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00:00What did you actually see?
00:07I walked into my absolute worst nightmare.
00:11Amanda, lying face down, there was blood around her.
00:16She's partially nude.
00:18She had scratches to her face, and she had a serious head trauma.
00:22Through her hair, they could see that there was a gunshot wound.
00:27That's when everything changed.
00:30I just remember falling on the floor.
00:34It was the hardest moment of my life.
00:36I was in shock.
00:38This was my soulmate.
00:40I just went numb.
00:41I just cried and prayed.
00:44I can't believe that she is gone.
00:48It struck some people as odd that he just sat in the driveway, and his wife is inside dying.
00:53There were several local groups that determined he was the murderer.
00:59People saw a person walking in the neighborhood with a hoodie pulled on tight.
01:03It's night vision cameras, so his eyes are bright.
01:07That video gave me creeps.
01:09That person gets into the car the same morning that Amanda was killed.
01:12How did you process your new reality?
01:19There were so many questions in my mind.
01:21Who would do this?
01:23Why would somebody shoot Amanda?
01:25Hi, I'm Paula Zahn, and tonight we're on the case in Indianapolis.
01:44The city known for its famous motor speedway became the setting for a heartbreaking crime
01:50when a pastor's wife was brutally ambushed in her own home.
01:55As the investigation began, detectives were forced to consider every possibility,
02:02even putting a church leader on their suspect list.
02:05But then the unusual pieces of a complex puzzle slowly fell into place
02:11and revealed the cold and calculated plan behind the attack.
02:17It was just after 8 on a cold, crisp Tuesday morning
02:29when the Indianapolis Metro Police got a call that would shift the department into overdrive.
02:37A panic-stricken husband was on the line with a shocking story.
02:42What did the caller report?
02:44He found his wife Amanda on their living room floor with some serious head trauma.
02:53Pastor Davey Blackburn will never forget those terrifying moments.
02:59What did you actually see?
03:01Amanda lying face down, blood around her.
03:07She was unconscious.
03:08She was breathing, but it didn't seem good at all.
03:11And I walked into my absolute worst nightmare.
03:17Amanda was 13 weeks pregnant with her second child.
03:22Davey feared that issues she was having with her pregnancy may have led to tragedy.
03:28She had been experiencing some dizzy spells,
03:31and there was a ladder that she had used for decoration that had fallen next to her.
03:35Davey knew that his wife needed medical attention and fast.
03:44I grabbed my phone.
03:45I tried to call the paramedics as fast as possible,
03:47but I had blood on my hands from trying to turn her over.
03:52And I couldn't get the touchscreen on the iPhone to open up, so I'm panicking.
03:55Davey was able to get in touch with police.
04:04And while emergency workers raced to his home,
04:08Davey tended to his wife and his 15-month-old son, Weston,
04:12who he had found crying in his crib unharmed.
04:15It was only then that the terrified pastor began to see the chaos in his living room differently.
04:23While I'm waiting for the paramedics, I start noticing these things around the room.
04:28This lamp that had fallen.
04:31Her credit cards strewn out all over the place.
04:36I start realizing that someone had broken into her home.
04:39To the twain eye of first responders, the evidence was all too clear.
04:51They saw the Blackburns' home as a crime scene,
04:55and Amanda as the victim of a violent attack.
05:01They realized that Amanda had been shot in the back of the head.
05:09Through her hair, they could see that there was a gunshot wound,
05:13and that's when everything changed.
05:17An emergency call about a pregnant wife falling off a ladder
05:22was now being investigated as an attempted murder.
05:32The news was more than Davey Blackburn could absorb.
05:36How did you even begin to process that?
05:40Moments like that are so traumatic.
05:42It's like everything goes in fast motion and slow motion all at the same time.
05:49And your brain is just firing on eight cylinders.
05:53Truthfully, it felt very out of body.
06:02Paramedics were doing everything they could.
06:04Somehow, despite her injuries,
06:07the 28-year-old mother was still clinging to life.
06:11She was breathing, but she wasn't able to tell them anything
06:13about what had happened to her.
06:15She was in extremely critical condition.
06:22As the ambulance sirens faded into the distance,
06:26detectives began to piece together
06:28what had actually happened to Amanda Blackburn.
06:31And the pictures started to come into focus
06:36as they found chilling evidence
06:38that her grief-stricken husband had failed to report.
06:43As you enter, you look immediately to your left.
06:46That's where everything with this crime had happened.
06:49The bladder knocked over the lamp.
06:52Her wallet was on the floor.
06:54Her debit cards and credit cards were thrown around.
06:56There was a roll of duct tape,
06:58and her panties were off to the side.
07:00Based on the way she was found,
07:05did officers fear she had been sexually assaulted?
07:08Yes.
07:09She was found partially nude.
07:11Her shirt was pushed up.
07:13So it was something that did come to mind pretty quickly.
07:20Detectives and crime seat investigators
07:22also discovered what appeared to be
07:24a bullet hole under the staircase.
07:26In the crevice between the trim board and the stairs
07:32was just the tiniest little hole.
07:35And we were able to retrieve one round from there.
07:39It was a .38 class caliber bullet.
07:42And there were clues that didn't fit as well.
07:49Items from inside Amanda's handbag had been tossed around,
07:53but neither her jewelry nor wallet had been stolen.
07:57What did you make of the fact that her personal belongings
07:59did seem to be there in the living room beside her?
08:03It just looked like things were thrown around,
08:05things left behind that you think would be taking.
08:10You could see that there was some kind of a struggle
08:12in front of you,
08:14but the rest of the home,
08:16there was nothing else.
08:18What were some of your initial theories
08:24as to what motivated this murder?
08:28The lack of forced entry to any door
08:30really took your mind in a lot of different directions.
08:33I was so used to the door being kicked in
08:35or some kind of entry through a window.
08:36When you saw that,
08:38you realized this was potentially somebody that she knew.
08:42Was there some type of domestic situation
08:44between Amanda and Davy Blackburn?
08:48And the story the emotional pastor shared with detectives
08:56only added to those concerns.
08:59What did Davy Blackburn tell police about that morning?
09:03Davy was following his usual routine
09:05of waking up early to go work out,
09:07and right around 6 o'clock he left the house.
09:10The thing that bothered me about the initial part of that
09:12is he told investigators that he left the front door unlocked,
09:16which I struggled with.
09:18Did he say why he left the front door unlocked?
09:21They were short a key.
09:22He wanted Amanda to have the key
09:23if she had to leave for some reason.
09:25What was going through your mind?
09:26Just why.
09:28They lived in a middle-class neighborhood in Indianapolis,
09:31but they were surrounded by some high-crime areas.
09:33And there had been some burglaries in the neighborhood
09:35in the recent weeks,
09:36and everybody knew about the burglaries.
09:38So it bothered me a little bit
09:39that he just left the door unlocked.
09:41It's just not something I would have done.
09:47Then there were the pastor's statements
09:49during the initial 911 call.
09:52Detectives now found it hard to believe
09:55that anyone could have looked at that bloody scene
09:58and thought that Amanda had been hurt during an accident.
10:02There were personal items scattered around the room,
10:06yet nothing stolen.
10:07And Davey had never mentioned
10:11the evidence of a sexual attack.
10:14Was he blinded by the shock and trauma?
10:19Or did Davey Blackburn have something to hide?
10:23Police investigating the brutal attack
10:40on 28-year-old Amanda Blackburn
10:42had questions for her husband, Davey.
10:45In particular, where had he been
10:48when she was shot in their living room?
10:51Did you spend time with Amanda?
10:53That morning?
10:53No, I didn't.
10:54She was still asleep when I woke up to go to the gym.
10:58Davey said he left for the gym at 6 that morning
11:01and was there until after 7.
11:04What did he say he did after his workout?
11:07After his workout, he immediately drives home.
11:16Detectives were concerned about that timeline.
11:19According to Davey's own account,
11:22he pulled into his driveway more than 40 minutes
11:25before he called 911.
11:27When I got home, I actually was in the driveway
11:31for a little while talking with my best friend,
11:34who's a pastor in the Delaware area.
11:37He continues to have this conversation
11:39with his friend in the driveway
11:40for a good 40 minutes.
11:44Amanda had always told me
11:46not to come in until Weston was awake.
11:49So, kept looking through the window,
11:51trying to see if Weston's door was open.
11:58Davey told police he didn't see anything wrong
12:00when he glanced through the window
12:02and that it was after 8
12:05when he finally hung up to go inside.
12:08After the phone call,
12:10he steps into the house
12:11through the unlocked front door,
12:12and then he finds Amanda laying on the floor.
12:18Police knew that they'd have to confirm
12:21every detail of Davey's story.
12:23But if it was true,
12:25it created a very narrow time frame
12:28for the crime.
12:29It meant that the attack had begun
12:31sometime after 6 in the morning
12:33and was over by 7.30
12:37when the pastor pulled into his driveway.
12:44While police looked for ways
12:46to corroborate Davey Blackburn's unusual alibi,
12:50the rest of Amanda's loved ones,
12:52including her sister Amber,
12:54were just finding out about the tragedy.
12:59How did you get the news
13:01that something happened to Amanda?
13:05My grandma came in and said,
13:07Amanda has been shot.
13:09And I just remember falling to my knees.
13:12It was just...
13:14the hardest moment of my life.
13:23Although Amber was a nurse,
13:25nothing in her training prepared her
13:27for walking into the hospital
13:29and being told that her sister
13:31might not survive her injuries.
13:35Davey was just sitting there in shock.
13:37They took us back to see her.
13:39I do remember holding her hand,
13:41and in that moment,
13:42I remember feeling hopeful.
13:44I got on my knees and I was like,
13:45Lord, please, you have to save her.
13:49There were so many questions in my mind.
13:51I was like,
13:52why would somebody shoot Amanda?
13:54He loved this.
14:01There were no easy answers.
14:04Amanda had always been a beacon of light.
14:07She truly was full of joy,
14:10full of life.
14:13She loved to laugh.
14:16She cared so deeply about people.
14:19I'm so excited.
14:21And those were some of the same traits
14:24that led Davey Blackburn
14:26to fall in love with her 20 years before.
14:29How did you first meet Amanda?
14:31I was introduced to Amanda
14:32by her sister's husband.
14:36We went to a concert,
14:38and her beauty was just radiating.
14:41Her personality was just contagious.
14:44I called my mom that night,
14:46and I said, Mom,
14:47I met the girl of my dreams.
14:51Amanda had felt the same way
14:53about Davey Blackburn.
14:55The two were quickly inseparable.
14:58They married,
14:59started a ministry together,
15:01and were blessed with the birth
15:02of their son, Weston.
15:07How would you describe
15:09that chapter of Amanda's life?
15:12She was so content.
15:14She was truly fulfilled
15:15in what she was doing
15:16and in her calling in life,
15:18and also in being a mom.
15:20Amanda has an emergency in the house.
15:23Got to go home.
15:24But all of those dreams
15:26came to a tragic end
15:27the morning after the attack.
15:33When Amanda was officially declared dead
15:36in her hospital bed.
15:38You were there when she passed.
15:41That was the moment I just went numb.
15:44I could not believe that was happening.
15:46I felt all alone.
15:52This was my best friend.
15:53This was my soulmate.
15:57How did you process your new reality?
16:01I just cried and prayed.
16:03I remember thinking,
16:04I can't believe this is happening
16:05to our family.
16:06I can't believe that she is gone.
16:10And that moment was just hopeless.
16:12As I was leaving the hospital,
16:17I had never experienced a rage
16:19to this level.
16:21And it felt very dark.
16:23It felt like it was going to overtake me.
16:31Police were watching
16:32Davy Blackburn's behavior carefully.
16:35The case was now officially
16:37a homicide investigation.
16:39And detectives at the medical examiner's office
16:43were discovering that solving it
16:46would be challenging.
16:49What did her autopsy reveal?
16:51The cause of a death
16:52was a gunshot wound
16:53to the back of the head.
16:57She was also shot
16:59in the lower left arm,
17:00which traveled up into her bicep.
17:02She had a through-and-through gunshot wound
17:03to the upper left back.
17:05Was it confirmed
17:06she had been sexually assaulted?
17:07Yes, there was a sexual assault
17:09kit done on her,
17:10but it was after the initial response
17:12from first responders.
17:14So we really had no physical evidence.
17:21Detectives knew
17:22they would have to find another way
17:24to connect a suspect to the crime.
17:28And as word of the attack spread,
17:31new information surfaced.
17:33A series of critical clues
17:35that would send the investigation
17:37in a very unlikely direction.
17:53The headline detailing
17:56Amanda Blackburn's murder
17:58had left the city of Indianapolis shaken.
18:00Residents wondered
18:04how an innocent pastor's wife
18:06could have been shot to death
18:08in her own home.
18:11And police knew
18:13their investigation would start
18:15with a hard look
18:16at Davey Blackburn.
18:18Some questioned
18:19what was his role
18:21in this crime.
18:23They had doubts
18:24about his timeline,
18:26an alibi.
18:26In particular,
18:28the 40-plus minutes
18:30he claimed
18:30to have remained
18:31in his car
18:32on the phone
18:33with a friend.
18:35It struck some people
18:36as odd
18:36that he just sat
18:37in the driveway
18:37for all this period of time
18:38and his wife is inside dying.
18:44People looked at that
18:46as there's this period of time
18:48where he could have done this.
18:50And the veteran investigators
18:52knew there was only one way
18:54to get to the truth.
18:55You start with the alibi
18:57and you check off boxes
18:59what time he got to the gym.
19:03Police pulled surveillance tape
19:05that documented
19:06when Davey Blackburn
19:08arrived for his workout.
19:10Did Davey actually go to the gym
19:12when he said he had?
19:13Yes, he did.
19:14Did he stay as long
19:16as he claimed he had?
19:17Yes.
19:18The surveillance tape
19:19matched exactly
19:20to what Davey had told us.
19:22The amount of time he was there,
19:23how he got there,
19:24how he got back.
19:28Then came the most important evidence,
19:32records that confirmed
19:33the pastor's whereabouts
19:35from when he left L.A. Fitness
19:37at 7.10 a.m.
19:38until he made the 911 call.
19:41The phone records matched up
19:43to him having the conversation
19:44in the driveway.
19:45So everything matched up
19:46to what he was saying.
19:48Everything he told us checked out.
19:51And there was more
19:53than just the video
19:53and phone data
19:54that left police certain
19:56that Davey
19:57had not killed his wife.
19:59What ultimately convinced you
20:02that Davey had not been involved
20:04in the murder?
20:05In analyzing the scene,
20:06there was dried blood.
20:08So she had been bleeding
20:09for a while.
20:13The blood evidence
20:15indicated the attack
20:16had to have begun
20:17while Davey
20:18was still at the gym.
20:19And a canvas
20:22of the Blackburn Street
20:23led to a witness
20:24who confirmed the theory.
20:27There was a neighbor
20:27who heard a gunshot
20:29around 6.40 to 6.45 a.m.
20:34So those two items
20:36sewed it up for me.
20:38Davey Blackburn
20:39was officially ruled out
20:41as a person of interest.
20:42The heartbroken pastor
20:48was relieved
20:49the investigation
20:50could now move
20:52in the right direction.
20:54It's normal
20:55to be person of interest
20:56number one
20:57in something like this.
20:58But that was very difficult.
21:00I was still in shock.
21:06Davey also knew
21:07that those suspicions
21:08would linger
21:09and tell whoever
21:10was actually responsible
21:12was behind bars.
21:15And unbeknownst to him,
21:17police were making progress.
21:20Pieces of the puzzle
21:21were falling into place
21:22as video evidence
21:24from the Blackburn's neighbors
21:25was recovered.
21:26The canvas produced
21:27a lot of surveillance video,
21:29and a few people saw
21:30a person walking
21:32in the neighborhood
21:32who they thought
21:33potentially could be
21:33involved in this.
21:35Surveillance cameras
21:36captured a man
21:38on the phone.
21:39What made them
21:40so suspicious
21:40of this person?
21:41This was a person
21:42walking up and down
21:43the street
21:43with a hoodie
21:44pulled on tight.
21:45He's talking on his phone
21:47and was very animated.
21:48He appeared to be upset
21:49about something
21:49and was loud.
21:55Nobody recognized the man,
21:57but the neighborhood
21:58video cameras
21:59did document
22:00how he finally left.
22:02Eventually,
22:03a light-colored
22:04Chrysler Sebring
22:05stops and that person
22:06gets into the front
22:07passenger door
22:08of that car.
22:10Was his face
22:11ever revealed
22:13on the surveillance tape
22:14that was gathered?
22:15No.
22:15The surveillance video
22:16was not good enough
22:17to be able to see
22:18a person's face.
22:22Detectives believe
22:23there was only
22:23one logical explanation
22:25for why the stranger
22:27was there
22:27at that time
22:28of the morning.
22:30We thought
22:31that this person
22:32might be responsible
22:33for the murder
22:34of Amanda Blackburn.
22:51Police in Indianapolis
22:52were trying
22:53to find someone
22:54who could identify
22:55the man
22:56in a hooded sweatshirt
22:57seen on surveillance video
22:59within minutes
23:00of Amanda Blackburn's murder.
23:02But the next break
23:05in the case
23:05came from taking
23:06a closer look
23:07at another crime
23:09committed in the neighborhood
23:10that same morning.
23:13There was a report
23:14of a burglary
23:15a couple of houses
23:16down from Amanda Blackburn's.
23:18What can you tell me
23:18about that?
23:19This was just
23:20a few houses
23:21to the west.
23:22There was a woman
23:22who came home
23:23and found that her house
23:24had been ransacked.
23:27Somebody had entered
23:28her house
23:28through the screened-in
23:29back porch
23:30and forced their way
23:31in through the back door.
23:32The woman
23:39who worked
23:40a night shift
23:41was not at home
23:42at the time
23:43of what appeared
23:43to have been
23:44a pre-dawn break-in.
23:47What time
23:47was that home
23:48burglarized?
23:49About 5.30
23:50in the morning.
23:52Police asked the woman
23:53how she could be certain
23:54when the crime
23:55had taken place.
23:56She had a webcam
23:57in the residence
23:59and she stated
24:00that the persons
24:02who entered the home
24:03had disabled that
24:05shortly after coming in.
24:07The time that camera
24:09had been shut down
24:10was just 30 minutes
24:12before Davy Blackburn
24:13drove to the gym.
24:15In fact,
24:16police believed
24:17it was likely
24:18that whoever
24:19had committed
24:20the burglary
24:21would have seen him
24:22pull out of his driveway.
24:26Did you suspect
24:28whoever was responsible
24:31for the burglary
24:32was also responsible
24:34for Amanda's murder?
24:35I did.
24:37I used to work burglary
24:39and I'd take statements
24:41from burglars
24:41and they would
24:42hit a neighborhood.
24:43So,
24:44too big of a coincidence
24:45for a burglary
24:46to happen
24:46two doors down
24:48and then this happened here.
24:51They were
24:52going to be linked.
24:55People who have seen
24:57Davy Blackburn
24:57leave the neighborhood
24:58conclude that this is
24:59another easy burglary
25:00because nobody's home.
25:01There's absolutely no way
25:03that this could have been
25:03a coincidence.
25:05The burglary report
25:14indicated
25:15that the intruders
25:16had stolen
25:17some typical items
25:18from the Blackburn's
25:19neighbor's home
25:20and some odd ones.
25:23Taken in that burglary
25:24was a TV,
25:26a MacBook,
25:27a bag of oranges
25:28and a pink sweater.
25:30Some of the items
25:31that were stolen
25:31were kind of strange.
25:33Stolen oranges.
25:34It's just bizarre.
25:35It's just bizarre.
25:38While detectives wondered
25:40about why those items
25:42were stolen,
25:43a new clue
25:45gave them hope
25:45of picking up
25:46the burglar's trail.
25:48I found a voicemail
25:50on Amanda's phone
25:51from Chase Bank
25:52indicating that
25:54there was suspicious activity,
25:55an attempted withdrawal
25:56and a successful withdrawal.
25:58All of the suspicious activity
26:00had taken place
26:01between 6.35 and 7
26:03on the morning
26:04of Amanda's murder.
26:06That's when detectives
26:07discovered
26:07there had been
26:08a card missing
26:10from Amanda's wallet.
26:12It's not until
26:13I'd heard the message
26:14that we realized
26:15that there's a debit card
26:16out there.
26:20Suddenly,
26:21many of the unusual details
26:23of the case
26:24began to come together,
26:26including
26:27the hooded man
26:28on the phone
26:29and the Chrysler Sebring
26:31that picked him up.
26:33Is that the point
26:34at which you became convinced
26:36that several people
26:37had been involved
26:39in the burglaries
26:40and the murder?
26:43Yes.
26:48It now seemed likely
26:50that one of the burglars
26:51who stole Amanda's debit card
26:53had waited behind
26:54at the crime scene
26:56to make sure
26:57that his partner
26:58had the right PIN number
27:00when he used her card
27:01at the ATM.
27:03There were two transactions
27:04that morning.
27:05There was a failed attempt.
27:07About 10 minutes later,
27:09there was a successful
27:10withdrawal of $400.
27:15Armed with this
27:16new information,
27:18detectives raced
27:19to the two banks,
27:21hoping that one
27:22of the transactions
27:23had been caught on tape.
27:25What did the surveillance
27:26videos show?
27:27The black male
27:27drove up to an ATM
27:30in a light-colored
27:31Chrysler Sebring.
27:34This person
27:35had some type
27:36of pink material
27:37wrapped around his face
27:38and a hoodie
27:39wrapped around his head
27:40and you could plainly
27:41see him attempting
27:42the transaction
27:43in the video.
27:44So you couldn't
27:46make out his face?
27:47You could not
27:47make out his face.
27:52The second ATM camera
27:54captured the same
27:55disguised man
27:56making the $400 withdrawal.
27:59On that video,
28:00you can see an individual
28:01putting something
28:02up to their mouth
28:03to disguise themselves.
28:04The make and model
28:06the car linked it
28:07to one stolen
28:08just hours
28:09before the murder.
28:11Investigators hoped
28:12that if they were able
28:14to recover it,
28:15evidence from the crimes
28:16might be found.
28:22A citywide APB
28:24was put out on the car
28:25and that effort
28:27paid off.
28:28On the night
28:30of November 11th,
28:31a light-colored
28:32Chrysler Sebring
28:33was found.
28:35The tipster
28:36who called in
28:37the abandoned car
28:38said that it had been there
28:41for more than 24 hours.
28:43The car had been there
28:44since the same morning
28:45that Amanda was killed.
28:48A search of the Sebring
28:50revealed critical evidence.
28:53As soon as we
28:54found a vehicle,
28:56we treated it
28:57as a crime scene.
28:59And I was
29:00immediately excited
29:02about what we were seeing
29:03because in the trunk
29:05was a bag of oranges.
29:11Police believe
29:12they were the bag
29:13of oranges
29:14stolen from Amanda's neighbor.
29:16And there was more.
29:18There was a pink sweater
29:20that was later
29:22identified by
29:23the burglary victim
29:24as being hers.
29:27There was also
29:28evidence of the car
29:29that linked it
29:30to Amanda's murder.
29:32I found an ATM receipt
29:33from that bank
29:35where they said
29:36that an attempt
29:37was made.
29:40What did that mean
29:41to your investigation?
29:42You have
29:43the property
29:44from the other burglary.
29:46You have
29:47the ATM receipt
29:49from the failed transaction.
29:51That was the car.
29:52Still,
29:59police were frustrated.
30:01It seemed
30:02that nothing
30:03they recovered
30:03would lead them
30:04to a suspect.
30:06But little
30:07did investigators
30:08know
30:09that they had
30:10just found
30:11the clue
30:11that would
30:13break the case
30:14wide open.
30:15Indianapolis Metro Police
30:31had just found
30:32a stolen Chrysler Sebring.
30:35Inside
30:35was an ATM receipt
30:38linked to
30:39Amanda Blackburn's murder.
30:41As detectives
30:42looked into
30:43the car theft,
30:44they learned
30:45more about
30:46the brazen thieves
30:47who stole it.
30:49The woman
30:50who woke up
30:52at about
30:524.30 in the morning
30:54and realized
30:55her cell phone
30:55was missing,
30:56her keys were missing,
30:57and her car was gone.
31:00The woman
31:01had been asleep
31:02in her home
31:03throughout
31:03the entire robbery.
31:05In fact,
31:06she had a security camera
31:08that captured
31:09the whole crime.
31:11They're walking around
31:12and looking
31:13at everything.
31:16It's night vision cameras
31:17so their eyes
31:18are bright.
31:20That video
31:21gave me creeps.
31:28Unfortunately,
31:29it was now
31:29the third time
31:30that police
31:31had video
31:32of their suspects
31:33that failed
31:34to capture
31:35an identifiable face.
31:37still,
31:38the images
31:39were clear enough
31:40that detectives
31:41were now certain
31:42that three men
31:44were involved
31:44in the crime spree.
31:47And the key
31:48to learning
31:49their suspects' names
31:50came in a way
31:51none of them
31:52could have expected.
31:55Once you processed
31:56the car,
31:57were you able
31:57to link
31:58any of the evidence
31:59inside
32:00to a potential suspect?
32:01Yes.
32:02Of all things,
32:03the pink sweater,
32:05which was located
32:06on the driver's floorboard,
32:08got a DNA hit.
32:13Police were stunned.
32:16It was the pink sweater
32:17that had been used
32:19as a disguise
32:19at the ATM.
32:21Were you surprised
32:22DNA was lifted
32:24off that sweater?
32:25Definitely surprised,
32:26but when you watch
32:26the video,
32:27when you see
32:27the still frames,
32:28it's very clearly
32:29pressed up
32:29against his mouth.
32:30We finally got
32:33this DNA hit
32:34from saliva.
32:38It was a huge,
32:40huge stroke of luck.
32:41Who did the DNA hit
32:43come back to?
32:44The DNA came back
32:45to Jalen Watson.
32:48Who was Jalen Watson?
32:50Jalen Watson
32:51was a young man
32:52who was currently
32:53on parole.
32:54Jalen was a known burglar,
32:55somebody that I was
32:56familiar with.
32:57Still, police knew
32:59that Watson
32:59had been on the video
33:01at the bank ATM.
33:03That meant
33:04it had been
33:05an accomplice
33:06at the Blackburns' home
33:07who most likely
33:09had murdered Amanda.
33:16Police immediately
33:18obtained a search warrant
33:19and began scouring
33:21Watson's phone records
33:22for a lead
33:23on the men
33:24Watson was with
33:25that morning.
33:26You very carefully
33:28looked at the phone calls
33:30he had made,
33:31he had received.
33:32Where did that information
33:33lead you?
33:34Jalen's phone
33:35was being used
33:36where the first
33:37burglary occurred.
33:41We also were able
33:42to determine
33:42that Jalen's phone number
33:43was being used
33:44at the location
33:46of the second
33:46successful ATM withdrawal.
33:49And from those records,
33:50we were able to determine
33:51who he was communicating with.
33:53Those records
33:55indicated that
33:55Watson's two accomplices
33:57were 21-year-old
33:59Deano Gordon
33:59and 18-year-old
34:01Larry Taylor.
34:03Both had extensive
34:05criminal records.
34:06But GPS data
34:10from their phones
34:11proved
34:12that only Taylor
34:13had remained
34:14in the Blackburns' home.
34:16We could see
34:17Gordon and Watson
34:18leaving
34:19the scene
34:21and going up
34:22to the two different banks.
34:25That meant
34:26that Larry Taylor
34:27was the hooded man
34:29caught on video
34:30pacing around
34:31Amanda's neighborhood,
34:33waiting for the stolen
34:34Chrysler Sebring
34:35to return.
34:37Taylor's phone
34:38remained on the scene.
34:40Taylor's walking
34:41around the corner
34:41and they pick him up
34:43and all three phones
34:45leave together.
34:47The evidence
34:48made Taylor
34:49the prime suspect
34:50in Amanda's murder.
34:57Police immediately
34:58brought all three men
35:00in for questioning.
35:02Detective Thomas Lenn
35:04took charge
35:05of the interrogations,
35:06trying to get
35:07either Watson
35:08or Gordon
35:09to flip.
35:11I'm not
35:12the person
35:13that's going to
35:13confront somebody
35:14with anger.
35:14I've never been successful
35:16in that type
35:16of interrogation.
35:17I've always been
35:18the guy that's going
35:19to kill you
35:19with kindness
35:19and catch you
35:20in a lie.
35:22None of that worked.
35:24It was very frustrating.
35:25But as the pressure
35:30of the huge amount
35:31of jail time
35:32they face
35:32for a cold-blooded
35:33murder began to build,
35:36Detective Lenn's plan
35:37began to work.
35:40How were you
35:40finally able
35:41to get a confession
35:42in this case?
35:43Eventually,
35:44Deanna Gordon
35:45came forward
35:46and said he wanted
35:47to talk to me.
35:49And he gave me
35:50a very self-serving statement
35:52minimizing his involvement
35:53that basically
35:54told us what had happened
35:55and it all matched up
35:56to what we knew
35:57to be true.
36:03Gordon said
36:04the crimes began
36:05in the middle
36:06of the night
36:06as he,
36:08Watson,
36:09and Taylor
36:09searched for potential
36:11targets for a robbery
36:13or burglary.
36:16What was his version
36:17of events that morning?
36:19Deanna said
36:20that he was
36:20with Larry Taylor
36:21and Jalen Watson
36:22and they committed
36:23that first burglary.
36:25They stole
36:26a sleeping woman's
36:27cell phone,
36:28her car key,
36:29and her Chrysler Sebring.
36:32And he admitted
36:33his part
36:33in the second burglary.
36:34He admitted
36:35what was taken.
36:36The items included
36:38a bag of oranges
36:39and a pink sweater.
36:40But Gordon insisted
36:42he had nothing
36:43to do with the crime
36:44at the Blackburns' home.
36:51He blamed
36:52the final burglary
36:54of Amanda Blackburn's
36:55house on Jalen Watson
36:56and Larry Taylor.
36:59He said
37:00he remained in the car
37:01while they went
37:02and committed
37:02that burglary
37:03and eventually
37:03Jalen Watson
37:05came out
37:05with a chase card.
37:08So we're gonna go
37:09withdraw this money.
37:10Larry's gonna stay
37:10at the house
37:11and he's gonna make sure
37:12that Amanda gives us
37:13the correct PIN number
37:14and so she can't
37:15call the police.
37:17According to Gordon,
37:18the plan worked.
37:20They successfully
37:21took $400
37:22out of Amanda's
37:23bank account.
37:26On their way back,
37:27he said they got a call
37:29from Larry Taylor.
37:31What did he say
37:32happened after that?
37:33He told us about
37:34phone calls
37:34from Larry Taylor
37:35in which he is
37:36extremely agitated
37:37and he is demanding
37:39that they come
37:40and pick him up.
37:42He actually told him
37:43that he shot her
37:45and that he raped her.
37:49Did Gordon say
37:50that was always
37:51part of the plan?
37:54No.
37:55Both Gordon
37:55and Jalen Watson
37:56who eventually gave me
37:57a statement said
37:58that no one
37:59was supposed
37:59to get hurt.
37:59But their own statements
38:02led detectives
38:03to believe
38:03that wasn't true.
38:06Deonna Gordon
38:07said during
38:08the first burglary
38:09we stopped
38:09Larry Taylor
38:10from killing
38:11this woman
38:11because he didn't
38:12want to be identified.
38:14They knew
38:14that's something
38:15that he was capable
38:15of doing
38:16but they were
38:17that greedy
38:18and they wanted
38:18that money
38:19so they went for it.
38:24Armed with
38:24confessions
38:25from both
38:26of his accomplices
38:27Larry Taylor
38:28was placed
38:29under arrest.
38:32Deonna Gordon
38:33and Jalen Watson
38:34took plea deals
38:35and were sentenced
38:36to 30
38:37and 29 years
38:39respectively
38:39for their roles
38:41in the deadly crime spree.
38:43Taylor
38:43pled not guilty
38:45but the evidence
38:46against him
38:47was overwhelming.
38:49In September
38:50of 2022
38:51he was convicted
38:53of first degree murder
38:54and sentenced
38:55to 86 years.
38:58for Davy Blackburn
39:01and the rest
39:02of Amanda's family
39:03it was a somber
39:05ending
39:05to a tragic
39:07chapter
39:07of their lives.
39:09We know that Amanda's
39:10with Jesus
39:11and we know none
39:12of this is going
39:12to bring her back
39:13and so that makes
39:14us extremely sad.
39:16Despite their sadness
39:18loved ones
39:19have been able
39:19to focus on
39:20moving forward
39:21while keeping Amanda
39:23close to their hearts.
39:24today
39:27it's beautiful
39:28it's 77 degrees
39:29and I could feel
39:30the warmth
39:30of the sun
39:31on my face
39:31and I thought
39:33that's how Amanda
39:33truly made me feel.
39:35She was like
39:35warmth
39:36and light
39:37all of the time.
39:41Her presence
39:41in this world
39:42is gone
39:43but it's like
39:44she's still here.
39:46She lives on
39:46in so many memories
39:47and I
39:48am so thankful.
39:50She'll always
39:51be with us.
39:51You've spoken
39:56about forgiveness
39:57being a very
39:59personal decision
40:00people have to make
40:02whether they have
40:03faith or they don't.
40:05How do you view
40:06the three men
40:08that were involved
40:10in this horrendous
40:12tragedy?
40:13It's a great question.
40:14My view of them
40:15as evolved
40:16first I felt
40:17a whole lot of hatred
40:18but forgiveness
40:21isn't a feeling
40:22it's a decision.
40:24I have to put my faith
40:26in front of my feelings.
40:28I had to forgive
40:29these men.
40:32This kind of pain
40:33is going to take you
40:34in one of two directions.
40:36Send you into a vortex
40:37that destroys your life
40:39or you do something
40:42to bring meaning
40:42to this.
40:43Davey Blackburn
40:49has turned
40:50his loss
40:51into a new mission.
40:53The pastor
40:53is now doing
40:54public speaking
40:55about how to move
40:56forward after
40:57a life-shattering
40:58tragedy
40:59like the one
41:00he experienced
41:01following Amanda's
41:02murder.
41:03We wish him well.
41:05I'm Paula Zahn.
41:07Please join us
41:08next time
41:08when we're back
41:09on The Case.
41:11On the next
41:12on The Case.
41:13What struck you
41:15about this case?
41:16That crime was
41:18frenzied,
41:19sadistic.
41:20This was an overkill.
41:22There had been
41:22a lot of serial killings
41:24that left them worried.
41:26He's a murderer.
41:27He should be in prison
41:28for the rest of his life.
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