They Bragged About The Video They Had Filmed About It To All Their Classmates_VMDT

They Bragged About The Video They Had Filmed About It To All Their Classmates_VMDT

At around 10 that night on October 12th, 2023, Ireina Garcia went to bed in her apartment at the Amelia Oaks complex in Halia, Florida. She was still recovering from a C-section she had undergone just 2 weeks earlier on September 29th when she gave birth to her daughter Ashley. Ireina was also the mother of 13-year-old Derek Rosa.
She was raising the newborn together with her husband Frank Ramos, who had become Derek’s stepfather. That night, Frank was not home. Relatives later said he was somewhere in Georgia working as a truck driver on the road. While got ready for bed and cared for the baby, the night seemed to come to a quiet end. By all appearances, it was just a normal, peaceful evening.
Doorbell camera footage showed Derek leaving the apartment earlier that night around 8:00 and then coming back a short time later. Near the front door, the two of them had a brief conversation in Spanish. Calmly, IA told her son not to run out of the apartment again, and he agreed. The video also briefly captured Ireina herself sitting near the entrance, holding the baby in her arms.
By 10:00, Derek had also gone to sleep. What exactly happened over the next hour and a half is still unknown, but shortly after 11:30, Derek called 911. Can you bring the police over here where I live? >> What is your address? >> I don’t know my address. >> Derek told the dispatcher that his mother had been stabbed.
He said the knife was in his room. And when the operator directly asked if he was the one responsible, the boy answered that he had killed his mother. >> Are you by yourself with your mom? >> Yes. No. My my baby sister’s here, so she’s sleeping. I need to know if your mom is is breathing. >> She sent me. >> Okay.
Why did you do that? There’s >> blood all over the floor. >> I need I need to know that you don’t have any guns or any knives with you. >> I There’s a knife in my room and there’s a gun in the living room. >> Okay. I need you to stay away from them. Can you put them in a safe place away from where the officers can see them? I need to know, do you think we can help your mom? is she’s dead.
>> The eighth grader told the operator he was searching through his mother’s drawers looking for a paper with their address on it. And when he finally found it, he could barely read what was written there. >> I need you to give me the address. Can you give me the address? >> Yes. Yes. Yes. I’ll go to my mom.
I try to find it in the drawer. >> Okay. >> Someone’s calling my mom. What do I do? >> Don’t pick up. I need you to get me your address. That’s what I need. >> Okay. Okay. Okay. I try to find it. I try to find it. Wait, wait, wait, wait. >> Eventually, emergency responders got the full address to the apartment at Amelia Oaks.
Meanwhile, Derek, still staying on the line, started saying things that sounded deeply disturbing and unsettling, even though nobody had asked him about them. >> I have more family members. They can take care of my sister. >> I understand. I understand. Your sister will be in good hands. Okay, let’s just worry about you now. Okay. I took pictures and I told my friends about it.
Was that bad? >> You told who about it? >> My friends. >> Your friends? Did you send pictures to your friends? So what you did? >> Yeah. >> Derek watched as law enforcement officers entered the apartment complex and then as instructed went back inside the apartment. >> What do you mean? They’re right here. >> They’re not officers. I see officers.
Do I need you? >> No. Do not leave. Do not leave. Stay there where you are in your apartment. I’m going to tell you when you can come out. Okay. Do not have anything in your hand. Okay. >> I’m going stay in my in my living room. >> Stay in your living room. Only have your cell phone. Okay. Stay with me on the line.
>> Okay. >> When police gave the order, the 13-year-old boy walked out of the apartment and was immediately placed in handcuffs and taken into custody. How police up here on the ground. Get on the ground. Go go go. >> The son’s in custom. Any knife? >> There’s a knife in my room. >> The knife is in the room. >> There’s a baby.
>> How’s the baby? >> Did you do anything to the [ __ ] baby? >> No, I did not. >> Come on. down all the way down. >> He’s full of blood. >> Sorry. >> Why, bro? [ __ ] [ __ ] Inside the apartment in the bedroom to the right of the hallway, officers found Irana Garcia dead in the middle of a bloody crime scene.
The mother of two was lying face down on the floor between the edge of the bed and a large dresser. In the baby crib, Ashley was still asleep. She had not been harmed. Officers immediately carried the baby out of the apartment. Investigators later obtained a search warrant for the home, but some things were already clear from the beginning.
Raina had been the victim of a brutal attack. Detectives believed she had likely been lying in bed asleep when it started. She had suffered multiple stab wounds. A bloodcovered knife was left out in plain sight. The blade was more than a foot long and the purple handle matched a knife set found in the apartment kitchen.
The weapon had been left on the dresser inside Derek’s bedroom. Arena’s mother, Isabelle, arrived at the scene with one of her grandsons. Panicked, they tried to get into Ena’s apartment, but officers physically stopped them from entering the crime scene. Shocked and desperate for answers, Isabelle was eventually placed inside a police vehicle so detectives could speak with her because law enforcement still had not told her what had happened.
At the detective’s request, Isabelle explained that her son Derek’s uncle, who also worked as a truck driver, had urgently called her and told her to go to Irana’s apartment immediately. He said that Frank, Ireina’s partner, had seen through the apartment’s Ring camera that police had arrived and taken Derek into custody.
After receiving the call from her son at around 11:47 that night, Isabelle tried to contact Ena, but got no response. Then detectives asked the grandmother about Derek. Did he have any mental health issues? Had he ever shown signs of aggression or maybe depression? He’s a good kid, she said. She described her grandson as a smart teenager.
He was doing well in school and had made the honor role. [music] >> As far as she knew, he had not been struggling at all with the arrival of his baby sister. Just a normal kid, Isabelle said. Okay. >> As the conversation was coming to an end, the detective asked why Frank had not contacted Isabelle directly to warn her about the situation and instead passed the message through Derek’s uncle. I don’t know, Isabelle replied.
Maybe the grandmother had never noticed any outward signs of problems inside the family, but there may have been reasons for concern. Although Frank acted as Derek’s stepfather and Ireina’s husband, it appears he legally could not actually be married to her. The reason was that back in Cuba, he already had a wife and daughters.
His relationship with Ireina was reportedly an affair outside of that marriage. Whether Derek knew about the situation remains unclear. It is also unknown how the teenager truly felt about his family. Overall, Derek was taken to the homicide division in Hyia where he waited for detectives to arrive. After he was placed in a holding cell, investigators continued processing the crime scene now with a warrant to search the apartment.
To someone who did not know what had happened inside the home might not have looked suspicious at first. It was clean, organized, and generally well-kept. Baby supplies were spread throughout the living room and open kitchen area. A bassinet for the newborn sat on the couch. Against one wall was a manicure station where Ireina’s clients would come for manicures and pedicures.
That part of the apartment still looked orderly even though it was crowded with baby items. But with a closer look, disturbing signs of what had happened there started to appear. A handgun was lying on the couch. On the kitchen table, investigators found the sheath for a large kitchen knife. Small smears of what appeared to be blood were visible on the tile floor leading from the living room down the hallway toward the bedrooms.
Near the entrance to the master bedroom, there was a puddle of a similar red substance. Open cases for two handguns were sitting on the bed while the weapons themselves had been moved to other rooms. Detectives also noticed signs that Derek had been going through drawers, documents, and papers, searching for the apartment address. There was also a visible trail leading from the master bedroom to the bathroom.
Someone appeared to have tried to clean parts of it up, but only in a very superficial way. The bedroom at the end of the hallway had many of the typical details you would expect from a 13-year-old boy’s room. There were toys inside, including a teddy bear sitting on the dresser. The walls were decorated with cartoon drawings.
Attached to the mirror was a badge that read big bro. And hanging in a frame near the bed was an honor certificate for Derek Rosa from IMAT Academy, a local middle school. On the blanket, investigators found ammunition and the bedspread itself had light stains from what they believed was blood. And then there was the knife.
A closer examination revealed that the tip had snapped off. Later during the autopsy, investigators found a fragment matching the broken piece. The medical examiner concluded that Irana had suffered a total of 46 stab wounds. She had injuries on both the front and back of her body. Investigators believed the fatal wounds were most likely the ones to her chest.
There were also signs that I had fought back. Defensive wounds were found on her hands. >> Derek, come over there. Can I have a sit right there for me please if you can? >> Derek Rosa was placed in an interrogation room with two detectives. The 13-year-old was read his Miranda rights and then waved his right to an attorney.
Detective Joseph Erisagi from the Halleia Police Department later testified that he believed the teenager understood those rights when they were explained to him and that his statements were not made under pressure or coercion. Predictably, that claim would later come under scrutiny, but Derek did speak openly with detectives, and what he told them sounded deeply disturbing.
>> So, you went to sleep around [music] 10:00. >> 10. >> Okay. And then what? >> I woke up and I went to the kitchen. [music] I grabbed one of the kitchen knives and then I went to our room and then I ate. >> It’s okay. You’re good, Sarah. >> I killed her. >> You killed her. All [snorts] right. Um, what type of what type of knife was it? Do you know? It was just a big size kitchen knife.
>> That big? >> Yeah. >> What color was the the the handle? [music] >> Purple. >> Purple. >> Yes. >> Okay. Uh, your mom was sleeping? >> Yes, she was sleeping. >> Okay. [snorts] Um, >> Derek explained that after killing his mother, he took pictures of her body. Then he texted one of his friends and told him what he had just done.
>> How many friends did you call? >> Only one. >> What’s his name? [music] >> I don’t know his real name. He’s an online friend. >> He’s an online friend. >> Yeah. >> When you say online friend, what do you mean from video games? >> Yes, from video games. I know him real well. >> Okay.
How long have you known him? >> Since like I was 10. [music] 3 years. >> 3 years. Have you ever met him? >> No, I’ve seen his face. >> You’ve seen his face? >> Yeah. So, how did you communicate with him? >> My cell phone. >> Through your cell phone. So, you have his number? >> Yes. >> And you don’t have him stored under a certain name or you have him stored under a gamer tag? >> I have I made up a name for him.
>> You made up a name for him? What name did you make up from? >> Sweden. [music] >> Sweden. >> Sweden. S W E E D E N. >> Okay. How often do you talk to Sweden? >> Every weekend. >> Every weekend. >> Yeah. >> Okay. So, you called Sweden and what did you tell Sweden? Tell [snorts] them what I did. What exactly did you tell Sweden? When you say what I did, >> it killed my mom.
>> Derek admitted that he sent Sweden three photographs. Two pictures showed his mother and what had been done to her, and the third was a photo of himself. In the selfie, he was smiling and posing with one hand slightly stained with blood raised toward the camera. The real identity of Sweden, if investigators ever confirmed, it was never publicly revealed.
Derek’s cell phone, along with an iPad and a laptop, were taken from the crime scene. Because much of his communication involved other minors, many details from those devices were never released to the public. However, investigators did publish his search history. The final Google searches made from the 13-year-old’s phone began around 6:00 on the evening of the murder.
Among the searches were, “What’s the best place to stab someone?” carroted artery diagram. Is a small knife good for killing? Is it easier to kill someone with a small knife? Can a small knife cut through bone? And finally, machine gun images. Derek told detectives that after the attack, he took two of his stepfather’s handguns out of their cases and loaded them.
After that, he said he changed his mind about using one of them, likely against himself. So, he put the weapons down and called 911. >> At first, I cut her right here on her neck. This is like a type of vein that goes through your neck right here on both sides. >> You stab here, a lot of blood springs out right here.
>> Do you know what that that’s called? like an artery or something. >> An artery. >> Yeah. >> Okay. >> The interrogation came to an end after Derek was asked the one question he seemed unwilling to answer. >> So, you were about to tell me the why. Why did you uh kill your mother? Do [snorts] you know? >> Do I have to say a noun? >> Yeah. Get it off your chest. Absolutely.
>> We can wait for a lawyer. >> Okay. At this point, you want a lawyer? >> Maybe not. We we can’t no listen listen just so you understand okay you have mentioned or asked us should you wait for a lawyer we’re not here to advise you on whether to talk to a lawyer or not that decision is yours okay but if you are requesting a lawyer at this point [music] we can’t interview you any further you saying we have to stop the interview okay >> do you want us to stop the clear.
>> Yes. >> Okay. >> If investigators still had any doubts about who was responsible for the brutal killing of Ireina Garcia, those doubts disappeared after police gained access to data from Ashley’s baby monitor. The device had been positioned directly in front of the baby’s crib, and the camera also captured part of Ireina’s bed.
The footage showed a gentle moment between mother and daughter at around 10:20 that night. But less than an hour later, another image appeared to show a figure believed to be Derek Rosa leaning over his sleeping mother. At first, Derek Rosa was charged with secondderee murder, and a Miami Dade grand jury decided he would be prosecuted as an adult.
Later, the charge was upgraded to first-degree murder. Derek pleaded not guilty. The honoral eighth grader is being held in the juvenile section of an adult correctional facility while he waits for trial. The evidence against him appears overwhelming. Although parts of the 911 call were edited before release, reports say Derek admitted to the murder during that call.
And then, of course, just a few hours later, he confessed again to detectives during questioning. Investigators believe nobody else was inside the apartment that night except for his 2-week old baby sister. Police also found blood on his clothing. Data from his phone suggests he had been thinking about the attack and planning it for hours before the tragedy happened.
And yet his grandmother, other relatives, and a growing number of passionate supporters have all rallied around one central belief that Derek Rosa is innocent. At a hearing in April 2025, more than 50 supporters joined Derek’s family after traveling to the courthouse from different parts of the country. Many packed the courtroom to hear the judge and attorneys speak.
And after the hearing, they gathered outside chanting slogans near the building. They wore shirts with Derek’s picture and the words free Derek printed across them, claiming they were only a small part of his national and international support. At one point, several Miami Dade police officers warned the crowd that people needed to move away from the entrance and remain on the sidewalk.
These activists attended nearly every hearing, firmly insisting that the teenager was innocent. >> I am here along with all these moms right here next to me. Okay. So, we’re not affiliated with any source. We’re here uh by our own selves voluntarily. We’re here to support Derek Rosa’s case. We We want Derek Rosa’s freedom.
Um we don’t want Derek Rosa’s rights to be violated any longer. Um [music] his constitutional rights is being violated as well. We want Derek Rosa’s freedom. We want justice [music] for Adina Garcia. We want the the real person who commit this passion crime to being charged fully. Derek Rosa did not do it. He’s a child.
I’m here because I believe in Derek innocence and I like to see him free. I like to see justice for Edina. And this child, De Ga, I know I believe in his innocent. >> The support movement became especially visible on Tik Tok where a growing number of mostly Spanish-sp speakaking women started posting videos defending Derek Rosa.
In their videos, they criticize what they believe is the way both the legal system and the public have treated the teenager since his arrest. Many of the videos are highly emotional. The creators focus on Derek’s age, the circumstances of his interrogation, his mental state, and the fact that he became the center of a major criminal case while still just a child.
Some users openly say they believe the way he has been treated is unfair and excessively harsh. Other supporters go even further, claiming that Derek may have been the target of some kind of conspiracy. Those kinds of theories have recently spread widely across social media, adding even more controversy, emotion, and public debate to the case.
innocent. >> I believe that he is innocent of all charges. Um, he is a child. He can easily be manipulated by an adult. Uh, I believe there was more than one person in that scene. We hear noises in the background of the 911 call. I strongly believe that he’s innocent and he was manipulated by someone else around that scene.
>> One of the biggest and most controversial issues in the entire case remains Derek Rose’s confession. Much of the ongoing legal battle now centers on the circumstances under which it was obtained and whether it was truly voluntary and fully informed. During one of the pre-trial hearings, Detective Easagi defended the decision to interrogate a 13-year-old Derek without an attorney and without any adult present in the room with him.
According to the detective, there was no reason at the time to believe the boy was incapable of understanding the situation or his legal rights. While testifying, Erosagi stated that Derek told investigators he was an honorroll student and knew how to read. in the detective’s view that showed the teenager was fully aware of what was happening during the interview and understood the decisions he was making.
But Derek’s supporters strongly reject that interpretation of events. They argue that nothing the teenager said during the interrogation can be fully trusted because of the emotional and psychological condition he was in after the tragedy. According to them, Derek was escorted to the homicide division by armed officers and questioned by armed detectives.
His supporters say that kind of environment could have been deeply frightening for a 13-year-old child, especially while dealing with the shock of his mother’s violent death. No direct accusations of physical abuse or mistreatment by police have been made. However, in response to public attention and calls for transparency, the Hyalia Police Department later released video footage showing Derek’s arrest and the time he spent in custody.
The recordings show the period when Derek sat in the back of a police car outside the crime scene with his transport to the station and the events leading up to the moment he sat across from detectives for questioning. Those videos later became the subject of intense discussion among people following the case. Still, the biggest concerns centered on Derek’s decision to wave his rights before speaking with detectives.
That moment has now become one of the defense’s main arguments. While inside the interrogation room, Derek was unable to state his own home address or phone number. He also told detectives that he did not have initials, which drew additional attention to his condition and apparent understanding of the situation. In addition to that, he could not read or explain the meaning of the word coercion.
And when detectives used the word attorney, Derek did not know what it meant or what a lawyer was. The defense is now using those moments as evidence that the teenager may not have fully understood his rights or the consequences of giving them up. >> There have a seat right there for me, please. [music] Okay. >> Before we ask you any questions, you must understand their rights.
Your rights. >> Okay. You understand that? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Go ahead and initial this little dot for me. >> It means that you understand that. Yeah, just your initials. >> I [music] don’t have initials. I just have my name. >> Okay. What? >> Write your name >> right here. >> Okay. >> You have the right to remain silent.
>> Okay. You understand that? >> Yeah. >> Okay. Write your name again if you understand that. You have the right to talk to a lawyer for advice before we ask you any questions and to have the lawyer present with you during the questioning. >> Okay, you understand that? Go ahead and and >> I am willing to make the statement and answer questions.
I do not want a lawyer at this time. I understand [music] and know what I’m doing. No promises or threats have been made to me. No pressure or persist. >> Coercion that’s that we’re forcing you to do something. You understand? You’re whatever you’re doing, you’re doing on your own voluntarily basis, making an educated decision for yourself. Okay.
>> Okay. >> Keep on. And if you want a chance to explain yourself, the only way that that we would be able to take your statement is if you agree to talk to us without the presence of an attorney. [music] If you do, go ahead and sign right here. >> What’s an attorney? >> An attorney is someone that can represent you in legal matters.
>> Okay. Do you do you know what a lawyer is? Yeah, it’s the same thing. >> Yeah, same thing. By you signing that, you’re wanting to give us a statement without the presence of a lawyer. You understand that? Yes. >> Is that your wish? >> That’s my wish. >> Okay. >> Uh, what’s your address? >> I have no address.
>> Okay. [music] What’s your telephone number? >> You don’t know it either? >> No. >> Okay. In June 2025, during a hearing at Miami Dade Criminal Court, attorneys for Derek Rosa argued that his confession was obtained without a full and informed understanding of his constitutional rights.
That issue has now become one of the central points in the latest stage of the legal battle surrounding the case. According to the defense, Derek did not fully understand the consequences of speaking with detectives without a lawyer present. His attorneys argue that because of his age, emotional condition, and possible developmental factors, the teenager may not have completely understood the meaning of his statements or the legal consequences of his actions during the firm.
Interrogation. For that reason, the defense believes his procedural rights may have been violated during the process of obtaining the confession. The attorneys argue that this raises serious questions about whether some of the prosecution’s most important evidence should even be allowed in court.
Because of that, the defense team is now seeking to have Derek’s confession entirely excluded from the evidence that could later be presented to a jury during trial. If the court agrees to that request, it could significantly affect both the direction of the case and the legal strategy of both sides moving forward.
Derek Rosa is being represented by Joseé Bayz, who according to reports is handling the case free of charge. Bayz is a well-known defense attorney in high-profile criminal trials and has previously represented major clients, including Casey Anthony and Harvey Weinstein. [music] His involvement in the case has only intensified public attention surrounding the upcoming trial.
>> My name is [music] attorney Jose Bayz and I’m the lead defense attorney for Derek Rosa. Derek would like to thank everyone for all of their wellw wishes and interest in his [music] case. Uh this has been an incredibly difficult time for both Derek and his family [music] and we would like to take this time to thank everyone for their prayers.
Having said that, Derek faces a long fight ahead and many people have offered to assist in [music] his defense. And I’d like to inform you that we are currently working on setting up a defense fund on behalf of Derek that will be managed by a third-party attorney in their trust account to assist [music] in his defense.
Now, when I say to assist in his defense, I’m referring strictly to uh costs that may be involved. And the reason for that is that this is a case that [music] my law firm is taking on pro bono. We have not taken one penny from [music] the Rosa family or Derek or anyone else to represent [music] him.
We’re doing this because this is a fight and a cause that we believe in and it is a principle that the Bayas Law Firm stands firmly behind. >> When Derek Rose’s defense team shared a fundraising page on Fundley, the campaign had already received more than $23,000 in donations toward a stated goal of $100,000. The fundraiser quickly gained attention from people who supported Derek or believed the case deserved a deeper and fairer examination.
The page is no longer active and now contains only a short message thanking everyone who contributed. At the same time, reports say the total amount raised eventually exceeded $140,000. That only highlighted how much public attention the case had generated and how many people continued following it closely.
A petition supporting Derek Rose’s release also gained major traction. It collected more than 43,000 signatures from people urging the courts to consider his age, mental condition, and the circumstances surrounding the case. Online, a noticeable wave of support formed around Derek, and it did not disappear even long after his arrest.
At the same time, there has also been strong reaction from the opposite side. A change.org petition calling for Derek to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law in the interest of justice for Ireina Garcia gathered a little more than 1,000 signatures. While that number was much smaller, it still showed that many people believe the brutality of the crime should carry the harshest possible consequences.
As of now, there appear to be two main directions the defense strategy could potentially take. Both have already been mentioned multiple times during hearings and public discussions about the case. The first focuses on Derek Rose’s mental condition and the possible impact his diagnosis may have had on his behavior and perception of reality.
The second centers on an alternative theory, suggesting that someone else may actually be responsible for the murder. Those two arguments now appear to form the core of the defense strategy. Defense attorneys stated that Derek was diagnosed with ADHD while still in third grade and a few years later was also diagnosed with autism.
Those details became an important part of court discussions as the defense tries to determine whether those conditions may have affected his behavior, emotional responses, or ability to fully understand his actions. According to his attorneys, it is currently impossible to say with certainty how much those diagnoses may have influenced Derek at the time of the tragedy.
That is why they continue pushing for additional psychological and psychiatric evaluations before a full trial begins. The defense requested more time before trial so qualified psychiatrists could conduct several lengthy sessions with Derek over an extended period. His attorneys argue that only a detailed and comprehensive evaluation can provide a clearer understanding of his mental condition [music] and whether it played any role in the events of that night.
>> Prosecutors questioned Rose’s attorneys if they plan to bring in mental health experts as witnesses. Rose’s attorneys said they weren’t ready to provide details on that. The topic of mental health caught the judge by surprise and told Rose’s attorneys if they plan to raise insanity in trial, they need to let the court know as soon as possible.
complicating an already incredibly complex case, even further defense attorneys recently introduced an alternative theory about what may have happened that night. The theory immediately drew massive attention because it directly challenged the prosecution’s version of events and added even more controversy and unanswered questions to the case.
According to this version, someone else may have been present at the crime scene, and that person, according to the defense, could have been Derek Rose’s stepfather, Frank Ramos. In recent months, a significant part of the defense strategy has started focusing directly on him. The theory emerged after Facebook messages and a recorded conversation between Frank and an unidentified woman allegedly contained details about the crime that according to Derek’s attorneys could only have been known by someone directly involved
in or present during the murder. The defense described those details as some of the most disturbing aspects of the entire case. In the messages, Frank allegedly described in detail Irana Garcia’s reaction to the attacker, her movements after getting out of bed, and the exact way events unfolded inside the room.
According to the defense, the conversation included descriptions of her screaming for help, struggling with the attacker, and even where she ultimately collapsed after the fatal assault. Those details became a central part of the defense argument because according to Derek’s attorneys, the descriptions sounded far too specific and detailed for someone who supposedly was not present during the murder.
Frank himself does not claim that Derek Rosa told him those details. Instead, he says he came to those conclusions on his own based entirely on his observations of the crime scene after the tragedy. The defense, however, pushed back on that explanation by pointing out that Frank has no professional training or qualifications in that area.
His attorneys emphasized that he is not a blood spatter expert, has no experience processing crime scenes, and has never professionally investigated homicides. Because of that, the defense argues a major question remains. How could someone with no specialized training reconstruct [music] the sequence of the murder in such detailed and consistent terms? That question has now become one of the defense team’s main attempts to create doubt around the official version of events.
According to Joseé Buyers, the level of detail in Frank’s descriptions could suggest that he was actually inside the apartment that night or somehow witnessed the killing himself. That possibility now forms part of the defense’s alternative theory. Naturally, both Frank Ramos and prosecutors strongly reject those claims.
They insist the allegations are simply an attempt by the defense to create confusion around the case and distract from the evidence already [music] presented. In fact, Derek himself repeatedly provided his stepfather with an alibi for the night of the murder. He first did so during the 911 call and later repeated the same claim during his official interrogation.
According to Derek Frank was not inside the apartment when the killing happened. >> Okay, go ahead. What his name? >> It’s Frank Ramos. No, he he’s a truck driver and he’s driving trucks far away and my stepdad’s calling me. Do I answer? >> No. Stay with me on the line until the officers get darker.
I’m sending you home. >> Mhm. >> And since he’s a truck driver, >> he was at home. He was far away. >> Okay. >> So, I went into the closet. >> Mhm. >> I found because he goes shooting at gun ranges. >> Okay. >> I grabbed [music] the gun. >> Joseé Bias’s team has continued trying to break apart Frank’s alibi by closely examining every part of his timeline and version of events.
The defense has focused specifically on the movements of Derek’s stepfather, trying to determine whether he truly was far away from the crime scene at the time of the murder. To do that, the attorneys requested work records and other documents that could either confirm or contradict Frank’s claim that he was in Georgia when the killing happened.
The defense has been trying to build the most precise possible picture of his root movements and communications that day. The legal team also pushed to reinter one of Frank’s co-workers, whose testimony, according to the defense, could potentially cast doubt on his alibi. Reports say the man had previously been reluctant to fully confirm an exchange of trailers between him and Frank.
Because of that, the defense considers him an important witness in their attempt to verify whether Frank’s version of events is truthful. Prosecutors responded by stating that GPS data travel records and other evidence show Frank was driving along Interstate 95 and eventually arrived in Georgia around the same period of time when the murder occurred.
According to the prosecution, the digital evidence and timestamps support his alibi rather than weaken it. At the same time, suspicion surrounding Frank began spreading online almost immediately after Derek Rose’s arrest. Across social media and online discussions, users started creating their own theories about the stepfather’s possible involvement in the crime.
Those theories quickly gained traction and became a major part of the public conversation surrounding the case. Most of the accusations centered around a supposed motive, claiming Frank may have wanted to get rid of his second wife or partner in America so he could reunite with his other family in Cuba. No official evidence supporting that theory has ever been presented, but it still became one of the most widely discussed ideas among people following the case online.
Those rumors intensified even more after Derek’s defense team pointed to records, which they say showed a strange purchase Frank allegedly made about a month after Ireina Garcia’s death. Attorneys used that detail to raise further questions about his actions after the tragedy. According to the defense, Frank purchased three airline tickets from Cuba to Florida.
That purchase immediately sparked another wave of speculation and suspicion among people closely following the case. Many online users and supporters of alternative theories interpreted it as a sign that he may have been planning to bring his other family to the United States or invite them to stay with him. Then just a few weeks later, photos allegedly appeared online showing Frank’s Cuban wife holding baby Ashley in her arms.
Those images quickly spread across social media, fueling even more controversy and emotional reactions surrounding the case. During one of the recent hearings, Derek’s defense team argued that the images and materials already released to the public have created prejudice among potential jurors.
According to the attorneys, the public is essentially being pushed toward believing a specific version of events before anything has officially been proven in court. When asked about suggestions that he may have been involved in the murder of Ireina Garcia, Frank responded, “I don’t have to explain anything. That’s the prosecution’s job.
” He also insists that he sees himself as a victim in this case. According to Derek, everything that happened that night permanently destroyed his own life as well. That remains the position he continues to publicly maintain while the case stays in the spotlight of both the media and the public. Derek Rosa, who is now 14 years old, is currently being held at Metro West Detention Center, an adult correctional facility where he is awaiting trial on a firstderee murder charge.
Despite his age, he continues to be housed in an adult detention center which has repeatedly sparked debate and controversy surrounding the case. Several trial dates were scheduled and then later postponed. Because of that, the case continued dragging on, leaving the family attorneys and everyone following the investigation waiting for the next stage.
Each new delay only intensified public attention around the disturbing and highly publicized story. Multiple attempts to transfer Derek to a juvenile facility were also unsuccessful. The defense tried to move him to a center for minors based on his age, but those requests were denied. As a result, Derek remained in adult custody while awaiting trial.
At the time this was published, Derek’s next court hearing was scheduled for July 2025, and the trial itself was expected to begin in September of that same year. However, because of the previous delays and postponements, nobody could say with complete certainty whether those dates would actually remain final.
His many supporters will no doubt continue standing by him. A large group of people has formed around the Derek Rosa case, openly supporting the teenager and closely following every new development across social media and around the courtroom. That support remains highly visible even now. 30-year-old Tara Ginstead wasn’t just a beauty queen.
She grew up with her older sister, Anita, in Hawkinsville, Georgia, and started competing in beauty pageantss at a young age. Those competitions gave her the opportunity to earn scholarship money for college. In 2005, at the age of 25, Tara won the Miss Tiffan title and used the prize money to pay for her education at Middle Georgia College and Valdasta State University.
After earning her master’s degree, she became a history teacher at Irwin County High School in Osilla, Georgia. The last time anyone saw Tara was on the evening of Saturday, October 22nd, 2005, at a barbecue hosted by her friend Troy [snorts] Davis. Earlier that day, she had been at her friend Dana’s house where she and several other women helped young contestants get ready for the sweet potato pageant.
After the pageant ended, Tara arrived at the barbecue around 11:00 that night. When the evening was over, Troy walked her out to her car. The next day, Tara’s mother, FA, tried calling her at home several times, but no one answered. The real alarm came on Monday morning when the 11th grade history teacher didn’t show up for work. Her co-workers at Irwin County High School immediately knew something was [music] wrong.
Tara was known as a dependable and dedicated teacher, so missing work without any explanation was completely out of character. Officers from the Ailla Police Department went to her house to make sure she was okay. When they arrived, they found Tara’s car parked in the driveway, and the house was locked.
At first, it looked like she might have left voluntarily in someone else’s vehicle. But as officers took a closer look around the property, the scene suggested something much more disturbing. They noticed that the driver’s seat in Tara’s car had been pushed far back, as if someone much taller had been behind the wheel. They also found an envelope containing $100 in cash sitting on the dashboard.
Inside the house, investigators came across even more unusual details. Tara’s cell phone was still plugged into the charger beside her bed, but her purse and her keys were missing. The clock next to her bed was lying on the floor, broken, and displaying a time that was off by about 6 hours.
It looked like it had fallen and shattered. Beads were scattered across the floor. One of the bed legs had been damaged, and the lampshade on the bedside lamp was crooked. Investigators also found a small stain on the comforter that appeared to be blood, although there wasn’t much of it. Other than that, they found no evidence that could explain what had happened to Tara.
About 34 hours had passed between the last confirmed sighting of Tara and the police welfare check on Monday morning. The clothes she had worn on Saturday night were still inside the house along with her car. That suggested she had made it home safely that night. The most troubling discovery was a single latex glove found in the front yard about 15 ft from the front door.
More than anything else, that piece of evidence convinced investigators that a violent crime had likely taken place. Later that same morning, agents with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation arrived at the house. Tara was officially reported missing and a full-scale investigation got underway. During the first days of the investigation, detectives took a close look at Tara’s personal relationships.
They focused especially on former romantic partners who might have shown signs of jealousy, obsession, or aggression. In the six months leading up to her disappearance, Tara had been involved with at least three different men. The first person police looked into was her ex-boyfriend, Army Ranger Marcus Harper.
Their relationship had lasted 6 years and had been far from simple. During that time, both of them had dated other people, but Tara’s family and close friends insisted she was still in love with Marcus. They had broken up just 2 weeks before she disappeared. Marcus said the relationship ended because he wasn’t ready for a serious commitment.
According to him, Tara wanted to get married, but he wasn’t ready to start a family. Marcus also told investigators that about a week before Tara vanished, she came to his house, knocked on his windows, allegedly threatened to take her own life if he started dating another woman, and begged him to come back to her. Tara’s family and friends immediately rejected those claims.
Investigators also dismissed the possibility of suicide since no body had ever been found. Marcus spoke with detectives voluntarily, provided a DNA sample, and had a confirmed alibi. Police never officially identified him as a suspect, but many people in the community continued to view him with suspicion for years. Another man, Anthony Vickers, who had once been Tara’s student, had been arrested in March of that same year after causing a disturbance outside her home.
But like Marcus, he was fully cleared after investigators looked into him. Another obvious person of interest was a man whose business card had been found wedged in Tara’s front door. Neighbors said he visited her house frequently. That man was Heath Dykes, a married police captain from a neighboring town. After Tara disappeared, investigators discovered nearly two dozen voicemail messages from Heath on her answering machine.
He had also gone to her house himself on Sunday evening to check on her and make sure she was okay. >> Sunday 2:27 p.m. let me know what’s up. Sunday 2:46 p.m. Hey, trying to uh figure out what I need to do this afternoon. Give me give me a call. It’s about 2:45 or something. King Sunday 7:30 p.m. Please do this about your
eyes there. Not like you tomorrow. >> While GBI investigators worked through every obvious lead and gradually ruled out potential suspects, the people of Ailla came together in a massive effort to find Tara. The community organized large-scale search campaigns and urged anyone who might know anything, no matter how small it seemed, to come forward and share any information with investigators.
because I was with her Saturday and it’s so weird because I walked her out to her car and then I haven’t seen her since. >> While the community continued searching for Tara, rumors began spreading throughout Ailla. Just 2 weeks after her disappearance, students at Irwin County High School started talking about the possibility that she had been murdered.
Two former students, Bo Jukes and Ryan Juke, best friends, who shared similar last names but weren’t related, were allegedly bragging at a party that they were the ones who had killed their former teacher. Years later, one of their former classmates recalled overhearing that conversation. “We killed her and burned her body,” one of them allegedly said as the people around them laughed.
According to witnesses, Bo and Ryan acted like they were just joking. The friend who overheard the conversation already had a bad reputation with law enforcement. So after the party, he never went to the police. Instead, he told other people what he had heard, saying he believed the two men had been telling the truth. In 2008, after investigators still hadn’t uncovered a solid lead, the GBI publicly revealed its most important piece of physical evidence, the latex glove found in the front yard of Tara’s home.
The glove had been sent to the crime lab immediately after it was discovered. Forensic experts were able to recover a male DNA profile from it, but even after comparing that DNA to samples from every potential suspect, they found no match. In total, investigators tested around 100 people.
The GBI also searched for a match in national DNA databases, but after 3 years, it still came up empty. Once again, investigators asked the public to come forward with any information that might help solve the case. Five more years passed. In 2010, Tara Ginstead was officially declared dead. By then, investigators had received hundreds and possibly even thousands of tips from the public.
There were so many that the overwhelming volume of information became more of a burden than a help. Some important leads were simply buried among the rest and never followed up on. Even so, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and local law enforcement insisted that the Ginstead case had never gone cold. GBI officials said they continued receiving new tips and investigating every potentially significant lead related to Tara’s disappearance and murder.
In 2011, the Irwin County Sheriff announced that investigators had received credible information pointing them to an area near the Reedi Creek Bridge. The creek is located about 6 and 1/2 miles from Ailla within Irwin County. According to the sheriff, divers and deputies searched the area for more than 4 hours, but found nothing.
In 2015, investigators received another tip that led them to a pond in Benhill County, about a 25-minute drive north of Ailla. They used sonar and an underwater remotely operated vehicle to examine the bottom of the pond. Divers with the Georgia State Patrol confirmed that several objects had been detected underwater.
The GBI then obtained a search warrant, allowing investigators to drain the pond for a more thorough search. No human remains were found. However, investigators recovered several items they believed could be connected to the case. Exactly what those items were has never been publicly disclosed. Another two years passed before the investigation finally saw a real breakthrough.
At the beginning of 2017, Brooke Sheridan was in a serious long-term relationship with a man she described as kind and incredibly intelligent. Brooke had met Bo Dukes on Tinder. After talking for about a month, they met in person and their relationship quickly became serious. After graduating from Irwin County High School, Bo joined the United States Army.
He was deployed to Iraq in 2009 and later to Afghanistan in 2012. [music] During his military service, he received several awards, including the Bronze Star, a medal presented for acts of heroism in combat. Bo came from a wealthy and well-known family in Ailla that owned a large pan farm in Fitzgerald just outside town. He had been married for a while, but after his divorce, he moved into a private apartment attached to his mother’s house where he and Brooke lived together.
Everyone who knew them described them as a happy couple. But everything changed one [music] day in January of 2017. That evening, Bo came home and told Brooke that GBI agents had questioned him and collected his DNA as part of the Tara Ginstead investigation, along with DNA samples from several other people.
After that, Brooke said Bo began suffering from severe panic attacks, an anxiety that only got worse over time. During one of those panic attacks, he finally told her what he claimed was the truth about Tara’s disappearance. Bo said that on that Saturday night in October of 2005, there had been a party at his trailer in Fitzgerald.
According to him, he drank so much that he passed out. The next morning, he said, Ryan Duke woke him up. Bo claimed Ryan confessed that he had broken into Tara’s house by opening the front door with a credit card. According to Bo, Ryan said he climbed into Tara’s bed before strangling her to death. Ryan later asked Bo to help get rid of Tara’s body, and Bo agreed.
Brooke was horrified and physically sick after hearing the confession. She immediately contacted the GBI and told investigators everything Bo had revealed. The names Bo Dukes and Ryan Duke had been in the Tara Ginstead case file since 2005. In 2008, investigators received a tip claiming the two men had bragged about the murder, but that information was never properly followed up on.
On top of that, Bose’s longtime friend, John McCulla, repeatedly tried to contact the GBI to share what he knew. John said Bo had personally confessed to him that he helped dispose of Tara’s body on his uncle’s pecan farm. The admission shocked and disgusted John so much that he decided to go to the police. He first contacted investigators back in 2007 and left them his contact information.
But despite reaching out another 9 or 10 times over the following years, the GBI didn’t contact him until 2016. It was after that conversation that GBI agents decided to interview Bo, triggering the intense anxiety attacks that eventually led to his confession to Brooke. In the end, Bo agreed to tell the truth.
Not during his first interview in 2016 when he denied everything, but in 2017 after Brooke gave her statement to investigators. In his recorded confession, Bo described in detail what he said had happened during the weekend Tara disappeared. According to Bo, the day after Tara vanished, Ryan told him that she was missing. >> Ryan was there. A few people came over.
We were drinking and I passed out, went to sleep, woke up the next morning or somewhere early afternoon or something. Ron woke up and said that he told me that he does this next Sunday. told me they had killed Terry Estro. I thought he was I believe I thought it was told you know let me go to sleep. The next day, I think it was the next day, his brother, who else is came home and told me that she was missing.
And I told him what Ryan had told me that that the day before and he asked me to come with him out to the piano and I went with him and he drove back into the bag and he showed me where our body was and freaked out guy. Uh asked him what the hell had happened. He told me that he had gone to her house that night. uh used a credit card to k through the front door off the block and strangers and he asked me to help him get rid of her body
and I agreed. I was a a shelter that was full of fire split split wood and fat ladder and we used that and my truck and move [clears throat] it’s a wood area bunch of wood and and burn it. Bo told GBI agent Showell that Ryan had confessed to using Bose’s white Ford F-150 pickup truck to transport Tara’s body to the Pan orchard.
According to B, Ryan also threw Tara’s keys into a dumpster outside a laundromat along the way. Ryan had used Bose’s truck and chosen his family’s property as the place to burn Tara’s body. “Now it’s your problem, too,” Ryan allegedly told his friend. Bo said that after hearing those words, he went with Ryan to the Peckin Orchard, where Ryan showed him Tara’s naked body, which had already started to change color.
Not long after Bose’s interview, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced the arrest of 33-year-old Ryan Duke for the murder of Tara Ginstead, more than 11 years after she disappeared. Unlike Bo, who was a decorated military veteran, Ryan had been discharged from the United States Army after going absent without leave in 2005.
He also struggled with serious alcohol and drug addiction. GBI officials said Ryan had never really been a major focus of their investigation before then. Just over a month after his arrest, an Irwin County grand jury indicted Ryan Juke on six charges: malice murder, two counts of felony murder, aggravated assault, burglary, and concealing the death of another person.
Shortly after his arrest, Ryan did what investigators described as a spontaneous confession. According to the GBI, it took only about 90 seconds of questioning before Ryan admitted that he had killed Tara and burned her body on the Duke’s family’s Peekan farm. He described a sequence of events that generally matched Bose’s version, but there were several significant differences between their accounts.
For example, B said Tara’s body was completely naked, while Ryan claimed she was still wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants. There was also confusion over exactly how the attack happened. It remained unclear whether Ryan struck Tara before strangling her, strangled her immediately, or whether both had happened.
Even in his own account, Ryan was unable to clearly explain every detail of what had taken place. >> So, you go to her house. Do you remember what the house looked like? [music] [snorts] >> Was there any cars there? >> I think so. Not 100%. >> And you got You obviously did park right in front of the house, I assume. Right. I don’t know.
I really I mean it just what led me there is I don’t know I do not know I broke in with a credit card lock it was locked but like I said you can pop it real easy with a card I learned that when I lock myself several times. So I went in my house and said I see a purse and next thing I know she said something me on the shoulder and not here and I said I think I was and so you know went home
and came back and you know called you know everything was okay but it wasn’t let’s go back you said you called him I know you said it was you said that this was was this day when you came back >> it was the daylight service >> so you said you went to uh what kind of Do you know which show it was? >> I think I can’t remember what it was at [music] the time.
>> How did you call >> the number You were hoping that she would answer the phone and it was when she did you knew something was Yes, sir. Ryan told investigators that on the night of Tara’s murder, he was looking for money to buy drugs. He claimed that was why he broke into her house, intending to steal her purse and her keys.
According to Ryan, Tara caught him in the middle of the burglary, and he struck her, claiming that the blow was what caused her death. Ryan also agreed to take GBI agents to the spot in the Pean Orchard where he said he and B had taken Tara’s body. Ain’t none of this clear enough for cuz we didn’t walk 10 15t to the truck to where we cremated her.
>> So it was pretty much right off that road. >> Yes, sir. But exactly where? I’m not sure. >> That’s fine. >> I mean >> that’s fine. [music] All we can get you to do is But out here is where it is where it happened. >> Yes, sir. Yes, sir. It is. >> Okay. I’m pretty sure that’s the same road, but finding the exact spots going to be.
A few days after Ryan Duke’s arrest, more than 50 GB agents launched a massive search for human remains at the Hudson Pan Company orchard in Fitzgerald, less than 10 mi north of Ailla. Around the same time, a superior court judge issued a gag order prohibiting law enforcement officers and everyone involved in the investigation from discussing the case with the media.
Even so, local and national news outlets closely followed the search, trying to determine whether investigators had found anything at all. The search of the Pan farm lasted 4 days with forensic anthropologists joining the effort. At the time, officials refused to say whether any human remains had been recovered.
It wasn’t until years later that it became public that investigators had, in fact, found fragments of human bones at the orchard. However, the remains had been burned so severely that forensic experts were unable to recover a usable DNA profile for comparison. for his role in helping conceal Tara Ginstead’s murder and for lying during his first GBI interview in 2016.
Bo Dukes faced up to 25 years in prison. It was after that initial interview that his anxiety attacks began getting dramatically worse. In September of 2017, a grand jury handed B four additional charges. two counts of making false statements, hindering the apprehension of a criminal, and concealing the death of another person.
Bo pleaded not guilty and demanded a trial, hoping to receive a sentence shorter than the maximum 25 years. While awaiting trial, he was released on bond. But that bond was later revoked after Bo failed to complete his required community service and didn’t make the court-ordered restitution payments. During the proceedings, it also came to light that about 6 years earlier, Bo had already pleaded guilty to stealing more than $150,000 from the United States Army.
While working as a logistics specialist, he submitted fraudulent orders for televisions, cameras, power tools, copper wire, and other equipment through the General Services Administration. billing the purchases to the army. The items were then shipped directly to his home where he and his then wife Emily pawned and sold them for profit.
In 2013, Bo served 27 months in federal prison for the fraud scheme. After his release, he spent another 3 years on supervised release and was ordered to repay more than $134,000 to the federal government. He was released from prison in October of 2015. But his criminal activity didn’t end there.
In January of 2019, Bo Dukes was declared a fugitive after allegedly sexually assaulting two women at gunpoint. At the time, he was living in a house in a residential neighborhood in Bonire. One of his neighbors later told local reporters that on New Year’s Day of 2019, two women wrapped in nothing but towels ran to his front door and pounded on it in desperation.
He let them inside and they asked to use his phone to call the police. During the call, the neighbor overheard the women telling the dispatcher that another woman had returned to the house where they had allegedly been held and helped them escape. Surveillance footage later confirmed that the two women wrapped in towels had in fact fled Bod Duke’s home.
Law enforcement agencies from across the area then launched a 4-day manhunt for Bo. He was eventually found at a relative’s house that officers from the Irwin County Sheriff’s Office and the Ailla Police Department had already been watching. He surrendered without putting up any resistance.
The district attorney later held a press conference announcing Bose’s capture and thanking all of the law enforcement agencies that had taken part in the operation. For local residents, the arrest brought an enormous sense of relief. After reports of the alleged kidnappings and sexual assaults became public, the entire community had been living on edge.
Following his arrest, Bo was taken into custody, and later that year, he went on trial for the charges connected to the Tara Ginstead case. During the trial, Bose’s former girlfriend, Brooke Sheridan, and his former best friend, John McCulla, both testified for the prosecution. While taking the stand, Jon struggled to hold back his emotions.
He told the jury that his friendship with Bo began during basic military training. The two became extremely close, and one year, Jon even spent Christmas with Bo and his family in Osilla. It was during that holiday while missing person flyers with Tara’s photograph covered the town that Bo confessed to him what had happened.
Um well it was you know pretty late at night and um you know he had been drinking and uh and uh I had mentioned something about seeing a billboard and it had a really really pretty lady that was on it and I was like man that’s crazy you know what’s going on with that you know and that was like I said the previous conversation we had but he had brought it up and said do you remember that billboard that you had seen and I was like yeah he was like [music] I know what And then I was like kind of shocked with that and was like what?
Technically killed Tara to him. Um >> the friend had said that. >> Yes. That he had um beat her and uh accidentally strangled her um and killed her and he didn’t know what to do. So he needed his truck to be able to move her body. A former classmate also testified during the trial. He told the jury that back in 2005, he had overheard B and Ryan joking about killing Tara.
During his own confession, Bo admitted that over the years, he had shared his version of what happened with at least six different people, including his ex-wife and his cousin. It was also during this trial that investigators officially revealed for the first time that human bone fragments believed to be Tara’s remains had been recovered from the pecan farm in Fitzgerald.
The forensic biologist who analyzed the DNA recovered from the latex glove also testified. He told the court that investigators were able to identify two genetic profiles. The first belonged to Tara Ginstead. The second belonged to Ryan Duke. No DNA belonging to Bo Dukes was found on the glove. >> From the inner portion, I obtained a DNA profile that was of two individuals and from the outer, I obtained [music] a DNA profile that was from three individuals.
There was a partial profile from the inside of the glove. uh it matched uh the Miss Ginstead and approximately one in 900 individuals would also have that profile. Uh the inner piece of glove the primary profile matched the DNA profile of Ryan Alexander Duke. Uh frequency of finding this profile randomly in the general population would be [music] one in 300 quadrillion individuals.
With regards to those two individuals, were you able to make a determination as to Mr. Boduk’s? >> Uh, it did not match Mr. Boduk’s >> Boduk’s defense centered on the argument that most, if not all, of the incriminating statements he made to friends and family happened while he was intoxicated.
He testified that he had eventually told GBI agents about every conversation he could remember. However, he insisted that he had no memory of ever telling John McCulla anything about Tara’s disappearance. >> McCulla tried to suggest to you on the stand that while they were at basic during those four weeks before Exodus, the Dukes made comments to him about how hot a fire has to be to burn a body or that pecan wood burns really hot.
McCulla relayed to him that whatever comments were made by Dukes were made when they were on Exodus here in Osilla. There were no statements made back when they were at Basic. At least McCulla didn’t tell that to the GBI on the two occasions he talked to them. You think he would tell them that? He told you he’d been calling law enforcement for years.
No record of it, but he’d been calling law enforcement for years wanting to get his story out. Why would he withhold those details? This final attempt by the defense to cast doubt on the credibility of the testimony came after a 4-day trial. During those four days, the jury heard testimony from 21 witnesses, reviewed numerous recordings of GBI interviews, and examined photographs of the recovered human bone fragments along with evidence from the search of the Peekan Orchard.
It took the jury less than 1 hour to find Bojukes guilty on every count. Before sentencing, Bo addressed Tara Ginstead’s family and apologized to them. >> I’m thankful for this opportunity to address the court. To the Tinstead family, I’m truly sorry. Your long suffering has been unimaginable. My actions are cowardly, callous, and cruel.
>> [snorts] >> I was more interested in self-pity and self-preservation than doing the right thing for Terara and for you. I pray for your forgiveness. This could have all ended, [snorts] you know, in in June of 2016. You you had an opportunity then when you were asked about this to whether you remembered your conversation with John McCulla or not, you certainly remembered burning the body.
I don’t take any pleasure out of sentencing anyone, but you know that’s a part of my job. >> The judge sentenced Bo to the maximum penalty on every count. 5 years for each of the two counts of making false statements. 5 years for hindering the apprehension of a criminal and 10 years for concealing the death of another person.
All of the sentences were ordered to run consecutively, bringing his total sentence to the maximum of 25 years in prison. Meanwhile, the trial of Ryan Duke, who was charged with Tara’s murder, was postponed multiple times. His courtappointed attorneys filed 26 new motions. Ryan later hired a new defense team from Atlanta, Ashley Merchant and John Merchant.
They agreed to represent him pro bono and filed several additional motions of their own. Among them were requests to prohibit Ryan from appearing before the jury in jail clothing or restraints, remove from the jury anyone who had personally known Tara Ginstead, and dismissed the indictment altogether. As the trial approached in May of 2022, rumors began circulating that Ryan was preparing to withdraw his earlier confession.
Instead, he planned to claim that Bo Dukes was the real killer. Under Ryan’s new version of events, he had been asleep all night, and the following morning, Bo woke him up and told him that he had killed Tara the night before. The defense also challenged the prosecution’s timeline of events. Ryan’s attorneys pointed out that several witnesses who had been near Tara’s house on Sunday never saw the latex glove lying in the front yard.
Because of that, the defense argued there was no evidence proving the glove had actually been there on the day Tara was believed to have been murdered. Heath Dykes also testified during the trial. >> Dykes was having an affair with Ginstead. He testified he called her over a dozen times when she went missing and even drove from Perry to Osilla that Sunday night to try to check on her.
He says he did not see the glove in the yard then. >> Are you Are you still of the opinion that uh you would have noticed a glove if it had been there? >> I I I really wasn’t at that point in time looking around for items or looking at that point. I was just trying to get her to the door to make sure she was okay.
Ryan’s attorneys also claimed that Bojuk’s DNA had been found on the latex glove. That directly contradicted the testimony given by forensic experts during Bose’s trial 3 years earlier. But the biggest question remained, why would Ryan have made a false confession in the first place? >> And nobody knows what happened. Nobody knows what happened this day.
They are going to present, we anticipate, [music] a theory based on a statement that Ryan made to a GBI agent. The evidence is going to show that Ryan admitted that he had taken a [music] narcotic pain medicine prior to that statement. The evidence is going to show that he was under the effects of this pain medicine.
You’ll see it. The state showed you a photo. You’ll see it. This glove that didn’t appear until Monday morning. The state cannot get Bo Duke’s DNA off of that glove. You will hear evidence that they tried. You will hear evidence that they talked with the GBI and tried to make deviations.
And you’ll hear all about it. but he tried very hard to change standards to get Bo Duke’s DNA off of that glove. At best, it was inconclusive. [music] What does inconclusive mean? You’ll hear it means a weak match. It means they cannot get his DNA off of that car. >> Even more doubts began to surface about the prosecution’s official version of events, which relied heavily on Ryan’s original confession.
The defense took a close look at the alleged crime scene. Ryan’s attorneys pointed out that the decorative pillows were still sitting on Tara’s bed. If Ryan had really broken into the house after she had already gone to sleep, then why were the decorative pillows, which people normally remove before getting into bed, still in place.
They also noted that jewelry had been left out in plain sight on the dresser. If this had truly been a burglary gone wrong, as Ryan originally claimed, then why had the valuables been left untouched? Finally, Ryan had said he struck Tara only once in the bedroom, causing her death. Yet, investigators found only a few tiny light colored blood stains on the comforter.
According to the defense, those marks looked much more like incidental stains than evidence of a fatal beating. GBI experts who testified during Ryan’s trial revealed another important detail. A third DNA profile had been recovered from the latex glove, but investigators were never able to identify it. The defense argued that the unknown profile most likely belonged to Bo Dukes.
The state crime lab could neither confirm nor definitively rule out that possibility. The comparison results were considered inconclusive. At the same time, many other men whose DNA had been collected during the investigation were completely excluded as possible contributors to that profile. So, while forensic experts couldn’t say with certainty that the DNA belonged to B, they also couldn’t completely eliminate him as a possible source.
Ryan Duke also took the stand in his own defense. He formally recanted the confession he had given GBI agents in [music] 2017. Ryan testified that he confessed only because he was afraid of Bo Dukes and because he was under the influence of powerful prescription pain medication at the time. >> Mr.
Duke, did you murder Terry Greenstead? >> I did not. >> Did you break into her home on October 22nd or 23rd, 2005? >> No, sir, I did not. >> Have you ever been inside her home at any point in your life? >> No, sir, I haven’t. Did you ever strike Miss Greenstead? >> No sir, I did not. >> Did you ever choke Miss Greenstead? >> No, sir. I’ve never choked anyone.
>> Did you ever take a pair of gloves or a glove to Miss Ginstead’s home? >> No, sir. I did not. >> Did you see Miss Ginstead’s body after she died? >> I did. >> Where did you see it? >> In the pecan orchard. >> Did somebody take you to the body? >> They did. Who took you to the body? >> Bo Dukes. >> Did Bo Dukes tell you that he killed Tara Ginstead? >> He did.
>> Do you know how Miss Ginstead died? >> I do not. >> Were you asked to help dispose [music] of her body? >> I was. >> Who asked you to do that? >> Bo Dukes. Ryan Juke also testified that Bo Jukes had Tara’s wallet in his possession and that it contained her driver’s license. Ryan said he recognized her because he had attended Irwin County High School where Tara had been a teacher.
According to Ryan, he drove from Fitzgerald to Ailla in an attempt [music] to return Tara’s wallet, leaving Bh behind at the trailer. He also claimed that at the time he still didn’t believe Bo had actually killed his former teacher. Ryan testified that he decided to return Tara’s purse himself, even though he didn’t know where she lived.
He drove to Ailla and at around 9:30 that morning used a pay phone to call 411 directory assistance, get Tara’s home phone number, and call her house. That phone call became one of the prosecution’s key pieces of evidence. Prosecutors argued that during his 2017 confession, Ryan specifically mentioned making the 411 directory assistance call, demonstrating what they described as guilty knowledge, details that only someone directly involved in the crime or someone with firstirhand knowledge of it would have known. According to the prosecution,
Ryan made that call before returning to Tara’s house, removing her body, and transporting it to the Pan orchard. Prosecutors also called an expert witness to support the reliability of Ryan’s confession and testify that he had not been subjected to psychological pressure or coercion during his interrogation.
>> Because of the first minute and 30, there is no reason for an assumption anymore. which which again is why I told you that is so important because that without any techniques without any tactics without any mistake we have the foundation of the admission and from that point on it’s just a matter of understanding the details and then being able to cooperate those details.
When Bo Dukes was called to the witness stand he entered the courtroom alongside his attorney. His appearance immediately drew everyone’s attention because his testimony had the potential to shed light on one of the most complicated criminal cases in recent years. During questioning by Ryan’s attorney, Ashley Merchant, Bo refused to answer virtually every question.
No matter how simple or how important the question was, he consistently declined to provide any explanation or offer any meaningful information about the case. He wouldn’t even state his own name, explain how he had arrived at the courthouse, or comment on the physical evidence presented against him. His refusal extended to almost everything that could have related to the facts of the case or his possible role in it.
In response to every question, Bo invoked the fifth amendment to the United States Constitution, which protects individuals from being forced to testify against themselves. Again and again, he relied on that constitutional right, refusing to answer even the most basic questions. In the end, his testimony produced almost no new information and left even more uncertainty surrounding the case.
>> Will you state your name for the record? >> On the advice of council, I’ll be invoking my fifth amendment right not to provide testimony. >> Um, how’d you get here today? >> On the advice of council, I’ll be revoking my fifth amendment right not to provide testimony. >> Mr.
Do do you intend to invoke your fifth amendment right to every question? >> I do, your honor. >> Any reason to continue this? >> No, judge. >> After 8 days of testimony during which the court carefully examined all of the evidence, witness testimony, and arguments from both sides, the trial concluded on Thursday afternoon. At that point, a legal battle that had stretched on for years had finally reached its decisive moment.
By midday the following day, the jury returned to the courtroom and delivered its verdict. Their decision brought this chapter of the case to a close after several days of closely watched courtroom proceedings. >> The state of Georgia versus Ryan Alexander Duke. We, the jury, finding the defendant count one, malice murder, not guilty.
Count two, felony murder, not guilty. Count three, felony murder, not guilty. Count four, aggravated assault, not guilty. Count five, burglary, not guilty. Count six, concealing death of another guilty. >> On May 23rd, 2022, [music] Ryan Duke was sentenced on the only charge for which the jury found him guilty, concealing the death of Tara Ginstead.
The judge imposed the maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. That ruling brought the yearslong legal battle to an end, but it failed to answer the one question that had haunted Tara’s family and everyone who had followed the case for years. Even after more than 16 years of investigation, multiple trials, dozens of witnesses, and several conflicting confessions, the exact circumstances of Tara Ginstead’s death remain unknown.
Many of the most important details are still surrounded by uncertainty, and crucial pieces of what happened that night have never been fully reconstructed. That’s why this case continues to spark debate and leaves behind more questions than answers. There are alternative theories suggesting that Bo Jukes may have played a direct role in the attack on Tara that night and that the motive was far more complex than a simple burglary.
Those theories were discussed repeatedly during the investigation and after the trials ended, but they were never conclusively proven. Others believe investigators charged the wrong [music] person from the very beginning. In their view, if the roles of Ryan Duke and Bo Dukes had been reversed in the indictments, justice might have been served.
But even after every trial came to an end, this remains one of those rare cases where the full truth appears to have been lost forever. On the night of February 2nd, 2021, at around 11:00, deputies from the Casia County Sheriff’s Office arrived at the home of Daniel and Kendy Howard. Through tears and obvious distress, Daniel insisted that no crime had taken place.
But as investigators dug deeper into the details and took a closer look at the circumstances, they began to believe the evidence was telling a very different story. By February of 2021, Daniel and Kendi Howard had owned their home in Athel for nearly 20 years. It was there that they raised two children, Kendy’s daughter, Brooke from a previous relationship, and their son Wyatt, who was younger than Brooke and whom the couple had together.
Both children had continued living at home for a time after reaching adulthood. Brooke had recently become a mother herself, and Kendi absolutely loved spending time with her granddaughter. But after the children moved out, tension inside the household began to grow. 55-year-old Daniel had built a 20-year career in law enforcement after serving in the United States Marine Corps.
Over the years, he worked as a sheriff’s deputy and later as an Idaho State Police Officer. In early 2021, he was working in Alaska on a schedule that kept him away for 3 weeks at a time, followed by 3 weeks at home. On the night of February 2nd, he had returned to the house in Athl only a few days earlier.
It was nearly 11:00 at night and the couple was alone in the house. Dan later recalled that around 9:00, Kendi had drawn herself a bath, something she often did. But when she stayed in the bathroom much longer than usual, he went upstairs to check on her. There, he found the woman he had spent 27 years with dead in the bathtub.
A handgun was lying in the water beside her. >> [clears throat] >> for me. I need you to make sure I got it right. Okay. All right. Make sure your nose in your mouth. Okay. All right. Come on, Dan. I can’t understand you. Okay. chair downstairs to the bedroom. Okay,
>> Dan, I need you to go down to the front door. [sighs] >> Deputy Sheriff Miranda Thomas found Dan Howard outside the house. He was pacing back and forth, crying uncontrollably and letting out loud sobs as other law enforcement officers went inside to locate Kendi. Dan was bent forward as he moved around the property.
At times, he appeared nauseated, and he repeatedly let out anguished cries that reflected what seemed to be overwhelming grief. >> Start with your first name, >> Dan. D, can you have a seat for me? >> Yeah, you can sit if that’s better for you. >> If that’s better for you. >> I’m trying to make you a little more comfortable. Okay.
>> Later, Miranda Thomas recalled that Dan appeared to be trying to vomit, but nothing actually came up. He was crying, yet she never saw any tears. Meanwhile, officers cleared the house and confirmed that no one else was inside. >> Sir, idiot. Okay. So, the toys for ingredients. >> Even though Dan had told the 911 operator that his wife was already dead, emergency medical personnel were still dispatched to the scene.
>> Going to go in there and do their thing. This is their scene now. >> Stay out of here. We’re going to let them come up. >> In the upstairs bathroom, Casia County Sheriff’s deputies found Kendi naked in the bathtub. A semi-automatic handgun was lying in the water beside her. Investigators also recovered a single spent shell casing.
The 48-year-old grandmother had suffered a gunshot wound to the head. At first glance, the scene did not appear to be a homicide. The handgun found in the tub belonged to Kendi. However, several details immediately struck investigators as suspicious. There were no clothes or bathrobe in the bathroom that would suggest she had changed either before or after taking a bath.
The only towels present were decorative hand towels that matched the room’s decor and were clearly not intended for bathing. Kendy’s purse and cell phone were sitting on the bathroom counter, but they were positioned out of reach of someone sitting in the tub. The physical evidence at the scene raised even more questions.
Blood on Kendi’s face had dried in a direction opposite to the way her body was positioned in the bathtub. Investigators noted that the blood flow pattern appeared to defy gravity based on how she was found. Several strands of hair were also lying across her face in the opposite direction. That suggested her body may have been moved after death.
There were no blood spatter stains on her hands at all. The bathmat next to the tub was completely soaked with water. Yet, there was no water anywhere else on the bathroom floor. For experienced investigators, another detail stood out immediately. The water in the bathtub was clear enough to see through.
If the fatal gunshot wound had occurred while Kendi was actually in the tub, the water should not have remained that clean. Investigators also noticed several unusual circumstances elsewhere in the house. In the bedroom, they found fragments of broken glass scattered across the carpet. In the basement, a wood burning stove was running at full capacity.
Officers who arrived at the scene later described the lower level of the home as unbearably hot. Brooke and other family members later told investigators that Dan insisted on heating the entire house exclusively with the wood stove because he considered central heating too expensive. As a result, air vents throughout the house were always left open to allow air to circulate between floors.
According to Brooke, sound traveled exceptionally well through the home, making it easy to clearly hear activity upstairs, even from the basement. Outside, Deputy Thomas noticed fresh deodorant marks on Dan’s shirt. He later told officers that he had taken a shower at approximately 3:30 that afternoon. By the time law enforcement arrived, more than 6 hours had passed.
Investigators also learned that shortly before finding his wife, Dan appeared to have been doing laundry. Deputy Ben Wheeler, who had been on the job for only about 5 weeks, noticed that the clothes dryer was running. The machine showed just 6 minutes remaining in its cycle. Based on the timestamp from his body camera and the time left on the dryer, investigators concluded that the machine had been started only minutes before the call to 911.
It was Ben Wheeler who ultimately had to deliver the devastating news to Dan Howard that his wife was dead. >> Hey, I’m Wheeler. >> I’m I’m sorry to inform you your wife is bastard. >> No. God damn. After that, the deputy offered to contact family members or anyone else Dan wanted by his side once he gathered the information needed to notify their son, Wyatt.
The officer began asking a few basic questions about how Dan had discovered his wife in the bathroom. >> When is the last time that you saw your wife? I know this this is tough. >> How long how long do you recall? >> What time was it? >> Did you Did you call 911 when you when you put the gunshot? >> No. Okay. >> I didn’t think it was a gunshot.
It was downstairs going like somebody hit the floor or something. No. When was when was the last time you started before to take a bath? >> Hour and a half. Hour and a half. >> Hour and a half. Okay. Hour and a half or something. I don’t know. I really don’t know. I’m [ __ ] out with it. It’s It’s about 11:15. >> Maybe 9:30.
>> 9:30 or so, I think. Okay. When Deputy Ben Wheeler first entered the bathroom, he held his gloved hand just above the surface of the water in the bathtub. There were still bubbles floating on top, and the water remained warm to the touch. Afterward, Dan sat down in the kitchen with sheriff’s deputies and a detective where they began a formal interview.
Further processing of the house was temporarily paused while investigators waited for a search warrant. In the meantime, several notebooks and documents sitting out in plain view appeared to reveal a great deal about the state of the Howard marriage. One item in particular immediately caught investigators attention.
A folder from a family law firm. Inside were divorce related documents. So, what uh what was going on tonight? [music] >> Next to the attorney’s folder was a notebook containing a detailed list of the couple’s assets. Beside each item were notes indicating who would receive specific property in the event of a division of assets.
The list also included the real estate they owned. Altogether, the value of their property and assets was nearly $2 million. Under Idaho law, those assets would have been divided equally if the couple went through with the divorce. But >> is this a divorce’s already been decided or is it Don’t drop it for discussion. [clears throat] >> [ __ ] She wants divorce one day if she doesn’t the next.
>> Dan told detectives Northrup and Latin that their marriage had been facing serious problems. In his view, those issues were the reason Kendi had taken her handgun into the bathroom that evening. He explained that just 2 days earlier they had been finalizing the division of their property. During that conversation, Kendi said that one of the items she wanted to keep was her handgun.
Dan said he retrieved it from the safe and gave it to her. You know, I lost all this stuff. We finished tonight. [music] She fixed I fix the one thing she wanted was her gun. So got her. >> According to Dan, Kendi came home that evening with food and realized there was a problem with their asset division plan. Specifically, she was in the process of trying to purchase her own home in Kerry, the town where she had grown up and where she could be closer to her parents.
Dan believed that the house would also have to be included in the division of assets along with everything else they owned. He said the news hit Kendi hard and came as a major blow to her. when she got home, you know, she picked up some [music] deli and whatever, finalize it and she flips it. She realized it the house has to be liquidated, [music] too.
And uh [music] she went upstairs and she takes a nap before bed every [ __ ] night. So, I heard the [ __ ] bathroom and uh >> Dan stated clearly that he heard the sound of water filling the bathtub. When he went into the bathroom, he initially thought the tub might have overflowed. However, he later told detectives that the water was only running in a small stream.
He also said that the bathroom door was open. A short time later, he heard a noise that sounded like something had fallen onto the floor. Despite being a former Marine with a 20-year career in law enforcement, as well as a firearms instructor and a member of a SWAT team, Dan claimed that he did not recognize the sound as a gunshot. Heard the floor.
Didn’t think it was a shot. [music] and uh started watching TV, drank a beer, looked at my list, trying to think, you know, uh [music] I don’t know. I guess I lost track of time, but is there any reason on your person? I shot my 40 today, but I shower. When was that? >> 3:30 or so. >> Before his hands were covered with evidence bags and swabbed for gunshot residue testing, Detective Latin noticed something unusual.
Dan slipped both of his hands into his pockets and began rubbing them against the fabric of his pants. The movement was so obvious that the detective had to stop him and instruct him to keep his hands away from his clothing. Ultimately, Dan’s gunshot residue test came back negative. Kendi, however, was found to have a measurable amount of gunshot residue on her hands.
Investigators found no trace of Dan’s DNA in the bathtub. His DNA was however recovered from the magazine of a handgun that was found inside Kendy’s purse on the bathroom counter. From the house, Dan called both children, his step-daughter Brooke and his son Wyatt. As soon as Brooke heard that her mother had died in what Dan described as a terrible accident, she immediately accused her stepfather of murder.
No one initially informed Kendi’s parents, despite the fact that she was extremely close to them and had spoken with them only hours before her death. The following day, they learned about the tragedy on their own after driving to Athel to find out why they could not reach their daughter. In fact, after Kendi’s death, Dan never spoke with his father-in-law again.
He only contacted the funeral home to pay for his wife’s cremation, but he did not attend her funeral. Kendi Howard’s autopsy was performed by doctor John Howard of the Spokane County Medical Examiner’s Office in Washington State. Despite sharing the same last name, he was not related to either Daniel or Kendi.
The autopsy took place the day after her death on February 3rd. Nearly every law enforcement officer who worked the case arrived at a similar conclusion. The way Kendi was found, combined with her husband’s behavior, appeared highly suspicious. From patrol officers to crime scene specialists and detectives, few believed the death had occurred the way Dan described it.
His extensive law enforcement background made it difficult for investigators to accept his claim that he failed to recognize the sound of a gunshot. His professional training also meant he understood how a crime scene could be staged. Investigators theorized that Kendi may have been killed before the gunshot, possibly through strangulation, and that her body was later placed in the bathtub.
Doctor Howard, however, reached a different conclusion. He found no evidence supporting a cause of death other than the single gunshot wound. As a result, the official cause of death was listed as a gunshot wound to the head, while the manner of death was classified as undetermined. During nearly 30 years of marriage, Kendi and Dan had gone through several difficult periods.
The former state trooper had also found himself on the wrong side of the law more than once. In 2013, prosecutors in Cassia County alleged that Dan had threatened to kill one of his closest friends, a man named Matthew Wood. The accusations came after Kendi reportedly admitted to having an affair with him.
According to court records, Dan poured syrup into Matthew’s vehicle, left him threatening and insulting messages, stole his mail, and even fired a shotgun at his house. Dan admitted to some of those actions, though not all of them. The judge later stated that in his opinion, Daniel Howard had been under severe psychological strain after returning to duty following a 2011 incident in which he shot and killed a woman while performing his duties as a law enforcement officer.
Not long afterward, he learned of his wife’s affair with his best friend. Dan ultimately received a suspended three-year prison sentence. That Kendi was unhappy in the marriage seemed increasingly clear. Brooke later said that Dan acted very differently in public than he did behind closed doors. Around other people, he was attentive and affectionate toward his wife.
When they were alone, he regularly belittled her. He called her insulting names, including fat, stupid, and worthless. Over time, the 48-year-old woman developed deep insecurities about her appearance. She pushed herself through strict diets, went to the gym at 4:00 in the morning, and eventually scheduled cosmetic surgery.
Brooke also claimed that Dan’s behavior went beyond verbal abuse. In July of 2020, only months before her death, Kendi sent friends photographs [music] showing bruises on her arms and chest. Dr. Howard’s findings dealt a significant blow to the investigation. His medical conclusions conflicted with the prosecution’s primary theory that Dan had staged a gunshot scene in the bathtub to cover up a murder.
One of the biggest issues with Dan’s account involved the motive he attributed to Kendi. He repeatedly described his wife as overly emotional. He told detectives more than once that he wanted her to seek professional help and begin taking medication. Friends and family, however, painted a very different picture. They described the mother and grandmother as upbeat, optimistic, and excited about the future.
For more than 10 years, Kendi worked in the supply department at Casia Health. Her co-workers knew her as kind, friendly, and easy to be around. In her free time, she enjoyed hunting for antiques, spending time outdoors, and relaxing with bubble baths. Kendi was highly social and stayed in regular contact with family members.
Just hours before her death, she had spoken with her mother. They discussed new furniture for the house she planned to move into in Kerry. Kendi had already submitted her resignation from work as she prepared for the move. She had requested letters of recommendation for future job opportunities and talked about her dream of opening a small antique shop in her hometown after relocating there.
Major changes were also taking place in her personal life. Beginning in the spring of 2020, Kendi had rekindled a relationship with her high school sweetheart, Daniel Pra. After graduation, he remained in Kerry and became a close friend of Kendy’s parents, Janie and Wendell Wilkins. Kendi and Daniel had always cared about each other, but in recent months, they had begun spending a great deal of time together.
They went hiking, fishing, and searching for antiques. On January 29th, just days before her death, Kendi purchased a cosmetic surgery package known as a mommy makeover. The procedures included a tummy tuck and breast augmentation. Kendi was making plans for the future. By all appearances, she was moving forward and beginning a new chapter of her life.
On the morning of January 29th, her boyfriend Daniel Pra received a call through Facebook Messenger from Kendi’s phone. When he answered, the line was already open. Kendi and Dan were arguing. Fear was clearly audible in her voice. Then she screamed, “What are you trying to do?” she screamed. “Let me close the door.
” About 15 seconds later, Daniel ended the call and immediately contacted Kendi’s parents. He feared that intervening directly might only make an already dangerous situation even worse. Janie and Wendell Wilkins then called the sheriff’s office and requested that deputies respond to their daughter’s home. >> Hi, you hi. We got a call from I believe a friend.
You mind coming to talk to you? >> Kendi met the responding officer at the door and quietly led him inside. You must be Mr. Howard. Daniel Mr. Howard or Daniel or or Dan, I guess. You mind if we talk to you guys really quick? >> Behind the closed bedroom door, Kendy spoke in little more than a whisper. >> Your friend and your mom’s kind of concerned about you.
I’m not sure who called us. I just want to make sure we’re on the same page and trying to figure out what happened. The friends are a lot more worried about you than just [clears throat] being involved, right? Did it ever become physical? >> Okay. When you woke up with anything or did you say anything? >> I know, but that’s why I’m here.
You’re both [music] going to get out. >> Okay, I get that. But when your safety is in question, it’s not causing [music] problems. It’s protecting yourself, right? >> She told the officer that she could not discuss the details while Dan was still in the house. However, she made it clear that she had asked her husband for a divorce earlier that evening.
At that point, she wanted to gather her belongings and leave. Do you have a bag or suitcase up there? After Kendi left the house and went to Carrie, she told her boyfriend Daniel and her parents what had happened that night. She said she woke up in the middle of the night and found her husband standing over her bed.
He was dressed entirely in black, wearing gloves, and holding objects in both hands. One of those objects held directly above her was a pillow. She could not clearly see what was in his other hand, but the look on Dan’s face as he stared down at her terrified her. She later said it felt as though he was looking straight through her.
Kendi became convinced that Dan intended to kill her. She quickly called Daniel Pra and after the connection was lost, she locked herself inside the bathroom. She then stayed on the phone with her parents until a sheriff’s deputy arrived. In the days that followed, her loved ones begged her not to return home.
By then, she had come to believe that the object in Dan’s other hand was most likely a handgun. She had also noticed a firearm magazine in the bedroom, but by the time law enforcement arrived, it was gone. The very next day, however, Dan began trying to reconcile with her. He called her 26 times, insisting that everything had been a misunderstanding.
He told her he accepted the divorce. He said she could come back home and that they could work everything out peacefully. Kendi was eager to finalize the divorce paperwork as quickly as possible. She also still had a few final commitments in Athel before her move, including [music] an appointment for new glasses and a scheduled manicure.
In addition, she needed to wrap up matters at work before relocating. For those reasons, she ultimately decided to return. He got caught in the act. He’s not stupid enough to try something like that again, she said. Her father gave her a handgun for protection and once again urged her to think carefully about her decision.
It was the last time he would ever see his daughter alive. The investigation continued for 2 years before prosecutors in Casia County concluded that they had enough evidence to charge Daniel Howard with murder. He was also charged with domestic violence based on the bruises Kendi had shown to others in July of 2020.
Prosecutors built much of their case around a famous quote from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable it may seem, must be the truth. Having the ability to read a crime scene and collect evidence also gives you the ability to stage a [music] crime scene and not leave evidence.
Three questions. Who who had the opportunity? Well, Dan was the only other one in the house. Evidence will show you that. How who had the ability to stage a crime scene? Dan had the law enforcement training and experience needed to hide or leave little evidence at the scene. Why? What’s the motive? Kendi was going to take half of everything in the divorce, $1 million.
When you see all the evidence and we’ve concluded this case, the [music] evidence is not impossible and has not been eliminated. [music] and therefore we’ll be asking you to find uh defendant not >> Kendy’s boyfriend Daniel Pra testified before the jury about the cheerful, energetic woman he had known for most of his life.
He spoke about their rekindled relationship and the plans they were making for the future. Daniel was not only Kendy’s new romantic partner, but also the real estate agent helping her purchase her new home. Jame, was there a time that you were in love with Kenny? >> Absolutely. >> Over the course of your relationship, did you fall in love with her? >> Yes.
[music] >> You tell her that you loved her? >> Yes, I did. >> Did she tell you that she loved you? [music] >> Yes. >> Is that something that you sit with each other frequently? >> We did. >> Kendi had also discussed her divorce consultation with Daniel Pra. According to him, her attorney explained that the purchase of her new home should not be affected by the divorce proceedings.
Because the transaction had not yet been completed, the house could not be divided as marital property. Legally, it was considered a debt obligation rather than an asset subject to division. Despite that, when Dan explained what he believed was his wife’s motive for suicide, he insisted that she had supposedly realized her dream home would have to be sold and the proceeds divided equally.
Investigators later found notes written in Dan’s handwriting on the notebook, listing the couple’s assets. In those notes, Kendy’s new home in Kerry had been included among the properties to be divided. It seemed unlikely that Kendi would have agreed with that interpretation and then suddenly been devastated by the news since her own attorney had already told her that would not happen.
The chances of her losing the house were slim. Dan, however, did not know what her attorney had advised. Several people close to Kendi, including Daniel Pra, her daughter Brooke, her best friend, her brother, and her parents, testified that she disliked firearms. She never used them and no one had ever seen her load a handgun.
>> To your knowledge, the Kennyard know how to do that? >> Not to my knowledge. >> Kendy’s brother, Brian, with whom she was extremely close, told the jury that Dan had been acting unusually suspicious in the days leading up to her death. He said Dan repeatedly questioned him about whether Kendi was having an affair, and if so, who she was involved with.
Brian testified that he did not believe Kendi was cheating on her husband, although he was aware that she wanted a divorce. >> Because I didn’t know um about the boyfriend. I had suspicion. I asked and I was told no, they were just friends. And so I left it at that, you know. >> Who was your suspicion? >> Daniel Prada.
Just days before Kendy’s death, Brian shared those suspicions with Dan Howard. One of the biggest unresolved challenges for the prosecution remained Dr. John Howard’s conclusion regarding the cause of death. Only a few months after performing the autopsy, he retired. According to his colleague, doctor Jennifer Nera, during his final months on the job, he seemed preoccupied with retirement and spoke about little else, as though he had already mentally moved on from the position.
It was also revealed that in 2018, 14 death classification cases handled by Dr. Howard had been formally questioned and were undergoing review. Prosecutors argued that Dr. Howard’s conclusions in Kendy’s case were simply wrong. In their view, after decades in the profession, he had become careless and settled on the most straightforward explanation without fully considering all of the evidence.
Doctor Jennifer Nara was later tasked with reviewing the case file and re-evaluating her former colleagueu’s findings. During that review, she identified bruising in approximately 30 different locations on Kendi Howard’s body that had occurred before her death. So, the bruises that I pointed out in the photos that we all looked at, those were all injuries.
>> And most those would be due to black force trauma. >> Bruises, yes, due to blood force trauma. >> One of those bruised areas was Kendy’s chest. In Dr. Daer’s opinion that injury pattern could be consistent with someone’s airway being obstructed. Kendi also had a secondderee burn on her arm. According to the prosecution’s experts, such an injury would have caused significant pain if she had been submerged in warm or hot water while still alive.
Prosecutors argued that the gunshot wound was inflicted after her death. In their view, [music] that theory explained why there was so little blood at the scene. It became one of the central arguments of the entire case. Former Spokane County Medical Examiner Dr. John Howard then took the stand for the defense.
It was the first time in his career that he had testified as a witness for the defense. He told the jury, “There are absolutely clear signs of a fatal gunshot wound. The extent of the hemorrhaging and bleeding is consistent with hundreds of other fatal gunshot injuries I have examined throughout my career.” Was the amount of blood that you observed consistent with an interal oral gunshot wound? >> Yes.
>> Okay. >> 2 weeks into the trial, immediately after the prosecution finished presenting its case, the court recessed for a 3-day weekend break. On Friday evening, Dan Howard was arrested by police at Spokane International Airport. One of the conditions of his release on bond required him to be home by 11:00 each night.
He was also prohibited from coming within 2 mi of the airport. After his arrest, defense attorneys told the judge that Dan had simply accompanied a friend who was returning a rental car and had no intention of fleeing the state. Prosecutors saw it differently. The timing of the trip appeared highly suspicious, coming immediately after the jury had heard what the state believed was an exceptionally strong case against him.
Dan’s bond was revoked and he was transferred to the Casia County Jail for the remainder of the trial. During her closing argument, Deputy Prosecutor Julia Scofstall brought together all of the key pieces of the case. She argued that Kendi was a cheerful, active woman with plans for the future. The investigation, according to the prosecution, showed that the gunshot was not a suicide and had been inflicted after her death.
Prosecutors further suggested that Dan was familiar with a technique known as a corroted restraint hold. The maneuver restricts blood flow to the brain, causing a person to lose consciousness. If maintained for a prolonged period, it can result in death while leaving very few visible injuries behind. hear the backwater running.
Anyway, he says, “I heard something hit the floor. Didn’t sound like a shot.” The same defendant whose father testified that he’s completely deaf in one ear. So, he is a deaf in one ear. prior law enforcement officer who was on SWAT and was a firearms instructor. He cannot recognize the sound of a gunshot going off in a small room with an open door in his house, but he can hear the bath water running.
And Howard is an ex Marine was trained in that karate restraint. He knew the dangers of that hold, the lethality of it, and he had worked in law enforcement for a very long time. Not just as a trooper, although troopers go to many fatal scenes. But beyond that, he swapped firearms instructor, defensive tactics instructor, and with knowledge, DNA, fingerprints, ballistics.
>> Defense attorney Jason Johnson presented the jury with a very different version of events. During his closing argument, he urged jurors to carefully examine the evidence and not accept the prosecution’s theory as the only possible explanation for what happened. According to Johnson, the case contained numerous unanswered questions that, in the defense’s view, had never been satisfactorily resolved.
He argued that Kendi was going through a midlife crisis, was involved in an affair, and had been living what he described as a double life. The defense maintained that many of the personal circumstances surrounding her life [music] had not been properly considered during the investigation. Johnson contended that these factors could have been important in understanding what was happening in the days leading up to her death.
In his view, the prosecution’s case contained significant gaps. He argued that prosecutors had presented a broad theory of the crime, but had failed to convincingly explain several critical details. Throughout his argument, Johnson repeatedly directed the jury’s attention to what he characterized as inconsistencies and unanswered questions.
The house had been searched twice under warrant, yet investigators never found any gloves. Johnson pointed out that law enforcement thoroughly examined the property, but failed to locate an item that, according to the prosecution’s own theory, could have played a key role in the events of that night. For the defense, that was one of several facts that raised serious doubts.
How, Johnson asked the jury, could Dan have staged such a complex crime scene without wearing gloves? He used that question to highlight what he believed were contradictions within the state’s theory. According to the defense, no clear explanation had ever been provided. Only days earlier, Kendi had claimed that she woke up during the night and saw her husband standing over her dressed in black and wearing gloves.
That incident became one of the most unsettling details in the entire case and was repeatedly discussed throughout the trial. Both sides referenced it, though they interpreted its meaning very differently. Yet, investigators never found a set of black clothing matching Kendy’s description. The defense emphasized that despite multiple searches, law enforcement failed to locate any items [music] that directly matched what Kendi had reported seeing.
Johnson argued that this was another important inconsistency. The defense also maintained that prosecutors never fully explained the exact sequence of events. According to Johnson, the jury was asked to conclude that Dan was guilty without being given a clear, detailed reconstruction of what supposedly happened stepby step on the night of Kendy’s death.
Was Kendi killed somewhere else in the house and then moved to the bathtub afterward? Johnson raised that question as an example of what he believed remained unresolved. The defense argued that the evidence did not provide a definitive answer. According to Johnson, even the prosecution’s theory regarding the manner of death contained contradictions.
He concluded by reminding jurors that any reasonable doubt must be interpreted in favor of the defendant. For that reason, he urged them to carefully evaluate every inconsistency and critically examine the case presented by the prosecution. >> Was she placed in the tub, then water filled up, then shot? Uh why isn’t [music] there more water around? There’s no The only part of the bottom is there’s a damp the bath atmosphere.
It’s not on the floor. There’s nothing. Um, if the water was in there, then it already then Dan certainly would have had blood on them. And again, it doesn’t explain there were no gloves found. So, he would have had to use his his uh hand um [music] and scrub it and put someone else’s DNA in here.
So, there the state hasn’t offered one theory on what happened. >> After 9 hours of deliberations, the jury reached a verdict. During that time, jurors carefully reviewed the evidence, witnessed testimony, and arguments presented by both sides. Behind the closed doors of the jury room, the fate of one man hung in the balance while tension filled the courtroom.
With every passing minute, the anticipation among those waiting only grew stronger. As the jury discussed the case, family members, attorneys, and prosecutors waited for a decision that would bring a long and complicated trial to its conclusion. After days of testimony and countless details presented in court, the final decision now rested entirely in the hands of the jury.
When the jurors finally returned to the courtroom, the atmosphere became even more intense. Every eye was fixed on them, knowing that their decision would determine Daniel Howard’s future. After 9 hours of discussion, they had reached a unanimous conclusion and were ready to announce their verdict. >> Count one, is the [music] defendant Daniel C.
Howard guilty or not guilty of domestic battery? Guilty. Count two, is the defendant [music] Daniel C. Howard guilty or not guilty of murder in the first degree? Not guilty. Is the defendant Daniel Howard guilty or not guilty of seconddegree murder? Guilty. >> In late May of 2024, Daniel Howard returned to court for sentencing. After months of investigation, a lengthy trial, and a guilty verdict from the jury, the case was approaching its final chapter.
The courtroom was filled with attorneys, family members, and others who had closely followed the case for a long time. Only one critical step remained, determining Howard’s punishment. Less than 2 months after his conviction, Dan had reportedly lost 50 lbs as a result of fasting. His appearance had changed dramatically. According to reports, the prolonged refusal to eat had taken a significant toll on his physical condition.
When he appeared in court, many people immediately noticed how much weight he had lost compared to earlier hearings. It became yet another striking detail in a case that had already drawn considerable public attention. Before the sentence was announced, Dan continued to maintain his innocence. Despite the jury’s verdict and the evidence presented during the trial, he refused to accept responsibility for what had happened.
Standing before the court as his future was about to be decided, Howard remained steadfast in his position, he continued to insist that he had not committed the crime for which he had been convicted. Even as the case was reaching its final conclusion, >> I’m not that monster. I assure you that uh people are betraying me. Sometimes [music] the the nature and gravity of the offense standing alone is sufficient to justify a fixed [music] life sentence.
And that is what I’m going to impose here. >> First Judicial District Judge Lamont Barrett sentenced Daniel Howard to life in prison without the possibility of parole. [music] The ruling brought a final conclusion to a case that had remained the focus of investigators, prosecutors, and Kendy’s family for years.
In addition to the life sentence, Howard received a 10-year prison term for domestic violence. The court ordered that sentence to run concurrently with his life sentence. While the additional term did not increase the amount of time he would spend behind bars, it served as a separate acknowledgement of the abuse that the court concluded had occurred within the marriage.
By the time the trial was over, Dan had become completely estranged from his children. The case not only resulted in a conviction, but also left lasting scars within the family. What had once been a family was now permanently divided by tragedy and years of accusations. His daughter, Brooke, testified against him, telling the court about what she described as his abusive treatment of her mother.
Her testimony became one of the most emotional moments of the trial. She detailed what she said had taken place behind closed doors for many years. For those in the courtroom, her words painted a painful picture of the fear and tension that she claimed existed within the household. Reports indicated that Wyatt accepted his father’s guilt almost immediately after learning of his mother’s death.
For him, the tragedy became the moment when many events and memories suddenly seemed to fit together. According to those accounts, he had little doubt about his father’s responsibility for what had happened. During sentencing, Judge Bere specifically addressed Howard’s character and the likelihood of rehabilitation.
After reviewing the evidence, the circumstances of the crime, and the defendant’s conduct, he concluded that Daniel Howard’s chances of rehabilitation were extremely low. That finding became one of the key factors influencing the court’s final decision. As he concluded his remarks, Judge Berek said, “You killed a woman who brought life and light to everyone around her.
You extinguish that light because of your own pride and greed.