearold schoolgirl who saw the running man. Did he have anything on his head . Yeah. Reporter with her mom at her side, she worked with a forensic artist from the Los Angeles Sheriffs Department on a sketch of the suspect. What can you tell me about his nose, his eyes, his mouth . Reporter michelle worked with the same artist. Does the description of the guy crystals sister says was waiting on the staircase, does that match the description of the guy people say were running away after the shooting . Almost identical. Reporter heres the sketch drawn from both their descriptions. Were you happy with the final sketch . It looked like the guy . Oh, yeah. It looked like him. Reporter but he didnt look like any of the men in crystal taylors life. Not derek. Not dino. And not javontes father kenneth. Cops would have to figure out who he was and where to find him. Monica and michelle didnt want to wait for that. We had been watching cold case and criminal files and all that, so we thought we were real detectives. Reporter too much tv can be a dangerous thing. Or maybe this was the dynamic of the taylor family. The sisters who were going to together help crystal raise her son were now helping solve her murder. So, sketch in hand, they canvassed the neighborhood. You . Not the police . She became so obsessed. It worried me how obsessed she was with and she would say, hes not gonna get away with doing this to my baby sister. Reporter tia was afraid her mom and her aunt were putting their own lives in danger. I threatened to tell the police. Like, you guys are not supposed to be doing that. Like, you guys dont have weapons. What are you going to do if what are you looking for, and then what are you gonna do if you find it . Reporter but theres no arguing with success. Michelle and monicas amateur detective work paid off. After showing the sketch around, they got a tip. The guy in the sketch was a gangbanger who went by the street name cstyles. Now the sisters wanted to find him. If youre right, if this is the guy, hes a killer and a gangbanger, and youre just going to, what, walk up on him and say he wasnt going to get away with killing our sister. I wanted to be able to tell the police where he was and like, come. Come. Lets go get him. Reporter they didnt find him. But they did tell detective williams, who ran the name through a gang database and discovered, unfortunately, there was more than one cstyles. Theres big cstyles, theres a little cstyles. Reporter eventually williams found a cstyles whod been on probation at the time of the murder. Our first goal was to identify the connection between the cstyles and crystal taylor. Any gang affiliation, any relatives . Was he a boyfriend, exboyfriend . The sisters say no. Her friends say no. Theres no evidence to support that they even knew each other. Although maybe they knew each other and she didnt tell anybody. Exactly. And we have to also keep that as a card on the table. Okay. So how can we start proving this up . I start examining where their lines may have crossed. Crystal taylor works in carson. Oh, she goes to Anderson Park. Oh, theres information that cstyles hangs out at Anderson Park. Okay. They brought in cstyles. Legal name skyler moore. You say to him, what do you have to do with the murder of crystal taylor . And he says . I dont know her. I did not do this. But hes studying her photo. Reporter and then, cstyles continued to talk. Hes coming up with an analysis of the person who would have done this. And he refers to the person as, this person had a lot of rage. This person has a lot of rage in them to do that. As opposed to just saying, i didnt do any murder. I dont know who this is. I dont know what youre talking about. Exactly. Exactly. Reporter that seemed rather strange. But so did this. There was no obvious reason for cstyles to kill crystal taylor. True that if youre worried about becoming a victim of Gang Violence, youre probably safest in the morning because these guys stay up very late and dont roll out of bed until late morning or noon . Now im not going to say that thats a fact, but its more true than not. If somebody is up and working at 7 00 or 7 30 in the morning, they their paths just wouldnt cross. Not normally. Not a hardcore serious type of person like a cstyle. Reporter so, was he the man in the parking garage . On that question, cstyles wasnt terribly helpful. But then he did something surprising. After staring at crystals photo and floating theories about her killer, cstyles suddenly confessed to a different murder of a rival gang member. I dont do this for a living, but he wasnt even being charged with that, and you werent even asking him about that. I didnt even know there was a murder. Why would he blurt that out . You have to understand cstyles mentality. Cstyles mentality is that theres nobility in killing the enemy. There is no nobility or honor in killing a lady whos pregnant. Someone who is innocent. Yes. Not somebody in the life. Right. It goes in line with building our resume. So if your resume as a gangster is that i go out and i put in work for my gang, including killing, including robbery, well, eventually youll have to prove that, okay, when was the last time you killed somebody . Last time you did a robbery . Well, this is his advertisement by taking claim for, yeah, i shot these guys. I shot this guy. I killed him. But i wouldnt do her. I wouldnt kill her. Reporter detective williams was convinced cstyles was only copping to the other murder to distance himself from crystals. And then all the witnesses in crystals murder picked him out of a lineup. Two months after crystal taylors death, skyler moore, aka cstyles, was charged with murdering her and her unborn baby jeremiah. Justice seemed close at hand. It was not. Coming up im looking for this guy day and night. And then you see him. And hes in court right in front of you. Facetoface with a confessed killer. You werent afraid to testify . Oh yes i was. I was praying and asking god to make us Strong Enough. But i was really scared. When dateline continues. Theres a better choice. Aleve pm. The only one to combine a safe sleep aid and the 12hour painrelieving strength of aleve. That dares to last into the morning. So you feel refreshed. Aleve pm. Theres a better choice. [ scoffs ] if you say so. Im sorry . What teach here isnt telling you is that snapshot rewards safe drivers with discounts on car insurance. What . Or maybe he didnt know. [ chuckles ] im done with this class. Youre not even enrolled in this class. I know. Im supposed to be in ceramics. Do you know room 303. Oh. Thank you. Yeah. Good luck, everybody. When someone you love dies violently, there are so many emotions. Anger, loss, even sometimes the fear that youll be next. I was afraid opening the door in the morning. Like like, theres a blind spot when i first walk out. Like, im literally looking out like this every morning. Reporter you all looking over your shoulders . Oh, yeah. Looking over our shoulders. Really bad. I was in almost a posttraumatic stress syndrome kind of thing. Just nervous all the time. Reporter with skyler moore, aka cstyles, charged in the murder, there was some sense of relief. To know that this guy was off the street was some comfort, cause he was the one that could show up and kill anybody. Reporter even so, the sisters were still afraid to face him at the preliminary hearing. Tough to be in the courtroom and see him . Oh, yeah. We were crying, as soon as we walked through the door in court, but we thought like, oh, i dont know what im gonna do when i see him, you know, the shooter. Im looking for this guy day and night. Reporter and then you see him im obsessed reporter finally. With him. Reporter and hes in court right in front of you. And then hes in court right in front of me, and im expecting to have this visceral reaction to him, and i felt like like he had some remorse. cause i remember we told the the detective, i was like, he he look like he has some he has some remorse. Reporter the detective didnt buy it for a minute. She was like, no, hes hes a straightup killer. He dont have no remorse. Reporter whatever the taylors saw, that hint of humanity in a coldblooded killer, cstyles still scared them. You werent afraid to testify . Oh, yes, i was. Reporter but you went ahead and did it. I went ahead and did it, because i was praying and asking god to make us Strong Enough to be able to do it, whatever it is we needed to do. I but i was really scared. Reporter michelle testified she saw cstyles at crystals building the day before the shooting. It was up to other witnesses to place him there the day crystal was killed, and there were several who could. The man making his kids breakfast. A neighbor who saw a man who looked like cstyles around 1 00 that same morning, watching the building. Another neighbor who actually knew cstyles and thought he saw him loitering in the area. Except, all those witnesses were afraid to testify in open court against a known gang member. All except one. The schoolgirl, who may not have known enough to be afraid. Miss hall, who was a child, essentially, when she saw someone running away from the scene of crystal taylors murder, she was willing to continue testifying. Yes, she was. Reporter but her family was pretty worried, her mother in particular. Yes, her mother was really, really concerned about that. Reporter the d. A had his own concerns. The testimony of a schoolgirl, and the sister of the victim, didnt seem enough to convict. And thats about all the evidence they had. Police never found any dna, fingerprints, or forensic evidence that linked cstyles to the garage of crystal taylors apartment. And while they found a. 38caliber bullet lodged in crystals brain, they never found the gun that fired it, let alone linked that gun to cstyles or anyone else. If cstyles went to trial and was acquitted, that would be the end of it. And so, rather than take that chance the d. A. Dropped the charges. When the prosecutor said, we dont want to try this case now because we dont have the evidence right now, and the witnesses are skittish. We want to wait. And you think thats gonna be a couple of months. Couple of months. Maybe a year. Uhhuh. Reporter instead, many months passed. And nothing happened. The nation grew obsessed with the murder of a 27yearold pregnant woman, but it wasnt crystal taylor. Laci petersons case is showing on the news every night, and crysties the same beautiful, young lady, pregnant, and theres no coverage. Youre offended that everybody was going on with life. Like, the world kept going. Just one persons gone, and people go to work the next morning. The birds are still chirping. And it it all offends you. And its just weird. Reporter and youre thinking, whens our turn . Yeah, then im like, when is our turn . Reporter momo died six months after her daughter crystal. Her family says the cause was as much heartbreak as heart disease. And all of that took a huge toll on the taylors. Everyone was hurting so no one really wanted to be around what would bring up that sadness again. And that was us and being together, so we separated for a while. Reporter and so what had been a big, happy, close family kind of splintered . Yeah. Reporter cstyles was convicted of the gang murder he had admitted to. His sentence life in prison. And crystal taylors murder remained officially unsolved. The sisters were sure cstyles had pulled the trigger. But they were sure of Something Else, too. Cstyles had no reason to kill their sister. Someone put him up to it. And they thought they knew who that someone was. Coming up he did this to crystie. He did this to all of us. And he got away with it. The chilling clue that crystal had given her family. Youre all kind of beating yourself up for not listening to crysties warning. Exactly. Right. I whispered, thats the guy. Thats the guy who had crystal taylor killed. When dateline continues. Ats and real superfoods new protein shake new snack break new emergenc protein fuel superfoods emerge see. Fight for blast offs fight for piggyback rides fight for 7 am makeouts. Every year, walgreens helps millions of people fight the flu. Fight to protect the ones you love. Walgreens. Be a flu fighter. Get your free flu shot today at your neighborhood walgreens. But she wanted someone who loves with the cats. Ng. So, we got griswalda. Dinners almost ready. But one thing we could both agree on was getting geico to help with our renters insurance. Yeah, switching and saving was really easy drink it all up. Good could have used a little salt. Visit geico. Com and see how easy saving on renters insurance can be. For the taylor family, history had been split in two. There was before when they had crystal and life was good. And then there was after. People kind of started treating us like, are yall still talking about that . And they just kind of want you to move on. Everybody wanted us to move on. And you say, i cant really move on. I cant move on. cause you start feeling like, well, who life is this . Because you want me to go back to what life . This is my life. I dont have a life to go back to. Reporter they couldnt move forward. They couldnt go back. But they kept going over the last days of crystals life. Rewinding to that trip when they visited their ailing mother in texas. They arrived back in los angeles in the middle of the night, saturday into sunday. Yet crystal still woke up very early the next morning. She insisted on going to church. We were all thinking to sleep in, but she got up, and she prayed, and then she cried. She was going through something. She just wasnt sharing it with us. Reporter the next day was monday, the morning michelle saw a suspicious man on the stairs of the Apartment Building. She warned crystal who went a different way to the garage which might have saved her life for 24 hours. What they didnt learn until much later was that crystal left work crying on that last day of her life. She didnt say anything to her family that night, but she did act differently. She went around the room and she hugged everyone. And she never did that. I think she just didnt wanna worry anyone, and i think she kind of just hoped that everything would work out. What was the matter with crystal taylor . They rewound their mental tape a little further, and there it was. A moment. It happened during their car trip back from texas. She was on her phone listening to something. And she put her phone down, and she said, if anything happens to me, it was derek. Reporter derek smyer, the father of her unborn child. Did she go into any detail about what he had said to her to make her say that . No, she didnt. The conversation changed turned into dont worry about him. Dont worry about him helping with the baby. Reporter they thought thats all it was, derek didnt want to help raise his child. Now they replayed that moment over and over. We shouldve said, wait, what did he say what did he say to you . But instead of that we were like, we dont need him. Like, just hang up. Dont even talk to him. You know, that kind of just yeah, thats exactly what we said. Showing her the kind of support. cause were so used to just picking up our burdens and going. She brought on it up that she was worried, but you didnt hear it or it didnt sound bad enough. Youre all kind of beating yourself up for not listening to crysties warning. Exactly. Right. Even though it sounds to me like youd almost have to be a mind reader to know that she was really concerned. Yeah. Reporter the years started to pass. And this family thought a lot about derek smyer. Crystal had said if something happened to her, it was derek. They believed he was the only one who had something to gain from her death. As they had done with cstyles, michelle and monica now tried to find derek. I didnt know dereks name. I thought his name was myers. And i was spelling derek the wrong way. And looking for him, like, i mean, just forever. Reporter if they had managed to tail derek they would have found a guy who didnt seem to fit the profile of a killer. He was doing well, says his sister danielle. He had gotten his bachelors degree in business, he had went on to start his own company. He was doing great. He was always happy, he was always in good spirits, he was driven. Reporter he still had that silver mustang convertible with the Custom Plates my whip. Although monica and michelle never spotted the car, tia did. I stopped at a light, and derek pulled up next to me in a car with the top down, listening to music. I just felt like this was so unfair that its a nice, sunny day, and hes going on with life. It just, like, tripped me out. Like, this guy really just did this to my family. He did this to crystie. He did this to momo. He did this to my mom and michelle, to javonte, to all of us, and and he got away with it. And he got away with it. Reporter even detective Robbie Williams saw derek one day at the airport. My wife and i were on our way to a vacation. And i look up and i see derek walk right past us. Reporter williams had never forgotten crystal taylor. Hed had taken her case file with him as he moved up the promotional ladder from detective to lieutenant. Hed always shared the familys suspicions that derek was somehow behind crystals murder. But he also knew he didnt have enough evidence to arrest him. I whispered to my wife, thats the guy. Thats the guy who had crystal taylor killed. Thats got to be like a knife in you. I mean, if thats what you think, if you think thats the guy who had crystal taylor killed, well here he is, out free, breathing the same air you are. Maybe going on vacation just like you are. Having a great time. He got away with it. Or so it seemed. Help was about to come from the last place anyone expected. On the day crystal was murdered when Robbie Williams first saw derek smyer at Anderson Park, derek wasnt alone. There was a group of men sitting near a cement picnic area talking. You hadnt even heard the name cstyles at that point. But months later after cstyles was arrested and detective williams got a good look at him, he thought the gangbanger looked familiar. You think the first time you saw derek smyer, you think he was with cstyles at that point . Yes, i think he was in the company of cstyles. They were hanging out just a couple hours after the murders . Yes. If you had only known. If i had only known. Now a decade later there was no way to prove who the man in the park might have been. And crystal is dead. Cstyles is serving time for another murder and nothing is happening to derek. Nothing was happening to derek that i could see. But im a believer of karma. Either in this life or the next. Youre going to pay for what youve done wrong. Im guessing you were preferring it was this life . Yes. Maybe it was karma. Maybe it was luck. Maybe it was good police work. But whatever it was, on june 15th, 2011, l. A. Sheriffs detectives Richard Lopez and his partner beth smith found themselves at a Northern California prison with a few hours to kill. She mentioned that, skyler moores here and i always wanted to talk to him about a 2001 murder that occurred at hawthorne. That would be crystal taylors murder. Detective smith had worked with hawthorne pd on the case. She knew derek smyer would never spill. But would cstyles . I said, we got three hours till the plane ride. Lets pull him. Coming up were looking for some help on some cases. A conversation with a convict. If you tell us something that you remember, truthfully, remember, then we can corroborate it, we can get you moved out of california. Like to where, though . Is cstyles about to come clean . When dateline continues. Scot. And no matter who you root for, lets get to it. But she wanted someone who loves with the cats. Ng. So, we got griswalda. Dinners almost ready. But one thing we could both agree on was getting geico to help with our renters insurance. Yeah, switching and saving was really easy drink it all up. Good could have used a little salt. Visit geico. Com and see how easy saving on renters insurance can be. So nice to meet you june, jay, ji, kay, raj, and. Ray good job, brain say hello to neuriva, a new brain supplement with clinically proven ingredients that fuel five indicators of brain performance. Neuriva. Beyond the routine checkups. Beyond the notsoroutine cases. Comcast business is helping doctors provide care in whole new ways. All working with a new generation of technologies powered by our gigspeed network. Because beyond technology. There is human ingenuity. Every day, comcast business is helping businesses go beyond the expected. To do the extraordinary. Take your business beyond. The cold steel of a. 38 can fire a bullet at a thousand feet per second. The speed of justice is not nearly as fast. Crystal taylor was killed september 25th, 2001. Ten years later, her unsolved murder was still an open case. Detectives believed skyler moore, aka cstyles, was the person who shot her. But they didnt have enough evidence to try him. And they thought the father of crystals unborn child, derek smyer, might have been involved as well. But there was nothing linking him to cstyles, except possibly the alleged triggerman himself. Now detectives were at a prison sitting right across from cstyles. Remember we had arrested you in that case where that woman was killed . That pregnant woman in hawthorne . Later with that other murder preliminary hearing . Um, just i need a little more detail. You dont remember when we arrested you . Usually people at least remember when i arrested them. Nothing like that. Cstyles was saying even less than he did back in 2001. So detective lopez gave it a try. Hed questioned a lot of gang members. And he knew cstyles had enemies in prison. Youre 28 years old and already tired looking over your back. cause thats why youre in the hole. cause you cant go on the main yard, am i right . Okay well, were looking for some help on some cases. Now one hand washes the other. If you tell us something that you remember, truthfully remember, and we can corroborate it, we can get you moved out of california. Like, to where, though . Arizona, illinois, tennessee. Detective lopez assured cstyles this wasnt your typical police interrogation. We didnt read you your miranda rights, right . So anything you say cannot be used against you. We are not trying to put a case on you, but we are just trying to get the truth. Then detective lopez showed cstyles some photos of crystal taylor and derek smyer. Ive got a sneaky suspicion you might recognize some of them faces. Okay, okay . Youre skyler, youre she, from what we know you know whats up, okay . Its a good act, though. Its survival. And you know, no ones supposed to talk to the police, i know that. But everybody does, dude. You know that. Youre told from when theyre young kids, you know, snitches get stitches. And you dont talk to the police. So when they finally break that barrier and they come and you open the floodgates, they have a tendency to talk then. And all the things that bothered them when they were in the life begin to come out. And thats what happened here . Yes. Bit by bit, cstyles started to talk. Turns out, that was him in the park with derek. He met derek playing pickup basketball at the same park where derek met crystal and that was the connection investigators had long looked for between cstyles and derek smyer. And cstyles said back in the summer of 2001 derek began complaining about a problem named crystal taylor. He described derek as being desperate because of this pregnant girl. He said that derek had called her gold digger. And that by getting rid of her, that takes care of the problem of having Child Support. So he said he and derek worked out a deal. Cstyles would pull the trigger. And derek smyer would owe him a favor. Did he promise you money or did he promise you dope . It was just a mixture. He basically promised me loyalty or whatnot so thats why i say money wasnt really a factor cause it was gonna be more beneficial down the line. Thats how this works . I always thought that when you wanted somebody killed, you had to pay money for that. Everybody glamorizes it and thinks its that way. But in skylers mind, this was easier for him to do. He could do this and then, of course, derek would be indebted to him. And there would be no money trail linking the two men. Cstyles said derek told him where crystal lived. Skyler says he scouts the location. Hes there waiting for the victim to come down the stairs. In fact, he i believe he runs into her sister. The day before . The day before. Right, exactly. And so on the day of it he goes and waits, lies in wait for her. And she comes down to the car. And he shoots her. And then he runs out of the garage area. Youre looking at a guy whos by all accounts kind of a hardened gang banger, living that life. Whats in it for him to confess to one more murder when hes already in there doing life without parole . I cant speak to all of them. But i can speak to this one. He felt bad about this. And he wanted to make it right. Killing a pregnant woman bothered him . Yes. Killing those other people did not . Didnt seem to, no. Reporter police thought they finally had the story of who killed crystal taylor. But it was a story they couldnt tell in court. Not yet, anyway. Coming up that dynamic duo of sister detectives wasnt done yet. Cagney and lacey shift their focus to derek. We never thought he should get away with it. Emerge restored, replenished, fortified. Emerge everyday with emergenc. Packed with b vitamins, electrolytes, antioxidants, plus more vitamin c than 10 oranges. Why not feel this good every day . Emerge and see. I need your help. You see, one out of six vehicles have been recalled because of dangerous takata airbags. One of them could be yours. Defective airbag parts can explode causing serious injury, even death. Go to safeairbags. Com and see if your vehicle is on the recall list. And if it is, get it fixed for free. It could save your life. Enterprise car sales and youll take any tradein . Rom thats right great here you go. Well, it does need to be a vehicle. But i need this out of my house. vo with fair, Transparent Value for every tradein. Enterprise makes it easy. By 2011, for the taylor family, crystals murder was an ugly scar that was never going to heal. We had almost stopped being as obsessed with it. But you still wanted answers. But we still wanted answer. Reporter then the phone rang. Detectives shared the big news about their prison interview with cstyles. They said, well, the shooter confessed. Reporter and told them it was derek smyer who put him up to it. Reporter in his confession, mr. Styles said he saw another woman on the stairs and thought maybe that was crystie. That was you. Uhhuh. And he said he considered killing me. That was devastating. Reporter you were that close to getting killed. Getting killed. Uhhuh. Yeah. Reporter the detectives still had to figure out how to use cstyles off the record confession to make an on the record case against derek. In the meantime, sisters michelle and monica couldnt resist going back to prowling the streets, looking for clues. Cagney and lacey shift their focus to derek . We never thought he should get away with it. When the police said, come in. We want to talk to you, were going to reopen the case, i have a notebook now. Im like, oh smyers. So i wrote it down, and then i go back and i found, like, businesses they had. Reporter they also figured out where derek lived. Youre regularly driving by his house . No, we were, you know, back on the job. Making sure since the case was reopened, we, they had enough evidence this time. Reporter by then, detective lopez at the Sheriffs Homicide Bureau had pulled out the old files and read everything. Police reports, forensic reports, interview notes. And what he read lined up with what cstyles had told him. The description of the place. The description of meeting the victims sister the day prior. The way he ran out of the place, all those things were, you know, matched what he was telling us. And we were able to corroborate. Reporter with all that information, lopez decided to take a chance. Arrest derek, apply some pressure, and see if he would crack. So nine years and ten months after crystal taylors murder, derek smyer once again sat in a Police Interview room. He felt like he had to control everything that happened in the interview. He would answer a question, but before he answered it he would he would give a preamble as to why his answer was this. Reporter lopez pushed him. Told derek that cstyles had confessed and implicated derek. Derek denied everything. Lopez thought he was lying. But what he was not doing was cracking. I said, you know, youre not a likeable person. I dont know if anybodys going to believe you. And he just didnt seem to mind. Reporter of course, its possible derek wasnt worried because he wasnt guilty. During those ten years from 2001 to 2011, whats derek doing and how is he . Does he seem like a guy with a cloud over his head . No. He seems like a man whos flourishing. Reporter dereks sister danielle was shocked by the arrest. She says the way she and derek grew up was a world away from people like cstyles and from crimes like murder. We played, we were into sports, we had two extremely active parents that were a part of all of our sports leagues that were taking us to summer camps. She says derek did go off track in high school. He was just 16 when his girlfriend got pregnant. They were in shock, especially my dad. Hes very traditional. Believes that children should be born in wedlock as derek and i were. Dereks daughter sydney was born in april of 1998, and instantly, derek smyer had to be an adult. He dropped out of high school so that he could get a fulltime job. Even though he wasnt making much, he was still doing what he could to support that baby. That changes your life . It does change your life. And that forestalls a lot of your options . Absolutely. But derek was a hardworking guy. Reporter in 2002, the year after crystal died, derek smyer had another daughter with the same woman. If i fall, all this footage is being deleted. Reporter for the most part, he wasnt a fulltime dad but danielle says he was in his childrens lives. As was the whole smyer family. Danielle insiftss this father of two wouldnt commission a murder over an unplanned pregnancy. If, in fact, he even was the father of crystals child. Did derek tell you that he was dating crystal taylor . No. I never heard of crystal taylor before he was actually arrested in 2011. Did derek ever mention he had gotten a girl pregnant and was concerned about that . No, he didnt tell me about that. Reporter and he was adamant theres no way her brother hung out with a gang banger. Skyler moore, aka cstyles. Ever meet him . No. Ever hear derek talk about him . Never hear derek talk about him. Derek friends with any gang members . My parents are extremely traditional. They werent into Gang Violence or any of that nonsense. Derek would not bring gang members to the house or affiliate himself with gang members. Furthermore, no ones seen derek ever, ever, with any gang member. Reporter danielle said her brother had nothing to do with crystals murder and that cstyles was a liar. He is known as a jailhouse snitch, and he is harassed and beaten up by people where hes currently housed at. The deal for him is that he gets relocated out of state to a place where nobody knows him. Reporter she says the cops simply took the path of least resistance. They had it out for derek from the start. Because . Because he seemed like the probable person. My brother is not a perfect man, but him being pulled in, harassed by the police, his children being taken from him, thats not my brothers fault. My brothers an innocent man. Reporter and maybe she was right. Just days after derek was arrested, the d. A. Said there was not enough evidence to prosecute him. We had to let him go. We had to let him go and yeah, it was tough letting him go. Reporter derek smyer was once again a free man. I bet he thought he was clear. I betcha he thought he was done, is he was never going to see us again. Reporter if thats true, he was wrong. Coming up someone steps forward with a stunning new lead. She was assaulted. And her neck was cut. Another attack on another pregnant woman. When dateline continues. And. Thats your basic threepoint turn. [ scoffs ] if you say so. Im sorry . What teach here isnt telling you is that snapshot rewards safe drivers with discounts on car insurance. What . Or maybe he didnt know. [ chuckles ] im done with this class. Youre not even enrolled in this class. I know. Im supposed to be in ceramics. Do you know room 303. Oh. Thank you. Yeah. Good luck, everybody. Im dara brown. Attorney mike zayeed is representing a second whistleblower who he claims corroborates parts of the original complaint against president trump. He says the whistleblower has already spoken with the inspector general. The Supreme Court is set to take up several highprofile cases as they begin a new term on monday. The court will rule on abortion rights, protections for dreamers, Workplace Discrimination for the Lgbtq Community and more. Now back to dateline. Derek smyer was out of jail. He insisted he was an innocent man. A father of two who had no reason to commission a murder just because he got someone pregnant. But detectives were still investigating. And what they heard made them more convinced than ever that derek had crystal killed. They spoke with traci, the mother of dereks children. Early on in the case, she had avoided the cops. Now she was eager to tell them what she said happened in 1998 when she was pregnant with dereks first child. She got lured to the back of her apartment on the promise to be taken to a doctors appointment by smyer. And she was assaulted. And her neck was cut. By some other person . By some other person. Rushed to the hospital. And she told us that she was very leery, because derek had never asked to take her to the doctor before. And instead of picking her up in front, he asked her to come into the rear of the alley, where its darker and doesnt have much access to public view. Reporter theres the scar from the attack. And according to traci, it was just the beginning. And that wasnt the last time she was assaulted while she was pregnant . No, it wasnt. Reporter traci told police that in 2002, when she was pregnant with their second child, she was attacked again. She was knocked to the ground. And the assailant tried to kick her in the stomach. That person was never caught . Right. And whoever cut her throat in the previous incident was never caught . Thats correct. Reporter traci now told the cops she believed derek was behind both attacks. She also said in both cases he wanted her to have an abortion, but that she had refused. After youre pregnant by one guy and you get lured to the back of your Apartment Building and then somebody tries to kill you, why you continue your relationship with that guy . You have to understand mr. Derek smyer. And one thing he is is, he is a manipulator of women. Reporter cops saw a pattern. One that was reinforced by Something Else they learned. As the investigation continued, we discovered that derek had been to prison for a federal offense of he was scamming money from a bank. Reporter it happened in 2004. Heres derek in this fuzzy Bank Security photo stealing money from other peoples bank accounts. Turned out he had a girlfriend who worked at a credit union. He got account numbers from her and used them to move money into accounts he controlled. What happened to the 80,000 that they skimmed . The investigators, they didnt find it. And we tried to look for it too. And we never found it. You heard about derek serving federal time on that bank charge. Yes. Yes. I wasnt surprised. And i wasnt surprised at who he used as an accomplice. His girlfriend. Yes. Why were you not surprised by that . Because derek possesses that type of selfish type of what can you do for me type of mentality. Manipulative. Manipulator. Selfcentered. And arrogant. Reporter maybe thats why derek never shied away from talking with the cops and why he never asked for a lawyer. Or maybe he just wasnt guilty. Definitely he thought he was smarter than we were, anyways. I mean, you know, what did we have . Reporter when derek was briefly arrested, detectives asked him who he was with at Anderson Park on the day crystal was murdered. Remember, detective williams thought later it was probably cstyles, but cops had no way to prove it. And then under questioning, derek gave them one. He said he goes, i saw a woman in the backseat. Reporter the backseat of detective Williams Police car. The woman derek saw was jana poletto, crystals friend from work, whod accompanied detective williams. Derek said he saw her quite clearly. The look on her face was she was totally distraught, thats what he said. Reporter which gave detective lopez an idea. If he is that close to see that she is totally distraught, then she should have a pretty good look at who he was talking to. Reporter at the time no one had thought to show jana poletto a photo of cstyles, but now they did. And she said thats who derek was talking to in the park. Reporter that was the missing link a witness who could connect cstyles to derek smyer. Then one last piece. The d. A. Wanted cstyles interviewed again. How are you . Fine, and you . Good, good. Im Danette Meyers, im the d. A. Reporter this time they made sure what he said could be used in court. You have the right to remain silent. Do you understand . Yes. Reporter cstyles told the same story with the same details. How he met derek and how derek wanted help with crystal taylor. Do you talk about when youre going to kill her . I told him i was going to do it, but, um i told him asap. As soon as i got the opportunity. Reporter police once again arrested derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. And this time they thought they had the goods. A jury, though, would have other ideas. Coming up a bombshell from the defense, did someone else kill crystal . Witnesses testify to hearing an argument. She was confronting her killer. Thats when she was shot . Absolutely. Was this murder a hit at all . This is breaking me. When dateline continues. Compare them to clorox. Wow feel the strength of lysol wipes. Dude are you looking at this . Can i take those . No. Lysol. What it takes to protect. ® loto save big onll the floors you want. We do it right too, with exclusive options that are waterproof and easy to install. So, you can get a better look at a better price. It took police 10 years to arrest derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. It took another five years to bring him to trial. And detective Robbie Williams knew the case wasnt air tight. Juries like dna. Dna, blood trail. In this case, a money transfer. In this case, the lack of cell phone records attaching the two defendants together. Reporter the only thing connecting derek to the murder was the confession of the triggerman. Skyler moore, aka cstyles. But there was no guarantee the jury would take the word of a gang banger over the word of the cleancut derek smyer. So it was with nervous anticipation that crystals family filed into the courthouse on july 11th, 2016. The facts and the law and your common sense will lead you to one conclusion. Crystal taylor died at the hands of skyler moore and derek smyer. Reporter prosecutor Danette Meyers told jurors crystals murder, and the attacks on dereks other girlfriend traci williamson, were no coincidence. He has a motive to do it because he doesnt want to have the kids. He doesnt want to pay Child Support. Reporter the prosecution claimed that while derek may have failed to stop traci from having her two children, he found the right man for the job of stopping crystal. His basketball buddy, cstyles. Hes a gang member, hes a killer. And mr. Smyer knew who to go to when he wanted crystal taylor taken care of. Go right over there, have a seat. Reporter prosecutors showed the jury the admitted hit mans videotaped confession. I just seen her come down, from the, uh, front the front way stairs. It was still kinda dark. Thats when i killed her. Howd you do that . What did you do . Just shot her. When you left the area, did you go back and tell derek what youd done . Um, after that, i seen him not immediately after that. Reporter then they called cstyles to testify. But instead of tying a bow on the case, he lobbed a grenade and blew it to pieces. Cstyles told the jury, everything he said on that tape was a lie. People have false confessions all the time. It happens all the time. Reporter derek smyers defense attorney Calvin Schneider says cstyles made up a story that the cops wanted to hear. He was hoping to get better treatment in prison. He came in and admitted that they made these offers to him. And that thats why he did it. You think police kind of rushed to judgment here . Absolutely, because they had a hunch, they went with my client. And they excluded others. Reporter schneider told the jury that without cstyles confession, there was no evidence linking derek to the murder. Theyre alleging multiple conversations, planning, without any proof of where, when, how. Theres no emails between moore and smyer. Theres no text messages. Theres no phone calls. Reporter the defense portrayed derek as a man who loved his children. Not one who would try to have them murdered. Theres mr. Smyer again in the Hospital Holding his baby. And i think its important when youre looking at this case that you evaluate his expression on his face in these photos. Proud father or killer . Reporter not only was derek smyer innocent of crystals murder, said the defense. Maybe cstyles was too. There was no physical evidence placing him in that parking garage. Maybe, they said, this wasnt a hit after all. Several of the witnesses testify to hearing an argument. And then all of a sudden the argument ended, there was a pause, and a gunshot. It is absolutely inconsistent with a hired hit. Reporter if not a hit, then what happened . The defense had a theory. It involves this photo of crystals son javonte found near her body. Its obvious that miss taylor was holding that picture when she got shot. Reporter schneider wasnt allowed to directly spell out his theory for the jury. He did for us. I think she was confronting her killer saying, the only thing youre going to see is a photograph of your son until you pay Child Support. And you think thats when she was shot . Absolutely. Reporter the defense suggested javontes father killed crystal. Never mind that police had cleared him early on. Dereks lawyer told the jury his client was an innocent man. But this tragedy, it will be compounded if you convict a person that is not involved. And im asking for a not guilty verdict on all counts. Thank you very much. Reporter crystals family was worried. They could only hope the jury believed cstyles video confession, and not his recantation of it. The wait for a verdict was agonizing. That was painful. Reporter one day passed. Then two. Three days in. Im nervous. I dont want to do this again. I cant do this again. Its not easy. Reporter then it was a week. Then one week turned into two. Im like im just praying. I just keep praying, no matter what i see or what i hear. I keep praying. Reporter every day the waiting was harder. That was true for dereks family too. I started getting nervous. I was there every day, anxiously waiting so that we could hear that verdict. So we could hear that derek was not guilty. I would see the jurors come out of there, red in the face. Almost like theyre arguing back there. Like theyd been yelling . Like they had been yelling. Were on the record in people v. Smyer. Reporter after 21 days, the jury reassembled in the courtroom. The jury has not been able to reach a verdict. Reporter they were stuck. I do declare a mistrial. This is breaking me. Hopefully by the time its time to do it again, ill pull it back together. But today i dont want to do it again. Coming up, trial number two. This time, new evidence. And a new witness. When people were around hed behave a certain way. Dereks own daughter. What would she reveal . When dateline continues. Did you know even the cleanest looking cars can smell musty . Thats because odors trapped in your cars soft surfaces get released, and are then circulated by your ac system. To stop the cycle of odors try febreze car vent clips. Febreze stops the circulation of musty air by trapping and eliminating lingering odor molecules for up to 30 days of fresh, clean air. Plus, they come in a range of scents including extra light. Stop the cycle of odors in your car with febreze car vent clips. Brand power. Helping you buy better. Cis choosing to nurtureild and emotionally support children in urgent need. Its not just about opening up your home; it is also about opening up your heart. Consider fostering. It was like their own nightmarish groundhog day. Nearly nine months after the mistrial, crystal taylors family once again entered a courthouse wondering if this time justice would finally be served. You feeling any better about the beginning of the second trial than you were at the beginning of the first trial . I did. I think because we kind of knew what to expect, we knew what they were going to say, we knew what we had. And what you didnt have. Right. And we had hoped that, you know, whatever mistakes were made from the first trial theyd learn from them and prepared for them and do better. Reporter two big differences this time around. First, skyler moore, aka cstyles, was on trial along with derek. Although each defendant had his own jury. And second, dereks jury would not see cstyles disputed videotaped confession. It was ruled inadmissible. So prosecutors focused on dereks motive. Here was a man, they told the jury, whod do almost anything to avoid paying Child Support. Crystal and her 5month unborn son were killed with one gunshot. One gunshot to the back of her head. Reporter that, said the prosecution, fit a pattern. They called dereks old girlfriend traci williamson, who repeated her story that the first time she was pregnant with dereks child, she was attacked by a man she didnt know. He put a knife to my throat. Did he cut you with the knife . Yes. Reporter and then, during her second pregnancy, a second attack. Somebody came and socked me in the face. And i went on the side of the car, and somebody stomped me on my stomach and my face. Reporter then, dereks own daughter took the stand against him. She didnt testify in the first trial, but she told this jury that derek seemed to hate being a father. He would come during major occasions, um, birthdays and things like that. He was very illtempered. He didnt spend much time with me. When he did, it just seemed like it was kind of for show, you know. If when people were around hed behave a certain way, and when those people left he would go back to his his ill temperedness and his kind of monstrous ways. Reporter to help explain how derek had crystal killed, prosecutors again called her sister michelle who had been through the emotional wringer when she testified in the first trial. Do you solemnly state that the testimony i was afraid of what it was going to do to me mentally the second time. I was afraid for myself. Reporter nevertheless, michelle mustered the courage to take the stand and testify to seeing the alleged gunman, cstyles, in their apartment complex the day before her sisters murder. What did you say to the defendant, mr. Moore . I told him that he startled me and i asked him what he what was he doing there . Reporter the jury also heard from chavonna hall, in middle school at the time, now an adult, who said she still remembered seeing cstyles fleeing the crime scene. And what did you hear . It was like a, um like a gunshot, like a big noise basically. What next occurred . We seen somebody running past us. Reporter prosecutors then had to connect cstyles with derek smyer. For that they relied on two eyewitnesses. Detective williams told the jury he was pretty sure cstyles was with derek at the park on the day crystal taylor was ambushed and murdered. It wasnt until you actually saw him in person that you were able to remember that he resembled the person you saw at the park . Objection, leading. Its overruled. Yes. Reporter as before, crystals friend and coworker jana poletto left no doubt with her definitive testimony. As you sit here today, did you see both of those individuals in the park . Yes. Reporter jana also told the jurors that, while crystal was excited to have another son, she was afraid to tell derek she was pregnant. So jana told him for her via email. After you sent the email, peoples 51, to derek smyer, did you get a phone call . Yes, i did. Reporter it was derek smyer, jana said, and he wasnt happy. He just didnt want no kids. He didnt want her to have the baby. Did he say anything to you about trying to do something with crystal . Yeah, he just said if i can get her to get rid of the baby, he said he will do whatever he can, but he dont want to have the baby. Reporter and jana recalled that the day before crystal was murdered her first day back at work after the trip to texas, derek called again. Could you hear anything with respect to the conversation she was having . No. The only thing i heard is before she hung up the phone she was like, whatever. Because she was crying and she was like, whatever. She got up from her desk. When she got up from her desk, did you see where she went . She went to the bathroom. And when you followed her in the bathroom, what was she doing . Crying. Reporter then detective beth smith testified about two key pieces of evidence that the first jury never saw. First, a photo of derek on his High School Basketball team proving he did play basketball. An important detail, because police believed derek met skyler moore on the Basketball Court. The second new piece of evidence was security footage from the night before crystals murder that placed derek at a 7eleven near both crystal taylors home and skyler moores. It proved, they said, derek had lied about his whereabouts back in 2001 when he told police he was miles from crystals hawthorne home that night. Did he ever tell you that he went to the 7eleven . No. Reporter as the evidence was mounting against him, dereks defense went on offense. Portraying the mother of his two children as a liar whose testimony couldnt be trusted. Have you lied to your family members, like your aunt ms. Mcmiller, your sister danielle, about things about mr. Smyer . Depends on what you talking about. You got to be specific. Have you ever lied to them . Lied to them period . People lie all the time. You lie. Traci williamson was an admitted liar and untruthful. So you couldnt believe what she said. Reporter and as for crystals friend, jana, who said she saw cstyles and derek smyer together . The defense says derek was with a high school friend, and dereks sister danielle says the idea that derek met a gangbanger on the Basketball Court is absurd. But he grew up playing basketball and a bunch of other sports. Didnt he play basketball in high school . He did play basketball in high school. He played basketball up into his junior year. I played basketball up into my sophomore year. Never touched a basketball since. Derek doesnt play basketball anymore. Reporter in this court, everything was on the line. Thats when derek smyer, whod never shied away from explaining himself in the past, took the stand. Coming up derek smyer. A dutiful dad to be . I was prepared to take care of my responsibility. When dateline continues. It is a calculated risk for a defendant to testify at a trial. Derek smyer was willing to take it. Prosecutors had painted him as a childhating, coldblooded killer. Derek and his attorney were determined to show he was anything but. Do you recall the birth of your daughter sydney . Yes, i do. What was the date . It was today, actually. Um, april 26, 1998. And you were there for the birth, correct . Of course. Reporter derek told the jury he was a loving and devoted father to his two girls. How would you describe your relationship . While they were growing up, it was strong, in my opinion. Reporter and he was adamant. He had nothing to do with the attacks on traci while she was pregnant. Did you have her attacked because you wanted the kid killed . You wanted her to have an abortion . No, i did not. In fact at that time i had already dropped out of school, i was working, i was buying bottles. I was very much invested in the wellbeing of my daughter. Reporter derek told the jury he was a good dad to his children with traci, and planned to treat crystal and their child the same way. Werent you angry that ms. Taylor was going to keep this child . No, sir. Wasnt this going to ruin your life . No, sir. Werent you worried about having to pay Child Support for 18 years . No, sir. Why not . Because i was prepared to take care of my responsibility. Reporter he admitted he did call crystal in the days leading up to her death. But derek said it was just to check in on her as any good soontobe father would. I asked how she was feeling. Why did you ask that . I know that before she went to texas she was having morning sickness. Reporter derek made sure to let jurors know that he, like crystals family, marked time in relation to her death. How long did you work at bowne, inc. . Um, i was well, until about two weeks after we lost crystal. Reporter crystals family heard that and seethed. It bothered me so much to hear him say that because he never called, he never cared, he doesnt care. Reporter as for the prosecution theory that he hatched a plot on the Basketball Court with skyler moore, aka cstyles, to kill crystal taylor . Impossible, said derek said. For two reasons. First did you ever play basketball at this park . No, sir. Reporter but more important prior to this case, have you ever seen skyler moore before in your life . No sir. Reporter derek also had an explanation for why he showed up on security video at a 7eleven near both moores and crystals homes. He said he stopped for cash after being at his aunts house nearby. My mother asked me to run an errand for her, to take my aunt a cooking device, it was something round, it was either a crockpot or a pressure cooker. Reporter derek forcefully denied any involvement in crystals murder. Did you have anything to do with the death of crystal taylor . No, i did not, sir. Did you have her killed . No, i did not. Did you have her shot in the head so that she couldnt give birth to your baby . No, i did not. Nothing further. Reporter but derek was not done on the stand. Now came the risky part. Crossexamination by a prosecutor determined to show the other side of derek smyer. Why did you ask her to get a paternity test . Because i was being responsible, maam. Oh, i see. Well, wouldnt responsible be putting on a condom, sir . Irrelevant, your honor, objection. Its argumentative, sustained on that ground. Reporter the prosecutor forced derek to admit he had tried to convince crystal to terminate her pregnancy. Did you tell her to get an abortion . Not directly, maam, no. So indirectly you told her to get an abortion . Is that your statement . Yes, maam. Reporter and for all his talk about losing crystal, the prosecutor pointed out he never once tried to console her family. Did you send flowers to the family when she died . No, maam. Did you send the family a card, a sympathy card when she was murdered . No, maam. Reporter all of it was an attempt to show the jury that the calm, softspoken derek smyer on the stand was a con. The real derek was an unrepentant criminal amused by his failed attempt at bank fraud. I didnt get my cut. And you think thats funny, dont you . No. Im very embarrassed about it, which is why i paused. I was very hesitant to say that, but i wanted to tell the truth. Well, that smile on your face, i think mr. Smyer, would you agree, said it all. Reporter as for dereks story about going to his aunts the night before the murder to deliver a crockpot . The prosecution let derek and the jury know they thought it was a crock of Something Else. You didnt tell detective smith about a trip to your aunt, did you . No, maam. Reporter maybe he was confident. Maybe he was smug. And maybe he was a little too familiar with the rules of criminal law. Mr. Smyer, you didnt want another child. If crystal taylor had had that baby, you would have had to support two kids in 2001. Right . Im sorry. I believe thats compound. I dont know which one is the lawyer. What do i do . He tried to woo the the jury over with yeah, like, he just knew the law. So impressed with himself. He was very impressed with himself. That that arrogance almost just drives you nuts. Reporter then once again dereks fate was in the hands of the jury. Which derek would they believe was the real one . This time crystals family didnt have to wait nearly as long for a decision. Deliberations took barely more than a day. They brought the jury in. Hows derek look . He looks cocky and arrogant like he he believes hes going to get a not guilty verdict. We the jury in the aboveentitled action find the defendant, derek paul smyer, guilty of the crime of murder. I got to run out of there because now i cant even hold in emotion. I wanted to scream by then. Like, ooh. I was so happy. I i was so happy. I was more happy than ive ever been in my life. Reporter across the aisle, a different emotion. They read that guilty verdict and its like time froze. I was in shock. How does this happen . Reporter outside the courtroom, a gesture from the Opposing Side caught danielle off guard. Michelle came up to me in that hallway. I didnt shed any tears because i was trying to contain my emotion. And she hugged me. And she said she was sorry. And i bursted in tears. I bursted in tears because that, to me, is a true example of humanity, regardless of what weve gone through. And our families have both gone through a lot, lost a lot, continuing to grieve. But i appreciated the humanity that she showed. Reporter derek smyer was sentenced to life without parole. Cstyles was also convicted in crystals murder. He received two life sentences, also without parole, to be served consecutively. Crystals son javonte has reconnected with his dad, but still hurts from the loss of his mom. Im always going to miss her. But, you know, i dont think shed want me to linger too, like, just let it hold me back, everything thats happened. Reporter she wouldnt want you to be miserable . Yes. Reporter easier said than done sometimes. Yeah, thats true. But i had a lot of people to help me. Good family. Good friends. Reporter crystals family, once splintered, now feel they are coming together again. Its not the same they say as when crystal was with them, but its slowly getting better. And they have a plea for other potential crystal taylors out there. Nothing can bring crystie back. This wont save her. This wont change anything for us. But somebody knows theyre in a relationship like this. Tell somebody. If it can happen to crystie, it can happen to anybody. Reporter if youre with somebody who makes you feel threatened, tell someone, loudly, and now. And if you hear someone else, speak up. Dont let a cry for help go by. Im craig melvin. Im natalie morales. And this is dateline. You had the good cop. You had the bad cop, and the polygraph. It felt like law order. The fire broke out before dawn. In the daylight they found this mother of two Young Children dead. She lived a very courageous life. She was very bold in the things she did. But after the smoke cleared a mystery lingered. We knew she did not die in that fire, she died before the fire. Who do you look to as the suspect . Obviously the spouse is the first person you look to. But her husband had a clear alibi, and he passed a lie detector test