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00:00People were very emotional.
00:18A sort of crime in my community, the Haitian community, wasn't heard of.
00:27We canvassed the neighborhood.
00:31Nobody saw anything. Nobody heard anything.
00:34Nobody wanted to talk to us.
00:36And nobody would tell us anything.
00:38Like, he just got emotional, and he looked at me, and he just said, I wanted him dead. I wanted him dead.
00:47This murder definitely broke the community.
00:51It made you look at people to release, because, like, you just never know.
00:57I think that that was the trauma that we had to process, that somebody actually intentionally murdered him.
01:08From the pulsating streets of big cities to Main Street USA, no neighborhood is safe from the unthinkable.
01:18These are the stories of innocence lost, of communities changed forever.
01:23This is City Confidential.
01:2822 miles north of Manhattan is Spring Valley, New York, a two-square-mile town with a colorful history.
01:44It all started in 1842, when a Scotsman stumbled into the area and fell in love with the hills, trees, and creeks.
01:55Because it reminded him so much of home, he called it Scotland.
02:00A few decades later, New Yorkers discovered the tiny village and fell in love, too.
02:05By the early 20th century, the town was renamed Spring Valley for the large spring on the outskirts of town.
02:13And soon, the quiet, tree-lined streets were filled with mom-and-pop shops, multifamily homes, and new hotels that predominantly catered to tourists hoping to escape the city's summer heat.
02:25But after World War II, mega-resorts sprouting up in the Catskills began luring vacationers farther north, and Spring Valley became a ghost town.
02:38But it didn't stay that way for long.
02:44Beginning in the 1960s, more than 6,000 Haitian refugees fleeing the ruthless dictator Papa Doc ended up in the U.S.
02:52They chose to live in Spring Valley because housing was cheaper than New York City.
02:59The proud, hard-working immigrants adapted quickly to life in the U.S.
03:05But they never forgot where they came from.
03:09Growing up in Spring Valley, the Haitian community was strong.
03:13It was tight-knit.
03:14It was vibrant.
03:16And when it was a special holiday that was pretty much focused on Haiti,
03:21the community came out.
03:23We're festive people.
03:25We like to have fun.
03:26That's when you see exactly what Spring Valley is like,
03:29and you've seen exactly what the core of the Haitian culture is like.
03:35By the 1990s, Spring Valley had the second-highest concentration of Haitians in the country.
03:42Locals loved living in a place that was far from home, but still felt familiar.
03:46People here valued family, friends, and neighbors above all else.
03:53And their faith was a unique blend of island and Catholic beliefs that blessed the good and punished the bad.
04:00But in the fall of 1994,
04:02there weren't enough gods in the world to protect them from the unspeakable evil that rocked their close-knit community.
04:11It's just before 9 a.m. on Friday, October 21st,
04:26when Spring Valley police receive a call from local resident,
04:29Philemon Jean-Baptiste.
04:32She wants police to do a wellness check on her friend,
04:3556-year-old Renee Charles.
04:37Officers immediately head to Renee's address on North Cole Avenue.
04:43It was a dead-end street.
04:45It was single-family homes, mostly Haitian.
04:48Very quiet, very nice neighborhood.
04:50In my three years, I don't remember ever going there to respond to any crimes or anything else like that.
04:55Just routine patrol.
04:58There were three cars parked in the driveway.
05:01And we noticed the body leaning up sideways against the car in the middle.
05:08The gentleman looked in his mid-50s to early 60s.
05:12He was well-dressed.
05:15And there was a large pool of blood under his body.
05:18And it was running down the driveway.
05:21When we checked for a pulse, he was cold.
05:24So he had been there for a while.
05:25The victim appears to be Renee Charles.
05:29And based on the amount of blood on his shirt and sweater,
05:32it looks like he was shot several times.
05:35His pants pockets are turned inside out.
05:38And there's no wallet.
05:40His house keys are nearby.
05:43Looks like he just was putting the key in the door.
05:47And he just fell backwards.
05:49Possibly bounced off the car and fell to the ground.
05:51I wanted to make sure that there were no problems inside the house.
05:56I walked to the front of the house, knocked on the door,
06:00knocked on the side door.
06:02There was no response.
06:05We searched the house to make sure there was no other victims or anything else.
06:08The house was in order.
06:11The crime scene was contained in the drive.
06:13It was a targeted crime.
06:14We couldn't understand why in such a safe neighborhood,
06:19somebody was executed going into their house.
06:26My aunt called and said,
06:28I need you to come down here.
06:30Something happened to your father.
06:34And so my sister, my brother and I,
06:36we get to the scene and we see the yellow tape.
06:40And someone came up to us and they said,
06:45kids, you know, in Creole, it's, you know, pizit, you know, that means child.
06:51Somebody killed your father.
06:54And we saw the car, we saw the blood,
06:57and it just felt so surreal.
07:01Like, it couldn't be happening.
07:03And we just went, we lost it.
07:10I was standing in the driveway
07:12when I saw a couple of young people running down the sidewalk.
07:17And the first person I met was his son,
07:19who was so traumatized that, you know,
07:22he's shaking, he's yelling, he's screaming.
07:27It was very hard to try to calm him down a little bit
07:29because we didn't want him to hurt himself or anything else.
07:31But there's really not much you can say
07:34to somebody like that at that point in time
07:36when their father was murdered in cold blood.
07:40Looking for answers,
07:42Patrolman George Gibson immediately tracks down
07:44Philemon Jean-Baptiste,
07:46the woman who asked police to check on Renee.
07:50She was a little shaken.
07:52I asked her about her relationship with Renee Charles,
07:57and she said that they had been friends
08:00for approximately 23 years at that time.
08:04Philemon says the last time she spoke to Renee
08:06was the night before.
08:08He was at the hospital tending to his 63-year-old wife,
08:12Georgina, who was battling stage 4 breast cancer.
08:16She said that she was concerned
08:18and just wanted to check and make sure that,
08:21you know, they were okay.
08:24Philemon says Renee told her things were fine
08:26and promised to call her first thing in the morning.
08:29He never did.
08:31When she tried to reach him,
08:33he didn't pick up.
08:34She phoned police.
08:36She says she has no idea
08:38who would have done this to Renee,
08:40and all across Spring Valley,
08:41everyone's having the same reaction.
08:43When the news just came out about when he's gone,
08:52people were very emotional.
08:55A sort of crime in my community,
08:59the Haitian community,
09:01wasn't heard of.
09:04It was for the first time.
09:06No one saw it coming,
09:10and we did not have any reason
09:16to think about something like that.
09:21Renee was a pillar of the community.
09:23He did a lot.
09:24He had businesses and community,
09:26gave people money,
09:27and people looked up to him,
09:29so it hit close to home.
09:31But despite the shock and fear
09:36seeping into every corner of the community,
09:39Spring Valley residents stay quiet.
09:42We canvassed the neighborhood.
09:44We knocked on doors
09:45to try to find out
09:46if anybody heard anything or saw anything.
09:48Nobody saw anything.
09:50Nobody heard anything.
09:51Nobody wanted to talk to us,
09:53and nobody would tell us anything.
09:55Haitians by nature
09:58do not volunteer themselves
10:01to be a witness
10:04or a contributor
10:06to any crime information.
10:09Many of them lived under a dictatorship
10:11where it was dangerous
10:14to open your mouth.
10:16There was never anything good
10:18that was going to come out of the police.
10:22Cops realized
10:23they're up against
10:24an invisible wall of fear and distrust.
10:27And to solve this case,
10:29they'll need to find a way
10:30to crash through that barrier.
10:42Two hours after 56-year-old Renee Charles
10:45is found shot to death in his driveway,
10:48Spring Valley police
10:49sit down with a few of his grown kids
10:51to learn everything they can about Renee.
10:54They tell detectives
10:56their father was born
10:58in Port Salou, Haiti in 1938
11:00to a devout Catholic family.
11:05Growing up,
11:07Renee had hoped to become a priest.
11:09But Papa Doc's militaristic dictatorship
11:12derailed his dreams.
11:13Unfortunately, at that time,
11:17the seminaries were under attack.
11:19And so you had people
11:21who were studying to be priests,
11:23but being murdered.
11:25And it was just a lot of stuff going on.
11:29So Renee chose a safer route.
11:32So Renee chose a safer route.
11:32He began studying philosophy.
11:35While at school,
11:36he met Claire Deserre Fanor.
11:38They fell in love and married.
11:41But trying to build a family
11:42in Port-au-Prince
11:43was nearly impossible
11:44under Papa Doc's regime.
11:46So in 1969,
11:48the young couple immigrated
11:49to the United States.
11:50They settled in the thriving
11:54Haitian community
11:55of Spring Valley.
11:56And for the first time,
11:57everyone was safe.
11:59A year later,
12:00Renee founded
12:01the Rockland Haitian Center,
12:03an organization
12:03that helped others
12:04with immigration
12:05and legal issues.
12:07Because he knew the law
12:09and he knew the rules,
12:11he was able to work the system
12:13and get people
12:14to this country
12:15when sometimes
12:16they tried
12:17every single option
12:18and they weren't able
12:19to do it.
12:20And he was sought after
12:21for his intelligence,
12:22his savviness,
12:23and his ability
12:24to make things happen
12:26when others failed.
12:28Renee was also a family man.
12:30He and his wife
12:31had four kids
12:32and they taught them
12:33the importance
12:34of their cultural heritage
12:35and why God
12:36should be central
12:37to their lives.
12:39The churches
12:40played a huge role
12:42in kind of grounding families,
12:44grounding our communities
12:46where it made people
12:47feel like,
12:48you know,
12:49we know that we're here
12:51in a new country,
12:52but at the same time
12:53it gave that sense
12:55of feeling
12:55like you were at home.
12:59Everybody went
13:00to church on Sundays.
13:01It was not an option
13:01for any of us.
13:03You know,
13:03that was just
13:04what we did
13:05every single week
13:06and every Sunday
13:08you would see Mr. Charles
13:09and you would see
13:10the children,
13:11the whole family.
13:13His life mission
13:14was really
13:15to serve others.
13:16We've heard stories
13:18time and time again
13:20where my father would,
13:21maybe he'd have
13:21$10 in his pocket.
13:23Somebody needed
13:24something for their family.
13:25He would actually
13:26give them
13:27the last
13:28of whatever he had.
13:29Someone even told us
13:31they had commented
13:32on a pair of shoes
13:34that he was wearing
13:35and he actually
13:36took his shoes off
13:38and gave it
13:39to this gentleman.
13:41There was never
13:42a time that
13:43someone did not
13:44pull him to the side.
13:46Hey, Renee,
13:47you know,
13:48I need your help
13:49with this.
13:50We couldn't go
13:51anywhere without
13:52someone,
13:53you know,
13:55asking him
13:55for something
13:56or he knew
13:57everybody.
14:00Unfortunately,
14:01there was a downside
14:02to his compassion.
14:03He's always there
14:06for everybody
14:07and it just
14:08sometimes felt like
14:08it wasn't always
14:10reciprocated to us.
14:13We called him
14:14Poppy,
14:14so,
14:15where's Poppy?
14:16Where is he?
14:18There was a period
14:19where I think
14:21my mom was just
14:22really very bitter
14:23about the whole situation
14:25and so it did
14:27cause some friction
14:28growing up.
14:29In 1981,
14:33the tension
14:33bubbled over
14:34and the couple
14:35filed for divorce.
14:37A year later,
14:38Renee landed
14:39in the arms
14:40of a wealthy,
14:41well-respected
14:41local socialite
14:42and got married
14:43a second time.
14:46My father's
14:47wife's name
14:48was Georgina.
14:49We called her Gina.
14:50So Gina was
14:51a big part
14:52of our life.
14:54You know,
14:54she didn't have
14:55children of her own,
14:56but it was in
14:57a situation
14:58where we felt,
14:59you know,
14:59so close to her.
15:04Renee was happy
15:05for more than
15:06a decade.
15:07Then things
15:08turned tragic
15:09when Gina was told
15:10she was terminally ill.
15:12When she was
15:13in the hospital,
15:14my father was just
15:15going to visit her
15:16a lot,
15:16so that's what
15:17was preoccupying
15:18his time.
15:20He wasn't going
15:21to his office
15:21as much
15:22because Gina
15:24was dying,
15:26and so he
15:27was just
15:28there for her,
15:29so that was
15:29the big thing
15:30for him.
15:33Every day,
15:34Renee went
15:34to see Gina.
15:36Then he returned
15:37home at 8 p.m.
15:38every night
15:39like clockwork.
15:42From the outside,
15:43he was the poster child
15:44for the devoted
15:45husband standing
15:46by his dying wife.
15:48But life can be
15:49messy sometimes,
15:51and police soon
15:52realize upstanding
15:53Renee might have
15:55had a secret
15:56that got him killed.
16:07Just hours
16:08after discovering
16:09Renee Charles dead
16:10outside his home,
16:11Spring Valley police
16:12learned from his kids
16:13that there may have
16:15been more to the story
16:16of Renee's
16:16second marriage.
16:17We went to the hospital
16:21with two of my father's
16:22former colleagues
16:25to tell Gina
16:26that he was dead.
16:29And what was surprising
16:31is she seemed sad,
16:35but she didn't seem
16:37like she was shocked.
16:41Gina told Renee's kids
16:43that there was a part
16:44of their father's life
16:45that they didn't know,
16:47and it all revolved
16:48around his close
16:49relationship with his
16:50married friend,
16:51Philemon Jean-Baptiste.
16:53She made a comment
16:55that she knew
16:57that Philemon and my father
16:59were having an affair.
17:01In fact,
17:02she had mentioned
17:03that she had found
17:05a receipt for a ring
17:07that my father
17:08had given Philemon.
17:10I'm wondering
17:12how does she know
17:13that it was given
17:14to Philemon,
17:15but she was pretty
17:17intimate about
17:18letting us know
17:19that she knew
17:20something was going on.
17:27It felt so surreal.
17:29I'm trying to figure
17:31all of this out,
17:32trying to put
17:32all the pieces together.
17:35Our family was very close
17:37to her family
17:39because we used
17:40to think her children
17:42were our cousins
17:43because we were there
17:44all the time.
17:45So it was just
17:46kind of an extended family
17:48that we never really
17:50thought anything
17:51other than that.
17:55When Mildred shares
17:56the story with police,
17:58they realize an affair
17:59can have deadly consequences.
18:02They immediately make
18:03a hospital run
18:04to see what Gina has to say.
18:07But moments before
18:08they arrive,
18:09Gina dies,
18:10taking anything
18:11she may have known
18:12to the grave.
18:19Police shift their attention
18:20to the other side
18:21of the alleged affair.
18:23Philemon's been married
18:24for years,
18:25and her husband,
18:26Daniel John Baptiste,
18:28was also one of
18:29Rene's closest friends.
18:31Their relationship
18:31dates back
18:32to their days in Haiti.
18:33But before cops
18:35can even get
18:35into their new lead,
18:37word leaks out
18:38into the community
18:39that there might have
18:40been a deadly love triangle
18:41in Spring Valley.
18:43The affair was something
18:44that I just could not
18:45wrap my head around
18:47because of the type
18:48of person,
18:49you know,
18:49that he was.
18:51Mr. Charles
18:51was mild-mannered,
18:53he was so respectful,
18:54he was always
18:54with his family.
18:57Philemon
18:58attended to her
18:59children,
19:00her girls,
19:01she wasn't like
19:05a party person,
19:07she was really
19:08a family
19:09woman,
19:11a mother,
19:12a wife.
19:14It's hard to even
19:15imagine
19:17that she was
19:19an unfaithful wife.
19:21So,
19:21it was just rumors.
19:23But the stories
19:25were repeated
19:26so,
19:27so much
19:28that it's like
19:30the story
19:31that becomes,
19:33it had a life
19:34of its own.
19:35You start believing
19:36what you hear
19:38because you hear it
19:39so much.
19:39while Spring Valley
19:42residents quietly
19:43prayed that their
19:44hometown hero
19:45didn't give in
19:46to temptation
19:46and get killed
19:48because of it,
19:49cops zero in
19:50on Philemon
19:50and Daniel
19:51and the long
19:52history.
19:53In fact,
19:54Renee introduced
19:55Philemon to Daniel
19:56and was instrumental
19:58in securing
19:59the couple's paperwork
20:00to emigrate
20:01to the U.S.
20:03But it was
20:03an open
20:04Spring Valley secret
20:05that after 20 years,
20:07Philemon and Daniel
20:08weren't happy
20:08in their marriage.
20:10So,
20:11police pay
20:11Philemon a visit.
20:13She readily admits
20:14her marriage
20:15is on the rocks.
20:17She said that,
20:18you know,
20:19Daniel couldn't
20:19keep a job.
20:21He had odd jobs.
20:24She was tired
20:25of taking care
20:28of all the responsibilities,
20:29paying all the bills.
20:33Philemon tells police
20:34she wasn't having
20:35an affair with Renee,
20:36but she did lean
20:38on him
20:38during the stressful
20:39separation from Daniel.
20:41And Daniel didn't
20:42like it one bit.
20:45Because one thing
20:45about Haitians
20:47is that we have
20:49a lot of pride.
20:51Disrespect is something
20:52that we just
20:54don't tolerate.
20:55You know,
20:55as a child,
20:56you're taught
20:56to respect
20:58one another.
20:59As a child,
21:00you're taught
21:01to respect
21:01your elders.
21:02So you can do
21:03anything,
21:04you know,
21:05to someone
21:05who's Haitian,
21:06but disrespect,
21:08that's a deal breaker.
21:11Now cops wonder,
21:12was Daniel angry enough
21:13to kill his
21:14longtime friend?
21:15And if all the rumors
21:16churning the waters
21:17in Spring Valley
21:18are true,
21:19it looks like
21:20there's a lot
21:21of commandment-breaking
21:22happening in this
21:23God-fearing community.
21:24Police paid
21:35Daniel John Baptiste
21:36a visit
21:36at his new apartment,
21:38the one he's lived in
21:39since he and
21:39Philemon separated.
21:41He has no problem
21:42talking to cops.
21:44Daniel was very well-liked
21:46in the Haitian community.
21:47He was a very religious man
21:49and he played organ
21:50in the church.
21:51He did various jobs.
21:53He drove taxis.
21:57He drove school buses.
22:00He fixed,
22:01you know,
22:02fixed watches.
22:03You know,
22:03all type of odd jobs
22:05that he would do.
22:08And Daniel admits
22:09he's a proud Haitian man
22:11who struggled
22:11as he watched
22:12both his marriage
22:13and his longtime friendship
22:14with Rene Charles crumble.
22:17He indicated that
22:19Rene Charles
22:20was the godfather
22:21of his
22:22oldest,
22:23his firstborn.
22:25And he had also
22:27indicated that
22:28prior to
22:29Rene Charles
22:30being killed,
22:31because of the problems
22:32Daniel was having
22:33with Rene Charles
22:35and his wife,
22:36that they had
22:37went to mediation.
22:39You know,
22:40because he believed
22:41that Rene Charles
22:42was one of the reasons
22:43why his marriage
22:44didn't work.
22:45But after the therapy
22:48went nowhere,
22:49Jean-Baptiste says
22:50he severed ties
22:51with Rene for good,
22:53but his wife
22:54didn't do the same.
22:56I asked him
22:57about the relationship
22:58with his wife,
22:59and he indicated
23:01that he didn't think
23:02there was anything
23:03intimate going on.
23:06And then I started
23:08questioning him
23:09about the
23:10murder of Rene Charles.
23:12If he had anything
23:13to do with it,
23:14he told me no.
23:16And he says
23:17he can prove it.
23:18He tells police
23:19on the night
23:19of the murder,
23:20he was working
23:21at his job
23:21driving a taxi.
23:23When his shift
23:23ended at 8,
23:25he walked
23:25to his apartment.
23:26When asked
23:28what time
23:29he got home,
23:30he said roughly
23:318.39,
23:33it was verified
23:34with his roommates
23:36that he was home
23:37at that particular time,
23:39and it was also verified
23:42that his daughter
23:43had come to visit him
23:44to see him
23:46and to get some money
23:46from him.
23:48With nothing
23:49to hold him,
23:50Jean-Baptiste
23:51is free to go,
23:52but cops keep
23:53a careful eye on him
23:54as they continue
23:55to look for other
23:56leads.
24:02Meanwhile,
24:04the town gathers
24:04at St. Joseph's Church
24:06to say a final goodbye
24:07to one of the most
24:08influential residents
24:10Spring Valley
24:11has ever known.
24:13When someone
24:14like Rene Charles
24:15passed away
24:17and in the manner
24:19that his death
24:21happened,
24:23it touched
24:23everybody,
24:24even people
24:25who didn't know him,
24:27who was just
24:27learning about
24:28who he was
24:30because of the nature
24:31of his death,
24:33were touched.
24:34And Haitians,
24:36if for nothing,
24:38they are a very
24:40close-knit community,
24:42and they definitely
24:43come out to support
24:45each other
24:46in a situation
24:47like this.
24:49I do not want to
24:51exaggerate the numbers,
24:54but we had
24:55approximately
24:561,400 to 1,500 people
25:00in that funeral.
25:01the church,
25:04there was no
25:05and not enough
25:07seats
25:09for people
25:11to be inside
25:12the church,
25:13so people
25:14gathered in the parking
25:16lots,
25:17some of them
25:18stayed in their cars
25:19just to follow
25:20the procession.
25:22It was
25:23big.
25:24It was just
25:28very humbling
25:29to see
25:30the outpour
25:30of support.
25:33Everybody
25:33did their
25:34speeches,
25:36and the priest
25:36did this amazing
25:38service.
25:39I remember
25:41kneeling towards
25:44his casket,
25:46and, you know,
25:47people brought
25:48flowers,
25:50and I started
25:53hearing these
25:53little pops,
25:56and I look up,
25:58and I actually
25:59see flowers
26:01just blooming
26:03right in front
26:04of my eyes.
26:09It gave me
26:10a sign
26:11of hope
26:11that life
26:14can blossom
26:17after,
26:17despite all
26:18of this.
26:21But down
26:22at Spring Valley
26:23PD,
26:24cops aren't
26:24as hopeful.
26:25They can't seem
26:26to get any
26:27traction on
26:27the investigation.
26:29Weeks go by,
26:30then months
26:31turn into years.
26:33The Renee Charles
26:34case is frozen
26:35solid.
26:37I think
26:38the overall
26:38feeling was,
26:39oh, you guys
26:40can figure it out.
26:41You guys,
26:41you know,
26:42go to school,
26:42it's a police
26:43academy,
26:43and y'all are
26:43detectives,
26:44and you solve,
26:45you know,
26:45murders all the
26:46time.
26:46Why not?
26:47You know,
26:48this one.
26:49After a while,
26:50it's just as if
26:51you have to live
26:52with this.
26:53I think that
26:54that's one of
26:55the most painful
26:56things as well,
26:58because you
26:59gotta deal,
27:00you gotta come
27:00to a point
27:01of getting answers.
27:02You wanna know
27:03why.
27:05Meanwhile,
27:05turnover at
27:06the Spring Valley
27:07PD pushes
27:08the case
27:08deeper into
27:09the archives.
27:10Over the next
27:11few years,
27:12investigators peek
27:13at it whenever
27:13there's time,
27:15but no new
27:15information surfaces.
27:18Cold cases
27:19are very difficult
27:20to solve
27:21because they're
27:22cold cases
27:23for a reason.
27:24There's no evidence,
27:25there's no leads,
27:26there's nobody to
27:27turn to,
27:27there's nobody
27:28to investigate.
27:30Ten years later,
27:32the Renee Charles case
27:33still haunts
27:34Spring Valley PD.
27:35investigators believe
27:37it'll take a miracle
27:38to solve it.
27:40That's when the
27:40department shakes
27:41things up.
27:43Enter the
27:44Honduran hurricane
27:45and the Haitian
27:46sensation.
27:55Thirteen years
27:56after Renee Charles'
27:57murder,
27:58Spring Valley police
27:59realize they might
28:00finally have the
28:01right investigators
28:02in the department
28:03to solve this case.
28:05Detective Roxanne Lopez
28:06and patrol officer
28:08Ronnie Charles.
28:10We worked a lot
28:11of cases together.
28:12We're going in,
28:13kicking in doors,
28:14getting drug dealers,
28:15getting guns off the street.
28:17We're pretty much
28:17both the same.
28:18We're always at
28:19100 miles per hour
28:20and we're always
28:21getting things done.
28:24Ronnie Charles,
28:25who has no relation
28:26to Renee,
28:27is known as
28:28the Haitian sensation
28:29for being able
28:30to navigate a community
28:31that normally won't
28:32talk to anyone
28:33in authority.
28:35And Roxanne Lopez,
28:36a.k.a.
28:37the Honduran hurricane,
28:39hasn't met a case yet
28:41she can't whip into shape.
28:43Everything was laid out
28:44on the floor,
28:45trying to figure out
28:47what I could work with,
28:48what I couldn't,
28:49and I treated
28:50that case as if
28:51it was 1994
28:52and I was present
28:53and what would be
28:54the first thing
28:55that I would do.
28:59As Lopez meticulously
29:01combs through the evidence,
29:03she finds a wallet,
29:04Renee's wallet,
29:05that was missing
29:06from the crime scene
29:07back in 1994.
29:09What happened is
29:10two days later,
29:12like a couple blocks
29:13away from there,
29:13an elderly couple
29:14was walking their dog
29:15and they found
29:16this wallet on the ground.
29:18So they assumed
29:19that the shooter
29:19took the wallet
29:20and tossed it
29:21after the homicide.
29:23Back then,
29:24investigators found
29:25no fingerprints
29:26and no money inside,
29:27so the wallet
29:28was stored away
29:29as more evidence
29:30that led nowhere.
29:34But when Lopez
29:35carefully reexamines it,
29:37she discovers
29:38a secret compartment
29:39containing three
29:39separate bank deposit
29:40receipts.
29:42One from 1992,
29:44another from 1993,
29:46and a third from 1994,
29:49the money was all
29:49deposited into one account
29:51that belonged
29:52to Philemon Jean-Baptiste.
29:58It was clear to me
29:59that these were things
30:01that he didn't want
30:01anybody to see.
30:03And so I looked
30:04into those accounts
30:05and unfortunately,
30:07banks back then
30:08were not keeping records
30:09after seven years.
30:10but it was enough
30:11to give me
30:12a clue
30:14that I should be
30:15digging more
30:15into how deep
30:17were their relationship.
30:18We can be friends,
30:20but is it friends enough
30:21that you have access
30:22to my bank account?
30:23For three years
30:25was I knew
30:26that I had to go
30:27to Philemon
30:27and dig
30:28and find out.
30:31She was very welcoming
30:33for me to come
30:33into her home.
30:35You know,
30:35she asked me
30:35if I wanted anything
30:36to drink
30:37and then came
30:38the time
30:38where I said to her,
30:40I'm here to speak
30:41to you about
30:42your great friendship
30:43with Renee Charles
30:44as I've gotten,
30:45you know,
30:46new information
30:46and we want to try
30:47to investigate his death
30:48and instantly,
30:50her face froze
30:51and I remember
30:53the feeling I felt
30:54because it's not
30:55the reaction
30:55that you would give someone.
30:57You should be happy
30:58that someone is looking
30:59into somebody
31:00that you care about.
31:01Her reaction
31:01was the opposite.
31:02She got cold,
31:03she got stiff
31:03and immediately,
31:05she's like,
31:05I don't want to talk
31:06about this.
31:07She stood up
31:07from her seat
31:08and said,
31:08I want you out
31:09of my house,
31:10I want you to leave now,
31:11I want you to leave now.
31:13At that moment,
31:14I knew that I had
31:15hit a nerve
31:15and it definitely
31:17was a red flag for us,
31:19for sure,
31:19that she knew more
31:20and she was not
31:22going to say.
31:26Lopez is certain
31:27the locals
31:28are going to be
31:28no help either,
31:29but she's got something
31:31or rather someone
31:32original investigators
31:33didn't have.
31:34the Haitian sensation,
31:37Officer Ronnie Charles.
31:39When I started speaking
31:40to people in the community,
31:41they know me well
31:42and people talk to me
31:44and very freely,
31:46very candidly
31:47and they tell me
31:48what they know
31:48or don't know.
31:52Suddenly,
31:53the ghosts of the past
31:54start coming back to life
31:56and the names
31:57swirling around
31:57all the stories,
31:59Philemon's ex-husband,
32:00Daniel Jean-Baptiste.
32:02It was reported
32:04that Daniel solicited
32:05the services
32:06of a couple
32:07of our street degenerates
32:09out there
32:09to kill
32:10pretty much Rene
32:11for what he was doing.
32:13And there's one guy
32:15people remember
32:16bragging about
32:16being in on the hit.
32:19Jean Lazar
32:20is one of these guys
32:21who's always on the street,
32:22always on the street corner,
32:23always getting arrested,
32:24always getting in trouble.
32:25Everybody knew him.
32:27But Lazar is long gone.
32:29He was deported
32:30back to Haiti
32:31after being convicted
32:32of drug possession.
32:34So Roxanne works
32:35also as a U.S. Marshal.
32:37And she had contacts
32:38that were located in Haiti
32:39because it was like
32:41finding a needle
32:42in a haystack.
32:43And we were able
32:44to learn that
32:46he worked
32:46in an airport kitchen
32:49and he was a cook
32:50and he was living
32:51a hard life.
32:54I remember being
32:55in my office
32:55and like doing the old,
32:56you know,
32:57the old football hustle
32:58and the jumping in there.
32:59I'm like, we got him.
33:00We're going to go down there.
33:01We're going to do
33:01the interview.
33:02I couldn't wait.
33:11In a small conference room
33:12at the U.S. Embassy
33:13set up like an interview room,
33:15Lopez comes out of the gate
33:17asking Lazar
33:18why everyone
33:19in Spring Valley
33:20remembers him talking
33:21about being part
33:22of a murder for hire
33:23on Renee Charles.
33:25Yeah, I don't know.
33:26They've been trying
33:27to show that
33:27I was a big man.
33:30But then again,
33:31they play inside.
33:33Okay,
33:33I never
33:34stabbed
33:35nobody
33:36in my life.
33:37I don't go up
33:38from a murder family.
33:40I go up
33:41with a clean family.
33:42When I asked him
33:44about
33:44Daniel Jean Baptiste,
33:46I remember
33:46that he was,
33:48he immediately
33:49went from
33:50this meek,
33:51you know,
33:52like laid back
33:53kind of guy
33:53to like,
33:54he was present
33:55and I remember
33:56him jacking himself
33:57up in his seat
33:58and saying like,
33:58you know
33:59that Renee
34:00was having an affair
34:02with Philamine.
34:03And I go,
34:04yes.
34:04He goes,
34:05so you do know?
34:05And I go,
34:06yes,
34:06I do know.
34:07And so then
34:07that's when
34:08he started to go
34:09with the flow
34:09of the conversation.
34:12Lazar says
34:12right before the murder,
34:14he witnessed
34:14a big blowout
34:15between Daniel
34:16and Philamine
34:17after Philamine
34:18was crowing
34:19about her child.
34:21I heard
34:21the lady said,
34:23how would you
34:23mean a man like you
34:24could have a daughter
34:25like that?
34:28Okay.
34:28Okay.
34:29That's it.
34:29So that to me
34:30means to you
34:31that the baby,
34:32that the baby
34:33is an arrest.
34:34Baby is that for Danielle.
34:35So what did Danielle
34:36say in the car to you?
34:37Everybody else
34:38know,
34:39it's been valid.
34:40Danielle got two kids.
34:41He got two kids.
34:42Two is one.
34:42One for her name.
34:45And in the Haitian
34:46community,
34:47where pride
34:48and family
34:49go hand in hand,
34:50this was the
34:51ultimate humiliation
34:52and Renee's
34:54death sentence.
34:55Lazar insists
34:57didn't pull the trigger,
34:58but he knows
35:00who did.
35:0918 years
35:10after Renee
35:11Charles' murder,
35:12former Spring
35:13Valley resident
35:14Jean Lazar
35:14points a finger
35:16directly at
35:17Renee's
35:17longtime friend,
35:19Daniel Jean-Baptiste.
35:20Jean Lazar
35:21revealed that
35:22there were
35:23conversations that
35:24Daniel Jean-Baptiste
35:26was having
35:26with Jean Lazar
35:27and now
35:28and this other
35:29friend of theirs,
35:30Moochie Toussaint.
35:32Daniel was angry.
35:33He wanted to take
35:34Renee Charles
35:35out of the picture,
35:36like make him disappear.
35:37And he says
35:38he told them
35:39he'd pay them
35:40$5,000
35:40to get the job done.
35:44Lazar comes clean
35:46and admits
35:47he was interested
35:47in the job
35:48for the money.
35:50Jean said,
35:51you need to pay me
35:52up front for the job
35:53and Daniel told him,
35:54I'm not paying you,
35:55I don't trust
35:56that you'll do it.
35:58I said,
35:58when you do your own job?
36:00That's what I tell him about.
36:01Right.
36:02Straight like that.
36:03Then from there on,
36:04he never tells you
36:05about he's going
36:06to kill him.
36:07He goes,
36:08no,
36:09say to me
36:09after that.
36:11So when Jean
36:11got iced out,
36:13he thought
36:13they're not going
36:14to go forward with it
36:15because he's not going
36:15to pay Moochie
36:16the money either.
36:17Fast forward
36:17the day of the homicide,
36:19Jean tells us
36:21that's when he learned
36:23that the murder happened
36:24and he was still
36:25bitter angry
36:26that Moochie
36:27got paid for the job
36:28or believed
36:29that Moochie
36:29got paid for the job.
36:31If Lazar's story
36:32is true,
36:33it looks like
36:33Moochie Toussaint
36:34was the trigger man.
36:36Cops quickly discover
36:37he's left Spring Valley
36:38and moved to Florida
36:39where he now works
36:40as a long-haul
36:41truck driver.
36:43Fearing he might
36:44take off
36:44if he thinks
36:45he's a suspect,
36:46Lopez and Charles
36:47come up with a plan.
36:49So we called Moochie
36:50and stated that
36:51someone's using
36:52his identity
36:53but we're going
36:54to help you.
36:55When are you going
36:56to be in New York?
36:57So he was grateful.
36:59He gave us a date
37:00where he was going
37:00to be in New York
37:01delivering a load.
37:04He was jovial.
37:06Everything was
37:06cool,
37:08calm,
37:08collect.
37:09And then I said,
37:11do you know
37:12Renee Charles
37:13or Daniel Jean-Baptiste
37:14and the same reaction
37:16that I got
37:16with Philemon.
37:17He froze in a seat
37:18and his whole
37:19demeanor changed.
37:21It went from
37:21cool and collect
37:23to like
37:23nervous,
37:26a little bit hard.
37:28He admitted
37:29that he knew
37:29who Jean-Lazard was
37:30and he admitted
37:31that he knew
37:31who Daniel was
37:32and he did admit
37:33that he lived
37:34in Spring Valley
37:34at that time
37:35and that he did
37:36communicate with them
37:37and was around
37:38the same circles
37:39but that he knew
37:40nothing about
37:41Renee Charles' death.
37:43With no hard
37:44evidence against
37:45Moochie,
37:46they've got to
37:46let him go.
37:48The only hope
37:48now is to get
37:50the alleged
37:50mastermind
37:51Daniel Jean-Baptiste
37:52to crack.
37:53He still lives
37:54in Spring Valley
37:55and every Sunday
37:56he's at church
37:57playing the organ.
37:59When I saw him
38:00for the first time,
38:01he just looked
38:02like, you know,
38:04somebody's grandfather.
38:05He looked very
38:06like meek
38:06and he just seemed
38:07very approachable
38:08and we started
38:10to get into
38:11his family
38:12and his children.
38:14He started talking
38:15about his love
38:15for his kids.
38:17He started talking
38:17about how he's not
38:18with the mother
38:19of their children
38:20because many years
38:21ago they had
38:22ended up having
38:22to get a divorce
38:23because he believed
38:24that she was
38:24having this affair
38:26and that to me
38:27was like, boom.
38:29He opened the door
38:30for me to slide
38:30right in.
38:31And then I push play
38:36and Jean-Lazard
38:38is now seen
38:39in the video
38:39and Daniel Jean-Baptiste
38:41thought we had
38:43Jean-Lazard
38:44in custody.
38:45The baby's not right.
38:48Baby's not for Daniel.
38:49So what did Daniel
38:49say in the cartoon?
38:51Everybody else
38:52know in Spring Valley
38:53Daniel got two kids.
38:54He got two kids.
38:55Two is one.
38:56One for her name.
38:58As soon as he said that,
38:59Daniel just cracked.
39:03Like he just
39:04got emotional
39:05and he looked at me
39:06and he just said,
39:08I wanted him dead.
39:09I wanted him dead.
39:13And then I go,
39:14I know what happened
39:15but I want to hear
39:16it from you.
39:19A tearful Daniel
39:20explains that
39:21his wife's relationship
39:22with Renee
39:23was more than
39:24he could bear.
39:25He spent weeks
39:27studying Renee's routine
39:28and knew exactly
39:29what time
39:30he'd be arriving home.
39:32On the night
39:33of the murder,
39:34he admits picking up
39:35Moochie Toussaint,
39:36dropping him off
39:37in an alley
39:37behind Renee's house
39:39then driving around
39:40the neighborhood.
39:41And while he circles
39:42the block,
39:43Daniel hears
39:44several gunshots
39:45and he speeds it up
39:47and he gets back
39:48to the same location
39:49he drops Moochie at.
39:51Moochie gets into
39:52the vehicle
39:52and Moochie says,
39:54the job is done.
39:55Daniel drives Moochie
40:00to his house
40:01then he goes home
40:03and they never
40:04talk about it again.
40:09On April 2nd, 2013,
40:12Daniel Jean-Baptiste
40:13pleads guilty
40:14to first degree
40:14manslaughter
40:15and is sentenced
40:16to 12 years in prison.
40:17There were no winners.
40:23Danielle's children
40:24now were losing
40:27their dad
40:29and Renee's family
40:32had already lost
40:33their dad.
40:34It was kind of
40:36bittersweet.
40:38My father was not
40:39there to be with me.
40:40When I got married,
40:41my sister,
40:42none of us,
40:43he didn't see
40:44all of those
40:45life moments
40:47like Daniel
40:48got a chance to see.
40:50He was helping
40:51raise his grandchildren.
40:53He was around
40:53for his daughters.
40:55He was living
40:56his life
40:57and it was just
41:00unfair.
41:04This murder
41:06definitely broke
41:08the community.
41:09People stopped
41:10trusting each other.
41:11You know,
41:12like the church groups
41:13eventually,
41:14you know,
41:15fell apart
41:16and fell away
41:17and all of that
41:18camaraderie,
41:19you know,
41:19that we had.
41:21So it was surely
41:22just dissipated.
41:24Now it just seems
41:25like everyone's
41:25just in their own
41:26little world
41:27taking care of
41:28their family
41:28and that's it.
41:31And it's just
41:32remained that way.
41:34there'll never be
41:45another Winnie Charles
41:47in the Haitian community.
41:50He was everything.
41:54If I could just
41:55speak to him,
41:56I would just tell him
41:57thank you
41:58for showing me
41:59the power of
42:01service,
42:03the power of
42:04caring,
42:06and the power of
42:07wanting to make
42:09a difference.
42:10And I'm going to
42:11do everything I can
42:12in my own power
42:14for as long as I live
42:15to just
42:16to do the same
42:17for others.
42:18.
42:24.
42:32.
42:33.
42:38.
42:38.
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