- today
#ShowMovies
#Buried in the Backyard
#Buried in the Backyard
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00All right, we're good. Go, go, go, go.
00:10Let me see your hands!
00:15This is a pretty small town.
00:18With big secrets.
00:23This was deja vu to me.
00:25He was the one making the threats.
00:27There was a buzzard sitting in a tree, waiting.
00:33Looks like somebody's been here digging.
00:35So we called the cops.
00:38First thing you did, you dug the ditch?
00:40Yeah.
00:41How did you go there?
00:42It was the things that he didn't say.
00:44They said, we're going to get your ass.
00:46That made him more suspicious.
00:48You've done it to me before.
00:49I think he hired somebody to do it for him.
00:52She was one of the guys.
00:53You could smell the decomposition.
00:56I don't think I just don't want to go there.
01:00Who in their right mind?
01:01Who can do that to a human being?
01:03You got the devil in you.
01:05Graham, Texas.
01:26It's a small town, a tight-knit community.
01:28A local resident had approached the property and said that the smell was just horrific.
01:43And at that point, she contacted law enforcement and she thought that a body was buried in this one spot where all this trash had been dumped.
01:52The property is rather extensive.
02:00It was several miles out of the town in a remote location.
02:06It was possibly 10 acres.
02:08So it was back a ways from the house.
02:10As we were walking down a road, the wind was blowing from the trash pile to us and you could smell the decomposition.
02:22So at that point, we believed we were on the right track.
02:33We had received a lot of rain that year, so you could tell there's been tracks where the backhoe had been moving and working down in that area, digging.
02:42It looked suspicious.
02:43We see a trailer, the gates open, and some of the trash is laid out on the ground.
02:53It looked like they went through great lengths to cover something up.
02:57We used the backhoe and started to dig very carefully.
02:59A couple of bucket loads later, and that's when we find that decomposed leg with the jeans on it.
03:12The foot was missing.
03:24When we were exhuming the body, we were having to chisel away concrete.
03:30The victim had a significant head injury.
03:34The plastic bag around their head, they might have been suffocated.
03:38They were wrapped in a blanket with duct tape around the foot and around the head area.
03:45The body is too decomposed for a positive ID.
03:50We need to find out the truth on what happened to this person.
03:57There was a tangle of secrets buried in Graham, Texas.
04:08Graham is about 70 miles west of Dallas-Fort Worth area, situated centrally in Yonge County.
04:27It's kind of like an oasis.
04:30There's more wooded areas, central around a couple of creeks and rivers.
04:35Country living by far the best.
04:42It's quiet.
04:46There were about 15 people in my high school class.
04:50And that's where my first wife, Stacey, and I met.
04:54We were actually high school sweethearts.
04:56I ended up getting pregnant my senior year.
05:05Our daughter, Leah, was born in 1992.
05:10She grew up here her whole life.
05:14Just being young, we got a divorce, and Billy and I raised her to be very independent.
05:21Leah was brutally honest, but she had a heart of gold.
05:26She's the perfect mixture of me and Billy.
05:30Leah was a funny, funny girl.
05:32Her jokes and her pranks, and I don't think she was ever serious about anything.
05:39She was a daddy's girl.
05:42We did a lot of stuff together.
05:44We had a great relationship.
05:49Leah met her boyfriend, Aaron, through friends.
05:53Leah's senior year of high school.
05:57She ended up getting pregnant.
06:00They had the sweetest little girl, Avery.
06:04She loved being a mom.
06:05That's all she did was spend time with her daughter.
06:10Leah was working for E.C. Blair, which is Aaron's adopted father,
06:15in Graham at the auto body shop as his receptionist.
06:18It's just a small town.
06:25I've always felt like there was no opportunity here.
06:27I thought she was lucky to have the job.
06:29I mean, it was not flipping burgers.
06:31It was a little bit better pay, and she needed that.
06:35She needed that to take care of the baby.
06:39She was following in our footsteps.
06:41It was on again, off again, all the time.
06:43Break up and be back together.
06:44Once Leah and Aaron decided to split up,
06:47they were sharing, basically, custody.
06:50Leah and Avery came to live with me, where she grew up.
06:54Leah called me and told me she and Avery were living with her daddy,
06:57which was fine by me.
06:59I knew her and Avery were safe,
07:00because this is Graham, Texas.
07:02You know, I mean, nothing happens here.
07:03May 29, 2015, she went to her cousin's graduation.
07:12I had surgery from an eye injury,
07:14so after the graduation, she texted me.
07:17She was going to stop by her work
07:18and pick up a few things,
07:20her shoes and a few clothing items there,
07:22and she was going to go to the local Walmart
07:24to pick up my medication and bring it home.
07:26The next morning, Saturday the 30th,
07:34I think I woke up around 4 a.m.,
07:36didn't see my medication,
07:38so I went to check her room.
07:41She was not there for the most part.
07:43They were trying to be together,
07:45so I decided that she probably did stay the night
07:48where her daughter's father lived,
07:50and so I went back to sleep.
07:52I let it be until, you know,
07:57later on that day.
08:00About, you know, 12.30 or so,
08:03she normally would have answered me,
08:05something's not totally right.
08:09I reached out to Erin.
08:12Erin said after the graduation,
08:13she dropped her daughter Avery off to run errands,
08:17and she didn't come back to his place that night at all.
08:19I called her phone another hundred times
08:24to no avail and text messages
08:27until it just was going straight to voicemail.
08:31I knew there was an issue.
08:34My phone rang, and it was Billy.
08:37It was odd for him to be calling me,
08:39and he asked me if I had seen Leah,
08:41and immediately my heart dropped,
08:43and I told him no, I hadn't talked to her.
08:47I knew something was wrong.
08:49I took it upon myself to just go to town and look.
08:56I did go to her work
08:57because she was supposed to work that day
09:00and found the truck parked there.
09:03So I called Erin's stepfather, E.C.,
09:05the owner of the garage,
09:07and he met us there.
09:10He didn't have any idea where she was at.
09:12It had been 24 hours since she was gone,
09:17so I immediately called the police department
09:19to fill out a missing persons report.
09:21My experience, young adults will sometimes take off
09:29without letting their parents know where they are going.
09:34But Billy's daughter, she didn't show up for work,
09:37but her vehicle was there.
09:40We looked at Leah's vehicle,
09:42and we didn't see anything that would cause us
09:46to think any type of struggle
09:48or anything like that happened.
09:51But her purse was in it,
09:53which caused us to wonder why a female
09:55would leave her purse in her vehicle.
09:58Something was off.
10:01She had money in there.
10:02She wouldn't have left her purse anywhere,
10:04especially not in an unlocked vehicle.
10:08While speaking with the owner of the business, E.C. Blair,
10:12E.C. said that he had tried to call Leah
10:15a couple of times that day,
10:17but she'd never answered her phone.
10:21E.C. allowed us inside of his business.
10:26We checked inside,
10:28and there was a pair of shoes at the desk where Leah worked.
10:32Billy had told us
10:34that she was supposed to pick up that night.
10:37Her vehicle's there with her purse in it.
10:40The shoes are still there, but Leah's not around.
10:46They had cameras in the shop.
10:49The day before that all this happened,
10:51that his cameras actually went down
10:52in the shop inside and out.
10:56We were able to find a business
10:58from across the street from the auto shop
11:01that did have surveillance bidding.
11:06We were able to see a SUV pull into the business.
11:10Somebody get out of the SUV,
11:12open one of the garage bay doors,
11:15and go inside.
11:18Shortly after that,
11:19we were able to see what we believed to be Leah's vehicle
11:22pull into the parking lot.
11:24We were actually able to see Leah go into the St. Bay door.
11:32Sometime later,
11:34the SUV left.
11:36Leah's vehicle never left.
11:38We believed that whatever happened to Leah
11:41happened at the garage.
11:43We started hearing information
11:50about threatening phone calls.
11:54That's when we discovered a bombshell omission.
11:56I'll grab this gun for you
11:59and turn around the shot.
12:00By Sunday morning,
12:18May the 31st,
12:20Leah Martin had been missing
12:22for 36 hours.
12:24The best lead we have
12:29is the surveillance videos.
12:36The investigators found that Leah Martin
12:40had gone to a graduation
12:42with family members and friends.
12:45She had originally planned
12:47to go to the bowling alley
12:48after she was excited about it.
12:51And all of a sudden,
12:53she was seen on her phone.
12:55She tells her friends,
12:56well, I've got to go pick up
12:57a pair of shoes at the office
12:59and I'm not going to be at the party.
13:02That is the last time she was seen.
13:08Our agency is so small
13:10that it's basically a one-man show
13:13when you have a case like this.
13:15We reached out to the Texas Rangers
13:18for assistance.
13:21In 2015,
13:22I was a Texas Ranger
13:23stationed in Graham, Texas.
13:26With the state,
13:27we have a lot of resources
13:28that we can bring in
13:29and assist with
13:30that the smaller agencies
13:31don't have,
13:32like Graham PD.
13:33The surveillance video we had
13:35showing somebody was at the shop
13:36when Leah arrived that night
13:37made us think
13:38that whatever happened to Leah
13:39happened at the garage.
13:42On June 1st,
13:43about three days
13:44after she went missing,
13:45Detective Smith and I,
13:47we started talking to coworkers
13:49and family members.
13:50It was also when we started
13:52hearing information
13:52about threatening phone calls.
13:57Leah's father, Billy,
13:59told us that Leah
14:00had received a couple
14:01of threatening phone calls.
14:02There was no caller ID,
14:14but Billy did hear
14:15one of the calls
14:16and believed the caller
14:18to be a female.
14:19We started by looking
14:28at phone records.
14:29We were able to identify
14:31the last call
14:32that was made
14:33to Wichita Falls.
14:37And so we had to turn around
14:39and get a subpoena
14:40for that phone number
14:41to see who it's tied to.
14:43It does take time.
14:45We also submitted a,
14:48what we call a geolocate.
14:49to ping Leah's cell phone.
14:53What we determined from that
14:54is that her last known location
14:57was at the shop.
14:59There was no activity
15:01after that.
15:02It just stopped.
15:03That led us to believe
15:04that the phone
15:05was either turned off
15:06or that the phone
15:07was no longer working.
15:09And so that made us think
15:10that Leah's possibly in trouble.
15:17During the interviews,
15:18I also learned that Leah
15:20and her boyfriend,
15:22Aaron Blair,
15:22had an on and off relationship.
15:25Aaron felt that Leah
15:27may be cheating on him.
15:32So we interviewed Aaron Blair,
15:34the son of E.C. Blair,
15:35the owner of the business.
15:36He was at home
15:43with their daughter that night.
15:44Aaron was calm.
15:46He answered all of our questions.
15:48He was concerned
15:49that she did not show up
15:51to pick up their child,
15:52had not called
15:53to talk to the child.
15:55His alibi checked out
15:56that night.
15:57At this point,
15:58Aaron Blair is not a suspect.
15:59Leah and Martin
16:05had been missing
16:06for three days.
16:07And at this time,
16:08we had no persons of interest.
16:10The best leads so far
16:11are a series
16:11of threatening phone calls.
16:14Each day that passes,
16:16there's less and less chance
16:18that Leah is alive.
16:19On June 1st,
16:26Detective Smith and I
16:27called in more friends,
16:29family members,
16:30and co-workers
16:31to try to determine
16:32more information about Leah
16:33and possible leads
16:35to where she might be.
16:36Our first big break
16:37in the case
16:38came when Leah's family
16:40made it known to us
16:41that Leah and E.C. Blair
16:43were having
16:44a romantic relationship.
16:49E.C. Blair was not only
16:51Leah's employer.
16:53He was the father
16:54of Aaron Blair,
16:56Leah's boyfriend,
16:57and the grandfather
16:58of Leah and Aaron's child.
17:06After she went missing,
17:08I had access to her Gmail.
17:12And that is when I discovered
17:15that there was a little more
17:17to it than just Boston employee.
17:19He was a married man.
17:24And he was messing around
17:25with a 22-year-old girl
17:26and leading her on.
17:30At this time,
17:31we were focusing
17:31the investigation
17:32on Leah's employer,
17:35E.C. Blair.
17:36It takes a very sick,
17:39twisted human being
17:40to even think of
17:43getting involved
17:44with your son's girlfriend.
17:46I mean,
17:48if he can do that,
17:50which is morally wrong,
17:53what else is he capable of?
17:5522-year-old Leah Martin
18:20has been missing
18:20for three days.
18:30We learned that Leah
18:32and E.C. Blair,
18:34her employer,
18:36were having
18:36a romantic relationship.
18:38E.C. Blair
18:40was not only Leah's employer.
18:43He was the father
18:44of Leah's boyfriend
18:45and the grandfather
18:47of Leah
18:47and Aaron's child.
18:50The affair with E.C.
18:51is a game-changer.
18:52That gives us
18:53a reason to believe
18:54that E.C.
18:54has a motive
18:55at the time
18:56that he is considered
18:56a suspect.
18:58Aaron,
18:58this is Toby Catten.
18:59When we interviewed
19:00his son,
19:01Aaron Blair,
19:02he did tell us
19:03this was not
19:03the first time
19:04that his dad
19:04had a relationship
19:05with one of his girlfriends.
19:07Billy's already asked me,
19:09what do I think
19:09about my dad?
19:10I'm pretty sure
19:11you already know
19:11by now,
19:12but her and dad
19:13started talking a lot.
19:14And I told him,
19:15I said,
19:15honest truth,
19:16I said,
19:16I'm pointing fingers
19:17at everybody right now.
19:18I said,
19:18I can't say my dad
19:19wouldn't do it to me.
19:20I've already had bad things
19:21with my dad before.
19:23He's done it to me before.
19:24My son's mom,
19:25actually.
19:26Who's up?
19:27Tiffany Lee.
19:28This was deja vu to me
19:30because a few years prior,
19:32I conducted an investigation
19:33to where one of
19:35Aaron Blair's girlfriends
19:36was also having an affair
19:38with E.C. Blair.
19:40Tiffany was interviewed.
19:42She talked about
19:43what happened to her.
19:44E.C. got a little crazy.
19:46I started having bricks
19:48thrown through
19:48my house window,
19:50yet he denied it,
19:51said he would never do that.
19:52I think he hired somebody
19:53to do it for him.
19:54With the harassment
19:55of Tiffany,
19:57when they tried
19:58to break it off,
19:59we could tell that E.C.
20:00would like to pressure
20:01or threaten people.
20:08We tried to interview
20:10E.C. Blair,
20:12but he would always
20:13come up with an excuse,
20:15and he never showed up.
20:17We wanted to put pressure
20:18on him,
20:19so we interviewed his wife.
20:22Well, I met Leah,
20:23of course,
20:23through Aaron,
20:24my son.
20:24Of course,
20:25we welcomed her in.
20:26We didn't know
20:27at the time
20:28that E.C.
20:28had another phone.
20:29Not long before
20:31Leah went missing,
20:32E.C.'s wife,
20:33Lisa,
20:33had discovered
20:34the affair
20:35between E.C.
20:36and Leah
20:36by looking
20:38at E.C.'s cell phone.
20:40So he told you
20:41they had a
20:42sexual relationship.
20:44How does someone
20:45go there,
20:46Lisa?
20:46I don't know.
20:47I asked him that.
20:48I asked him that.
20:49How do you...
20:50How do you go there?
20:51I mean,
20:51how do you...
20:52I mean,
20:54that's Aaron's
20:55girlfriend.
20:57We also determined
20:58that Lisa
20:59had wanted Leah fired.
21:02I believe Lisa
21:03had a motive
21:04for wanting Leah gone.
21:06She was causing
21:06a lot of issues
21:07in their family life.
21:08We learned
21:09that Lisa
21:10had threatened
21:11E.C.
21:12with a divorce.
21:15And by getting
21:16a divorce,
21:18E.C.
21:18would lose
21:19his young children.
21:22He was going
21:23to lose
21:23half his business.
21:25And that could
21:26be a motive
21:27to silence Leah.
21:31Lisa said
21:32that they had
21:32an alibi.
21:33She was at home
21:34with her children
21:35watching movies.
21:36And she said
21:37E.C. was there
21:37that night as well.
21:40But this was not
21:41an ironclad alibi
21:42because they were
21:43together.
21:45And then finally,
21:4610 days after Leah
21:47had been missing,
21:48E.C. Blair came
21:50in for his
21:50first interview.
21:54I'll have a seat
21:54right there
21:55and I'll be
21:55right back.
21:56Interview.
21:59Was she seeing
22:00anybody?
22:01To my knowledge,
22:02no.
22:02I got real close
22:03to her.
22:04I mean,
22:04you spend eight
22:05hours a day
22:05with her for a year,
22:07side by side,
22:08and everything.
22:09She was fun.
22:10He made it seem
22:12like it was
22:13no big deal,
22:14that it was not
22:15actually a sexual
22:16type of relationship.
22:18It was the things
22:27that he didn't say
22:28that made him
22:30more suspicious
22:31than the things
22:32that he actually
22:32did say.
22:36But there was
22:37no evidence
22:38to physically put
22:40E.C. Blair
22:41at the shop
22:42when Leah
22:44went missing.
22:50The best evidence
22:52right now
22:52that we have
22:53is the surveillance
22:54videos.
22:55Friday night,
22:56Leah went missing.
22:57Someone came
22:58to that shop
22:59and Leah showed up.
23:02Leah never left
23:03that shop
23:03in her vehicle.
23:06My gut feeling
23:07at this time
23:08is that
23:09she did not
23:10leave that business
23:11alive.
23:13So we wanted
23:14to know
23:14who else
23:15has a key
23:16to E.C.'s shop.
23:17You have
23:27the night
23:27that she goes
23:28missing
23:29talking
23:29and texting
23:30him.
23:32He had
23:32somehow
23:33gotten Leah
23:34to come up
23:35to the shop.
23:36The next time
23:37she is seen
23:39is in a grave
23:40in the backyard.
23:41Young mom
23:57Leah Martin
23:58had been
23:58missing from
23:59Graham
23:59for 10 days.
24:03The surveillance
24:05video from
24:05across the street
24:06showed an
24:07SUV pull-in.
24:09Someone got
24:09out of the SUV
24:10and raised
24:10the garage
24:11bay door
24:11and backed
24:13the SUV
24:13into the
24:15shop area.
24:16And then Leah
24:17arrived at the
24:18garage
24:18and never left.
24:20So we want
24:21to know
24:22who is driving
24:23an SUV
24:23that has
24:24a key
24:25to E.C.'s shop.
24:28We really needed
24:29to start digging
24:30into the employees
24:32of E.C. Auto Repair
24:33again.
24:37He said he
24:38worked every
24:38three months
24:38and the litter
24:39vows.
24:39Yeah.
24:40Do you have
24:40a key
24:41to the shop?
24:42Yeah.
24:42Drive down?
24:43It's a way
24:44drive.
24:45City Tahoe.
24:46During the
24:47interviews,
24:48we learned
24:48that shop
24:49handyman
24:49Ross Hellams
24:50had an
24:51SUV.
24:52That Tahoe
24:53could be
24:53the SUV
24:54that was
24:55spotted
24:55on surveillance
24:56video.
25:01Ross told us
25:05said he
25:05said he
25:05worked
25:06until about
25:065.30
25:07that Friday
25:08evening
25:08and after
25:09that he
25:10went to
25:10a friend's
25:11Michael Brown's
25:12house
25:12where he
25:12stayed until
25:13about 2 or
25:142.30 a.m.
25:15What did
25:16Michael do?
25:17Me, him,
25:18we sit around
25:19there and just
25:19drink.
25:20So we went
25:21and interviewed
25:22Michael Brown.
25:23May the 29th.
25:25What did you do
25:25that night?
25:26I was home
25:27and what did
25:27that night?
25:28Myself?
25:29No,
25:30me and white
25:30kids
25:31and
25:31they weren't
25:36together.
25:36Ross Hellams
25:37wasn't adding
25:38up.
25:40So we
25:41got consent
25:41from Ross
25:42Hellams
25:43who was the
25:43owner of the
25:44vehicle
25:44to search
25:45the Tahoe.
25:50We do
25:50a very thorough
25:51search of
25:52the vehicle.
25:53We find
25:54no evidence.
25:59So we
25:59asked him
26:00to take
26:00a polygraph
26:01test
26:01and he
26:02agreed
26:02to do
26:03that.
26:07Did you
26:08physically
26:09do anything
26:09to cause
26:10Leah's
26:10disappearance?
26:12He failed
26:13the polygraph
26:14exam.
26:17We
26:18believed
26:18at the
26:18time
26:18that
26:19AC had
26:19the motive
26:20but
26:20Ross was
26:21the handyman
26:22at the
26:22shop
26:22that
26:23could
26:23probably
26:23do
26:23the
26:24job.
26:25We
26:26then
26:26get
26:26search
26:27warrants
26:27for
26:27phone
26:28records
26:29for
26:29Ross
26:29Hellams
26:30cell phone
26:31and they
26:31indicated that
26:32on the
26:33Friday night
26:33that Leah
26:34went missing
26:35he and
26:35a friend
26:36of his
26:37Billy
26:37Meekley
26:38who worked
26:38sometimes
26:39at EC's
26:40shop
26:41communicated
26:41over 20
26:42times
26:43that evening.
26:44when we
26:47bring
26:47Billy
26:48Meekley
26:48in
26:48he
26:49stated
26:49that
26:49he
26:49was
26:50talking
26:50to
26:50Ross
26:50multiple
26:51times
26:51because
26:52he
26:52is
26:52a
26:52handyman
26:53and he
26:53was
26:53doing
26:53some
26:53work
26:54for
26:54Ross
26:54at
26:54his
26:54residence
26:55here
26:55in
26:55Graham.
26:57Before
26:57we can
26:58question
26:58him any
26:58further
26:59Billy
26:59Meekley
26:59attains
27:00a lawyer
27:00and stops
27:01talking
27:01to us.
27:02We felt
27:07like Ross
27:08was hiding
27:08something
27:08along with
27:09Billy.
27:14It had
27:15been six
27:16weeks
27:16and my
27:17daughter
27:18was still
27:18missing.
27:23We were
27:24working
27:25around the
27:25clock
27:25trying to
27:26find out
27:26what's
27:26going on.
27:28We had
27:28mentioned
27:28posters up
27:29we put
27:30them around
27:30town.
27:30Her
27:31favorite
27:31color
27:32was
27:32purple
27:32so
27:33we
27:33tied
27:34purple
27:34ribbons
27:34on
27:35everything.
27:37Just
27:37trying to
27:37get the
27:38word out.
27:39When
27:39people
27:39saw that
27:40color
27:40they
27:40would
27:40think
27:41of
27:41her
27:41and
27:41we
27:43got
27:43so
27:44much
27:44information
27:44just
27:45from
27:45that.
27:46We
27:47got a
27:47tip
27:48that
27:48gave
27:48us
27:49the
27:49name
27:49of
27:49Armonique
27:50Jefferson.
27:53We
27:54learned
27:54that
27:55Armonique
27:55was a
27:56relative
27:56of Ross's
27:57and so
27:58we
27:58made
27:59contact
27:59with
27:59her
28:00and
28:00she
28:00told
28:01us
28:01that
28:01Ross
28:01had
28:02paid
28:02her
28:02$20
28:03to
28:03call
28:04Leah
28:05and
28:05make
28:05threats
28:06to
28:06her
28:06and
28:08we
28:08were
28:08able
28:08to
28:09corroborate
28:09that
28:09by
28:10cell phone
28:11records.
28:14Armonique
28:15also told us
28:16that she
28:17was at
28:17Ross's
28:18house
28:18on Friday
28:19night
28:19and that
28:20at some
28:20point
28:20late
28:21Friday
28:21night
28:22Ross
28:22came
28:23out to
28:23the
28:23house
28:24with a
28:25friend
28:25who she
28:25identified
28:26as
28:26Billy
28:27Meek.
28:27She
28:28had
28:28also
28:28told
28:28us
28:29that
28:29there
28:29was
28:29a
28:29back
28:30hole
28:30at
28:31Ross's
28:31house
28:32on
28:32Friday
28:32night.
28:34Finding
28:34out
28:35that
28:35there
28:35was
28:35a
28:35back
28:36hole
28:36on
28:36Helm's
28:37property
28:37that
28:37night
28:38made
28:38us
28:39concerned
28:39because
28:41that's
28:42what you
28:42do
28:42with
28:42back
28:42holes
28:43is
28:43you
28:43dig
28:44holes.
28:44So at
29:04this
29:04time
29:05Leah
29:05had
29:05been
29:05missing
29:06eight
29:07weeks.
29:12All
29:12eyes
29:12are
29:13on
29:13Ross
29:13Helms
29:13and
29:13Billy
29:14Minkley.
29:15Both
29:15of
29:16them
29:16were
29:16employees
29:16there
29:17at
29:17Easy
29:17Auto.
29:19The
29:19weekend
29:19that
29:20Leah
29:20went
29:20missing
29:21we
29:21learned
29:21that
29:22Billy
29:22Minkley
29:22and
29:23Ross
29:23had
29:23a
29:23backhoe
29:24on
29:24Ross
29:24Helms
29:25property
29:25and
29:26Ross
29:26Helms
29:27did
29:27fail
29:27a
29:27polygraph
29:28but
29:29without
29:29a
29:30body
29:30or
29:30any
29:30evidence.
29:32We
29:32had
29:32nothing
29:33physical
29:33that
29:33connected
29:34them
29:34to
29:34Leah's
29:35disappearance
29:35so
29:36we
29:36continued
29:37to
29:37go out
29:37and search
29:37for
29:38as much
29:38evidence
29:39as
29:39possible.
29:39Nobody
29:47really
29:47had
29:47any
29:48leads
29:48I mean
29:50it felt
29:50like we
29:50were going
29:51crazy
29:51so I
29:53went out
29:53every day
29:54searching for
29:54Leah
29:54and I
29:56told her
29:56we're
29:56going
29:57to
29:57find
29:57you
29:57we're
29:58going
29:58to
29:58find
29:58you
29:59and
30:00then
30:01one day
30:02I
30:02had a
30:03premonition
30:03and a
30:04vision
30:04I saw
30:05the bay
30:06door come
30:06up
30:07and I
30:07saw
30:07two sets
30:08of legs
30:09and I
30:09knew right
30:10then that
30:10it was
30:11two guys
30:12that worked
30:13for EC
30:13I felt
30:16it
30:16I felt
30:17strong
30:17that I
30:18needed to
30:18go to
30:18Ross's
30:19house
30:19and look
30:19I
30:21didn't get
30:21permission
30:22and started
30:23looking
30:24I went
30:25with my
30:25friend
30:26Becky
30:26we looked
30:28in the
30:28house
30:28and you
30:29know
30:29they had
30:29trash bags
30:30and stuff
30:30taped up
30:31on the
30:31walls
30:32and plastic
30:33taped on
30:33the floors
30:34that was
30:35weird
30:35I said
30:36let's go
30:37down here
30:37to the
30:37stock
30:38trailer
30:38we seen
30:39the trash
30:39pile
30:40Becky
30:40said
30:40it looks
30:41like
30:41somebody's
30:41been here
30:42digging
30:42there was
30:43a buzzard
30:43sitting
30:44in a
30:44tree
30:44waiting
30:45we just
30:47knew that's
30:48where she
30:48was buried
30:49so we
30:52called the
30:53cops
30:53with the
31:02information
31:02we have
31:02received
31:03from the
31:03family
31:04we have
31:04obtained
31:05a search
31:05warrant
31:05for our
31:06home's
31:06property
31:06on August
31:072015
31:08the
31:19area
31:19was
31:19wooded
31:20we
31:22see
31:22the
31:22trailer's
31:23gates
31:23open
31:23and
31:24some
31:24of
31:24the
31:24trash
31:25is
31:25laid
31:25out
31:25on
31:25the
31:26ground
31:26we
31:27moved
31:28the
31:28trailer
31:28out
31:28of
31:28the
31:28way
31:29we
31:29had
31:29a
31:29backhoe
31:30that
31:31we
31:31brought
31:31in
31:31we
31:33started
31:33to dig
31:33very
31:34carefully
31:34that's
31:35when we
31:36started
31:36to smell
31:36about odor
31:37coming from
31:37the ground
31:38the
31:42backhoe
31:43operator
31:43takes
31:44about
31:44three or
31:45four scoops
31:45and we
31:47notice a pair
31:48of what we
31:48believe to be
31:49pant legs
31:50we
31:53checked a
31:53little bit
31:54further
31:54and we
31:55noticed
31:55human
31:56legs
31:56one foot
31:57was
31:57missing
31:58we
31:59believed
31:59the
31:59body
32:00to be
32:00a
32:00female
32:01the
32:01body
32:02was
32:02found
32:02with
32:03a
32:03plastic
32:03back
32:03of
32:03her
32:04head
32:04and
32:06it
32:06had
32:06a
32:07significant
32:07head
32:08injury
32:08the
32:09body
32:10is
32:10too
32:10decomposed
32:11for a
32:11positive
32:11ID
32:12but
32:12we
32:13were
32:13able
32:13to
32:13match
32:14the
32:14clothing
32:14to
32:15what
32:16Leah
32:16was
32:16wearing
32:17the
32:17night
32:17she
32:17went
32:17missing
32:18when
32:22they
32:22were
32:23down
32:23here
32:23digging
32:23her
32:24up
32:24I
32:24remember
32:25coming
32:26here
32:26just
32:26to see
32:27if
32:27it
32:27was
32:27really
32:27true
32:28because
32:28I
32:28didn't
32:28want
32:28to
32:28believe
32:29it
32:29it
32:31wasn't
32:31enough
32:31to
32:32kill
32:32her
32:32just
32:32bury
32:32her
32:33you
32:33know
32:33she
32:39had a
32:39rock
32:40stuck
32:40in her
32:40mouth
32:40the
32:44rock
32:45that
32:45was
32:45stuck
32:45in her
32:45mouth
32:46was
32:46to
32:46keep
32:46her
32:46from
32:46buying
32:47the
32:47plastic
32:47bag
32:47that
32:48they
32:48had
32:48put
32:48on
32:48her
32:48head
32:49who
32:53in
32:53their
32:53right
32:53mind
32:53who
32:54can
32:55do
32:55that
32:55to
32:55a
32:55human
32:56being
32:56you
32:57got
32:57the
32:57devil
32:58in
32:58you
32:58we
33:06transported
33:07the
33:07remains
33:08to
33:08Fort Worth
33:09for
33:09an
33:09autopsy
33:10on
33:15August
33:1512th
33:15the
33:16week
33:16after
33:16the
33:16body
33:16is
33:17found
33:17DNA
33:17is
33:18confirmed
33:18the
33:19body
33:19would
33:20be
33:20Leah
33:20Martin
33:20the
33:23cause
33:24of death
33:24was ruled
33:25as
33:25homicidal
33:25violence
33:26with
33:26as
33:26as
33:26as
33:26as
33:26as
33:26as
33:27as
33:27as
33:27as
33:28as
33:29as
33:29as
33:30as
33:30as
33:30as
33:30as
33:30as
33:31as
33:46as
33:46as
33:47as
33:47as
33:48as
33:48as
33:48as
33:49At this time, we didn't have enough evidence, information to charge Ross and Billy with
33:58murder.
34:00And then we found out from Michael Brown that Ross Helms tried to throw away a shotgun
34:05in the dumpster at his residence here in Graham.
34:10As a felon, he is not allowed to possess a firearm.
34:14We obtained risk warrants for Ross Helms and Billy Minkley for falling in possession of
34:18firearm and prohibited weapon.
34:23By bringing them in on the gun charges, we could at least hold them.
34:28We re-interviewed both of them.
34:30Helms wants to talk, but if he is talking to you, he don't know if he's lying, telling
34:36the truth, or just making something up that's entirely incredible.
34:39And that was the problem.
34:40I could not have him testify at trial.
34:43Billy Minkley admits to renting a backhoe the day after Leah went missing.
34:50And then he stopped talking to us.
34:53It was very frustrating.
34:55You know, we felt like we had got another lead, and then we lost that.
35:03On September 8th, we received a call from Fort Worth Police Department stating that Billy
35:07Minkley was a suspect in a triple homicide that happened over a year ago.
35:12For the triple homicide that had been a cold case, the death penalty was on the table.
35:19So they were putting pressure on him to talk.
35:25Can't you see that I'm trying to give you a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel?
35:31The death penalty was taken off of the table.
35:35He ultimately confessed to the triple homicide.
35:36The Fort Worth triple homicide made us realize that Billy Minkley is a person that could have
35:53no problem killing Leah.
36:18For the murder of Leah Martin.
36:19The authority is in Graham, Texas.
36:21We have two suspects in custody.
36:25Billy Minkley and Ross Helms, employees there at EC Auto Repair.
36:30Billy Minkley interviewed with Fort Worth Police Department.
36:33And then he agreed to assist us in our investigation to keep from receiving the death penalty.
36:39Billy Minkley's testimony, he was able to paint a picture as to everything that took place in the shop that night.
36:53That's when we discover a bombshell omission.
36:58E.C. Blair, he was at the center of all of this.
37:02Minkley told me that EC Blair was not happy with Leah and the difficulties that it was causing in his marriage.
37:13And that EC Blair wanted something done with Leah.
37:17I don't know what I was thinking.
37:19Based on the statement by Billy Minkley, on May 29th, EC Blair had lured her up to the shop.
37:29Once Leah arrived, she went into the office and she was on the couch looking on her phone.
37:34Billy walked into the office with the crowbar and hit Leah in the head with it.
37:44He said he swung so hard that the sheetrock on the wall was damaged.
37:49Ross and Billy wrapped a plastic bag around her head to keep the blood from dripping everywhere in the shop.
37:56And then loaded her up in Ross Helms Tahoe.
37:59They took her out to Ross's property and propped her up against a tree.
38:05The next morning, Billy Minkley Jr. rented a backhoe.
38:10She was buried in the backyard.
38:31We were able to corroborate so much of what Minkley had said, except EC Blair's involvement.
38:39Billy Minkley and Ross Helms were both charged with murder and with tampering with evidence of a corpse.
38:45Ultimately, Minkley did plead guilty to murder and Ross did plead guilty to murder and having the body on his property.
38:52For his role in the murder, Billy Ray Minkley Jr. is sentenced to life in prison.
38:58Ross Helms is sentenced to 20 years in prison for murder and 20 years in prison for tampering with a corpse.
39:09I went with my prosecution theory that EC Blair had the motive to kill his mistress.
39:15And so he had the two individuals do the killing.
39:26I presented this case to the grand jury and they returned a true bill for capital murder.
39:32And EC Blair was arrested.
39:33We got him.
39:34You ready?
39:35One, two, three.
39:36When I was talking about EC Blair to the jury, I portrayed him as a manipulator.
39:53You have Leah on the night that she goes missing, talking on the phone and texting EC Blair.
40:06The defense theory was that Leah had walked in on some sort of felonious behavior.
40:15Perhaps a drug deal was going down and Billy Minkley Jr. and Ross Helms just needed to kill her so she wouldn't talk.
40:25The jury were out for several hours deliberating.
40:31The case for capital murder for EC Blair, he was acquitted on all charges.
40:39I was surprised.
40:44E.C. Blair was acquitted.
40:54The state has the burden of proof and apparently the jurors did not believe that we met our burden.
41:01But I believed in my case and that's all I'll say on it.
41:05I got up and walked out.
41:10I was incensed.
41:14I felt my heart hit the floor.
41:17My stomach hit the floor.
41:19I felt like I wanted to be sick.
41:29Leah was beauty and light and summer sunshine.
41:36Birds and butterflies.
41:37I mean, she was beautiful.
41:41I was hurt a lot about Avery not getting to have a mother.
41:45But Avery, she's just like her mother.
41:48So when I see her, I see Leah, so I get to see her.
41:52Purple was her favorite color.
41:55I wear purple a lot.
41:58I have a purple garden.
41:59There's purple everywhere in my life because it's a constant reminder of her.
42:04It keeps her close.
42:06It keeps her close.
42:07Little Velvet
42:16Transcription by CastingWords
Recommended
57:59
|
Up next
42:49
1:10:21
33:12
2:02:13
33:28
1:34:26
41:18
42:06
1:23:32
41:31
58:12