>> she hugged me and she said she was sorry. and i burst into tears. i burst into tears. because that to me is a true example of humanity. >> two families torn apart by one devastating crime. >> there's a woman, she shot. she's laying on the floor in the garage. >> a young man one woman name crystal taylor, murdered on her way to work. five months. pregnant >> this is breaking me. >> she gave her whole life just trying to raise me right.

>> being a mom was who she was. who would shoot crystie? >> what's going on here? >> that was our question. >> police zeroed in on the men in her life. one, two, three of them. >> we're trying to find out who would have the motivation to do this. to help fine crystal's killer, her anguish sisters would turn amateur detectives. >> i couldn't even sleep. i needed an answer. that was my sister. >> my baby sister. >> the twist that stopped everyone cold. there had been another attack on another pregnant woman. >> she was assaulted in and her necklace. cut >> who was targeting moms to be? >> in this lie for the next. you're going to pay for what you've done. wrong >> i couldn't believe what i was hearing. how does this happen? >> in the mega sprawl of los angeles county, the city of

hawthorne occupies about six square miles. none of them especially glamorous. for decades, local pride centered on the beach boys. they grew up here. and quickly left. nowadays, its tech giants like spacex with headquarters at the local airport. but the heart and soul of hawthorne was and is working families. striver's who stay close and look out for each other. this is a story about one of those families. they faced up and down like everyone else. and always works through them together. until one moment, one morning, one bullet, came to tear them apart. growing up, sisters crystal, michelle and monica taylor, were always there for each other. >> we had this tradition of having family support group. >> it was their mother, known

as momo, who set the tone. >> i thought it was the most wonderful family there was. my mom and i were best friends. my little sisters were best friends. you know, so i thought life was great. >> i'm the oldest. michelle is the middle and krystal was the baby. and she was every bit the baby. she was my mom's baby. >> crystal was the youngest by six years. and both older sisters fought momo loved crystie a little extra. spoiled her, to. c michelle and monica. >> they talked every day and she would immediately start winning as soon as she talked my mom. she could be a grown-up and as soon as the phone rang, she went right back to be an eight year old. all the. time >> tia, her niece, remembers crystie as this both as a homebody and romantic dreamer. >> she was a flashy. she was at someone who shocked a lock. she was just a really down to earth, simple. just happy to be at home watching movies. she watched the same movies all the time. she loved love stories.

"hope floats", "ever after" "love jones". >> those are all stories of women who find love in improbable ways and end up. happy >> right. >> is that what she? wanted >> yes. >> i know she wanted love. she wanted a fairytale life. i know she always talked about it. but, you know, she was happy with the life that she had. >> the life she had, working, being with family. and raising a son who was born the very day she turned 17. >> i went in and she was seeing -- shaking the bedroom saying. [laughs] >> crystal called her little boy javonte, against the wishes of the boy's father. >> he came in the room when we're in there and said, i want his name to be junior. in labor, stop labor, no. i said, -- she said, well, no because i'm not get marrying him. and if i get married to someone else i don't have to have to juniors. >> so she already made the

decision she was gonna have a baby but not gonna be his wife? >> that was christy, she made a decision. there was no change in her mind. >> wrapped in the blanket of her big family, crystal knew she and javonte would do just fine. >> we are some baby whispers in a sense. we love babies. strangers babies, anybody's babies. >> anybody say, too young to be having a baby? >> no, we all had babies young. >> we still said it. it was still be said. but it was also be followed by you're still going to finish school. your life isn't over. you made your bed harder, but you're going to lay in. and we're going to love this baby. >> those were rules set down by momo. >> everyone finish school, started as career and raise their children on their own, successfully. >> as javonte grew, crystie grew up. >> she just released took care of her baby, went to work and brought her lunch, because she wasn't gonna spend any money. if you went to the movies with her son, no, he knew not to ask

for snacks. she just wouldn't spend any money. >> money was for the important things like javonte's education. >> she always talked about his prom or when he goes to college, or what she wanted him to do with his life. and you know, how she wanted him to be different. she took her job as a mother really seriously. >> by 2001, michelle and crystie and their kids were living in separate apartments in the same apartment building in hawthorne. even momo lived there until her health began to fail and she moved to texas were her sister in law, a nurse, can take care of her. >> the soon came word momo's in bad shape. come quick. that day was easy to remember. it was september 11th, 2001. they couldn't fly, no one in the u.s. could. so they drove from hawthorne to texas. crystie wouldn't leave momo's side the entire time they were.

day >> crystie was like i'm sorry, i came here just to see mom. she was at leaving her room. >> if she could get next to my mom she was going to be under her. >> and that worked? your mom hung around. >> oh yes. >> after two weeks, the family drove back to los angeles. arriving in the middle of the night on september 23rd. two days later, this family learned a difficult truth. no matter how much you love and how much you care, sometimes you can't help your loved one when harm is headed their way. >> 9-1-1. >> yes, i'd like to report a gunshot. there's a woman..., she's laying on the floor in the garage.... >> soon after a neighbor of christie's called tia with some brutal news. >> they just said that she was shot. i remember seeing who would shoot crystie? >> coming up -- >> she would scream the most harrowing screams. a >> family in anguish. >> i broke down crying. i just cried myself to sleep

that night. >> and the first close to the mystery. >> a person who is close appear to be intact. >> what's going on here? >> that was our question. >> when dateline continues. dateline continues except now you have uncontrollable body movements called tardive dyskinesia - td. and it can seem like that's all people see. some meds for mental health can cause abnormal dopamine signaling in the brain. while how it works is not fully understood, ingrezza is thought to reduce that signaling. ingrezza is a prescription medicine used to treat adults with td movements in the face and body. people taking ingrezza can stay on their current dose of most mental health meds. don't take ingrezza if you're allergic to any of its ingredients. ingrezza may cause serious side effects, including sleepiness. don't drive, operate heavy machinery, or do other dangerous activities until you know how ingrezza affects you. other serious side effects include potential heart rhythm problems and abnormal movements. shift the focus more on you.

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>> yes, i'd like to report a gunshot. there's a woman... she shot she's... laying on the floor in the garage. >> main minutes after the 9-1-1 call. the hawthorne police arrived at crystal taylor's apartment buildings. >> detective robbie williams was in far behind. >> i received a call at my desk. a young lady was unresponsive. it appeared he may have received a gunshot wound to the head. >> williams arrived and quickly sized up the seas. >> there are officers already trying to revive her. she's laying down in the lobby area of her apartment complex. that leads from the upper

stairs which are the apartments into the garage areas. and then we just started getting into the processing of the crime scene. making sure that we identified as many witnesses and if there is also other victims. >> but the only obvious victim was crystal. she had been shot in the head. paramedics took her to the hospital. and detective williams got straight to work finding witnesses. >> this is early morning. there's kids walking to school. there's people preparing themselves for their day of work. so, a lot of people were up and reported hearing the gunshots. >> a father making breakfast for his kids looked at the kitchen window when he heard the shot. he saw a man running. an 11-year-old girl on the sidewalk in front of the building also heard it. and saw a man holding a shiny object. he jumped a fence and run north. anybody actually see the shooting? >> no. there was no surveillance cameras that captured it either. >> but the crime scene was talking to detective williams. was she rocked? >> the evidence doesn't support

a robbery. her purse was still intact. the amount of time between someone here as shot and someone else seeing someone else running away from the crime scene, it isn't necessarily support a robbery. >> was she sexually assaulted? >> no evidence supported she was sexually assaulted. her clothes appear to be an attack. >> did you winter apartment? >> yes. >> anything amiss in her apartment? >> no it didn't appear there was a conflict. no sign of any type of physical confrontation. >> so, what's going on here? >> that was our question. >> it was the first of many questions detective williams would have. crystie's family was gathering at the hospital. later, they'd have questions, to. the right now they were all in shock. >> i got their first. they were like, go in this room that was off to the side. well, i had already been to the hospital a lot with my mom. so i knew they took the family to the side room. i told them no, i don't want to go in there. i just want to go see about my

sister. so then the doctor came out and told me he didn't make it she didn't make it. >> driving on the freeway and all of a sudden i just fell she was at. here >> the news that they had lost their baby sister was unbearable. crystal it taylor is just 27. >> when i gap in michelle was on the floor. i was just looking at her, trying to hug her. >> now they had to tell their ailing momo her baby was gone. >> when i had to call my mom to say somebody killed crystie and she screamed the most harrowing -- just screamed like i knew this is going to kill mama to. >> nothing worse than bearing your kids. >> no. >> when you are already so sick. i >> remember when i was talking to my mom i was like, don't you leave me. >> telling crystal's ten year old son was even harder. >> we sat next to him like, javonte, your mom died. and he crossed his arms like

this. >> and screened. >> and he just kind of lean back. >> your mom died. they didn't see how. you all kind of shielded javonte from what had happened. >> yes. >> we were older and couldn't grasp what had happened to her. so, why give it to him? >> so in one day, his whole world goes away. no more mom, no more home, no more life as you know. >> and he taught himself to just not even talk about it. you don't even know javonte is in a room. he learned it to just, i don't know, he just shut down. >> even now, javonte seems almost numb when talking about the worst day of his life. >> that night i pretty much, i broke down crying. i just cried myself to sleep that night. >> do you remember that? >> yes. >> do you remember what she looks like? >> yes. >> i heard you can't remember the sound of her voice. >> i cannot remember what she sounds like the. >> does that bother you? >> a bit. yes.

>> this family tragedy would only get worse because crystal taylor wasn't the only one killed by that bullet. coming up -- police drill down in the search for a suspect. >> we tend to focus on relatives or relationship partners. >> the man in crystal's life. one, two, three of. them for >> trying to find out who had had the motivation to do this. >> when dateline continues. n dateline continues topic de under control? hide our skin? not us. because dupixent targets a root cause of eczema, it helps heal your skin from within, keeping you one step ahead of it. and for kids ages 6 and up, that means clearer skin, and noticeably less itch. hide my skin? not me. by helping to control eczema with dupixent, you can change how their skin looks and feels. and that's the kind of change you notice. hide my skin? not me. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent.

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try to figure out how to cope with her murder, detective robbie williams try to figure out who might have wanted her dead. >> when we start recreating that person's life, we're trying to find out who would have the motivation to do this. and oftentimes, a civilian like she was, not involved in any criminal enterprise, you tend to focus on relatives our relationship partners. >> the 11-year-old girl who had seen the shooter running told cops that just before the shot rang out, she heard a man and woman arguing. was that a clue? detective williams learned crystal had a boyfriend named dino. >> just a hardworking guy. was in a relationship with krystal on and off. and this is coming from the family and friends that knew

about dino. >> and there was kenneth woods, father of krystal's tenure olson javonte. >> javonte's but has got to be somebody's father going to look that look at. >> most definitely. >> kenneth wasn't helping with javonte and, there had been conflict over child support in the past. crystal had obtained a court order requiring kenneth dippy. so, to possible leads. and a third surfaced when williams went to crystal's office. >> we get to her place of employment. we talked to several young ladies that identified themselves being her friend. they're shocked. that this is happened. >> they told him that the day before she was killed, crystal received a phone call at work that seemed to upset her. and then, they dropped a bombshell. >> that a, she was pregnant. and be, the person that she was pregnant by did not want her to be pregnant any longer. >> you couldn't tell crystal

taylor's pregnant if you are lying on the ground? >> i couldn't tell. i couldn't tell. >> in fact, she was five months along. her unborn son died when she did. crystal had told friends the father of her child was a guy named derek smyer. so you won't find out where derek is? >> that's it. we want to find out everything about him right now. >> the detective learned crystal and derrick had a quick fling that only lasted a month or so. they met at anderson park, which is near both their jobs. by now, it was lunchtime. derek wasn't in his office. so williams drove to the park bringing crystal's work friends with him. and one of them immediately noticed something. >> she points out the car that derrick drives. >> his car was easy to spot. it had vanity plates that said my wig. flying for a fancy car. then crystal's friend pointed out derek and detectives

brought him in for a. top >> your head and seat yourselves. >> what is your last name sir? >> derek. >> you have a middle name, derek? >> he freely answered your questions? he didn't ask for attorney? >> no. he never requested an attorney during our interview time with him. >> when was the last time that you saw her at her apartment, that you can recall? >> last time was -- not recently. >> okay. >> i haven't seen her, physically, in about -- let's see. couple of months. >> about two? months >> longer than that. >> he kind of discounted as yes, we were on and off really quick. >> this go opposite to the theory of what he thinks might be possible. >> at some point of the interview he talks about her being involved with other people. >> a, did you mention this at all? >> she did mention that sometimes he would pop up at her apartment. sometimes she would say, man i wish this guy would stop calling me, you know. i just at least the same person of all i got. she might be trying to make me

-- >> jealous or something? >> i don't know. you know what i'm saying? people see things. they're not always. you >> did he acknowledge that crystal was pregnant with his child? >> should he acknowledge that she was pregnant. behemoth short of acknowledging that the child is his. >> you're the father of her child, or she thinks you are? well anyway >> you had a basic description of some of that witnesses all running from the scene. >> yes, african american male wearing a dark colored for the, with a scarf around his head, or handkerchief around his head. small build, wearing dark clothing. with light facial. here >> that description we require resemble derek? >> derrick smyer had no criminal record. he had a white collar, off his job. and he came from a close knit, loving family. said his sister danielle. >> i really looked up to my

brother growing up. as young, child he was my best friend. when we reached high school, he was more of a protector for me. i was really quite in school. but everyone knew who derrick smyer was. >> he had your back? >> he had my back and there was no doubt if anything happened he would be there to take care of me. >> so she when she heard police were interviewing her brother about a murder, she questioned him herself. >> i asked derek, what is this? he said, i don't know. he what happened. so he didn't say -- >> so he didn't say he knew anything about crystal taylor's death? >> he did nothing about krystal taylor's death. >> it sounds to me like your fixated on their pretty early. >> he was one of our top three. because remember, we're looking at the sun's father. we've got her love interest on enough guy, dino. and we're looking at now derek. >> how did javonte you's react when you told him crystal had been murdered? >> his reaction was shock. he was shocked. >> and her boyfriend dino was

devastated, police said. more important, both men had alibis. witnesses put them nowhere near crystal's apartment at the time of the murder. the same was true of derek smyer. his neighbor saw him at 7:30 that morning. meaning he couldn't have shot crystal. does it sound like there's a whole lot of anybody at that point? >> no. >> but soon enough, there would be another person police would be looking at. coming up -- >> i came around the corner and there was a guy sitting on the stairs. he startled me a little bit. i kind of got this instinct that said, remember what he looks like. >> sisters turned investigators? >> we were watching "cold case" and "criminal files", so we thought we were real detectives. he was going to get away with killing our sister. >> when dateline continues. that's why progressive car insurance covers your pets for up to $1,000

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have to deal with after a loved one is murdered only intensify the agony. there was the bloody mess left at the crime scene. crystal's pastor and a family friend stepped in to clean it so the family wouldn't have to. the sisters were asked to donate crystal's organs. that proved too difficult a question to answer quickly. and there was one more thing. somebody told you you had to name the baby? >> she was already going to name him jeremiah. so we just stuck with it. >> jeremiah taylor was it supposed to be born for 20 more weeks. he never got a birth certificate, only a death certificate. then the coroner released his body, along with his mother's. so their family could say goodbye. >> it was an open casket. i remember i wanted to reach out and touch her. i just sat in the tier looking

down at the floor. waiting for it to be over. >> in the days after crystie died, everyone in the family spoke with police, hoping they could help in some way. anyway. michel had a story about the day before crystie died. as she left with the kids that morning, there was a man in the lobby of their building. >> i came around the corner and there was a guy, he was sitting on the stairs. when i came around he started me a little bit. so i asked him what he was doing there. then he told me he was waiting for someone. >> michel had a bad feeling about him. >> i kind of got this instinct that said, remember what he looks like. and then i frozen what he looked like and went on about my business. and she warned crystie about the man. >> i called her to tell her there was a strange guy on the stairs. just be careful when she came. up >> so, was the man michel saw on monday, the same man witnesses saw on tuesday? running from the scene after

the murder. >> what i'd like to do chavonna is to just know a little bit about -- >> police bra and chavonna whole, the 11 year old school girl who saw the running man. >> do you have and did he have any ice? >> with her mom at her side, she worked with a forensic artist from the los angeles sheriff's department on a sketch of the suspect. >> why don't you tell me about his nose, his eyes, his brows? >> michelle worked with the same artist. >> does the description of the guy crystal sister says was we've noticed a care staircase, matched the description of the guy people say were running away after the shooting? >> almost identical. >> here's the sketch. john from both their descriptions. were you happy with a final sketch? it looked like the guy. >> oh yeah, it looked like him. >> but he didn't look like any of the men in crystal taylor's life. not derek, not dino and not javonte's father, kenneth, who. cops would have to figure out

who he was and where to find him. monika and michelle didn't want to wait for that. >> we were watching "cold case" and "criminal files", so we thought we were real detectives. >> too much tv can be a dangerous thing. or maybe this was the dynamic of the taylor family. the sisters who were going to together, al crystal resource on, we're now helping solve her murder. so, sketch in hand, they canvassed the neighborhood. you, not the police? >> she became so obsessed, it worries me halep says she was. she would say, he's not gonna get away with doing this to my baby sister. >> tia was afraid her mom and her and were putting their own lives in danger. >> i threatened to tell the police. like, you guys are not supposed to be doing that. you guys don't have weapons. what are you going to do if -- or do you looking for? what's gonna do if you find? it >> bothers no arguing with success. michelle and monica's amateur

detective work paid off. after showing the sketch around, they got a tip. the guy in the sketch was a gang banger who went by the street name c-styles. now the sisters wanted to find him. if you're right, if this is a guy, he's a killer andy gang banger. and you're just going to what? walk up on him and say -- >> he wasn't going to get away with killing our sister. i >> wanted to be able to place where he was. like, come, come. let's go get. him >> they didn't go find him but, they did tell detective williams who rang the name through a gang database and discovered unfortunately, there was more than one c-styles. >> there's a big c-styles, a little c-styles. >> eventually williams found a c-styles who had been on probation at the time of the murder. our >> first goal was to identify the connection be the c-styles and crystal taylor. gang affiliation, any relatives? was he a boyfriend, ex-boyfriend? the sister say no.

her friends say no. there is no evidence to support that they even knew each other. >> or maybe they knew each other she didn't tell anybody. >> exactly we also have to keep that as a card on the table. okay, so, how can we start proving this out. i start examining were their lines may have cross. crystal taylor works in carson. she goes to anderson park. oh, there is information that c-styles hangs out at anderson park. okay. >> they brought in c-styles. legal name, skyler moore. you say to him, what do you have to do with the murder of crystal taylor? >> he says. >> i don't know her, i did not do this. but he's studying her photo. >> and then, c-styles continue to talk. >> he's coming up with an analysis of the person who would have done this. and he refers to the person as this person had a lot of rage. this person had a lot of rage

to do that. >> as opposed to just say, no, i didn't do any murder. i don't know who is. this i don't know what you're talking about. >> exactly. >> that seemed rather strange. but so did this, there was no obvious reason for c-styles to kill crystal taylor. true that if you're was warning about being a victim of gang violence, you're probably safest in the morning? because these guys will stay very late and roll out of bed until late morning or noon? >> i'm not going to say that's a fact, but it's more true than not. >> if somebody is up and working at seven or 7:30 in the morning, their -- >> their path just wouldn't cross. >> not normally. not a hard-core serious type of person like a c-styles. >> so, was he the man in the parking garage? on that question, c-styles wasn't terribly helpful. but then he did something surprising. after staring at crystal's

photo and floating theories about her killer, c-styles simply confessed to a different murder of a rival gang member. >> i don't do this for a living but, he was even being charged with that and you were even asking him about that. >> i didn't even know there was a murder. >> so why would he blew that out? >> you have to understand c-styles mentality. c-styles mentality is that there is no ability in killing the enemy. there is no nobility our honor in killing a lady who is pregnant. >> someone who's innocent? >> yes. >> not somebody in the life? >> right. because it goes right in line with building your resume. so, if you resume as a gangster is that, i go out and i put in work for my gang. including killing. including robbery. well, eventually you're going to have to prove that, okay,

when was the last time, you killed somebody? when was the last time you did robbery? all this is advertisement by taking claim for, yeah i shot these guys. i shot this guy. i killed him. but i wouldn't do her. i wouldn't kill her. >> detective williams was convinced c-styles was only copping to the other murder to distance himself from crystal's. and then, all the witnesses in crystal's murder pick him out of a lineup. two months after crystal taylor's death, skyler moore, also known as c-styles, was charged with murdering her and her unborn baby, jeremiah. justice seemed close at hand. it was not. coming up -- >> i was looking for this guy day and night. >> you see him? and he's in court right in front of? you >> face to face with a

confessed killer. you were afraid to testify? >> oh yes i was. i was praying and asking got to make a strong enough. but i was really scared. >> when dateline continues.

>> when someone you love days violently, there are so many emotions. anger, a loss. even sometimes the fear that you'll be next.

>> i was afraid opening doors in the morning. like, there's a blind spot when i first walk out. i'm literally looking out like this every morning. >> you all looking over your shoulders? >> oh yeah. really bad. it was almost a post traumatic stress syndrome kind of thing. just nervous all the time. >> with skyler moore, aka c-styles, charged in the murder, there was some sense of relief. turn >> to know that this guy was off the streets with some comfort. because he was the one that could show up and kill anybody. >> even so, the sisters were still afraid of facing him at the preliminary hearing. tough to be in the courtroom and see him? >> oh yeah. we were crying as soon as we walked in the door. but we thought, i don't lowball what i'm going to do when i see him, you know, the shooter. i'm looking for this guy day and night. >> and then you see him? >> i'm obsessed with him. and then he's in court right in front of me. and i'm expecting to have this visceral reaction to him. and i felt like -- >> like he had some remorse.

because we told it is tech to, i was like, he looks like he has some remorse. >> the detective didn't buy it for a minute. >> she was like no, he's a straight-up killer. he doesn't have any remorse. >> whatever the taylor saw, that hint of humanity in a cold blooded killer, c-styles still scare them. you weren't afraid to testify? >> oh yes i was. >> but you went ahead and did it? >> i went ahead and did it because i was praying and asking got to make a strong enough to be able to deal with whatever it is we need to do. but i was really scared. >> michelle testified she saw c-styles at crystal's building the day before the shooting. it is up to other witnesses to place him there the day she was killed. and there were several. the man making his kids breakfast. a neighbor who saw a man who looked like c-styles around 1:00 this morning. watching the building. another neighbor who actually

knew c-styles and thought he saw him loitering in the area. except, all those witnesses were afraid to testify in open court. against a known gang member. all except one, the school girl. who may not have known enough to be afraid. miss hall, who was a child essentially, when she saw someone running away of the scene at crystal taylor's murder. she was willing to testify? >> yes she was. >> but her family was hesitant. >> yes, her mom was really concerned about that. >> the da had his own concerns. let's test a phone mooney of a school girl and the victim of the sister, didn't seem enough to convict. and that's about all the evidence they had. police never found any dna, fingerprints or forensic evidence. that linked c-styles to the garage of crystal taylor's apartment. and while they filed found a 30 caliber bullet, they never

found the gun that fired it. let alone linked that gun to c-styles or anyone else. if c-styles went to trial and was acquitted, that would be the end of it. and so, rather than take that chance. the dea dropped charges. the prosecutor said we don't watch try this case now? because we don't have the evidence right now and the witnesses are skittish. you want to wait. and you think this could be a couple months, maybe a. >> yes. >> instead, many months path. and nothing happened. the nation grew obsessed with the murder of a 27-year-old twin pregnant woman, but it wasn't crystal case. >> lacey peterson's case is showing on the new every night. same, beautiful young lady, every pregnant. we were offended. everybody is going on life. one person is gone and people go to work the next morning. birds are chirping.

and it all offense. you >> and your thinking, what is our? turn >> yeah. i'm like, what is our. turn >> momo died six months after her daughter crystal. her family says the cause was as much heartbreak as heart disease. and all of that took a huge toll on the tailors. >> everyone was hurting, so no one really wanted to be around what would bring up that sadness again. and that was us in being together. so we separated for a while. >> so what had been a big, happy, close family, kind of splintered? >> yeah. >> c-styles was convicted of the gang murder he had admitted to. his sentence? life and presents. and crystal taylor's murder remained officially unsolved. the sisters were sure it was c-styles who pulled the trigger. but they were sure of something else, to. c-styles had no reason to kill their sister.

someone put it up to it. and they thought they knew who that someone was. coming up -- >> he did this to crystie. he did this all of. us >> and he got away with? it >> and he got away with. >> the chilling clue crystal had given her family. >> you're all kind of giving yourselves up for not listening to crystie's warning? >> exactly. >> that's the guy. that's the guy who had crystal taylor killed. >> when dateline continues -- spraying flonase daily stops your body from overreacting to allergens all season long. psst! psst! all good

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dad, why didn't you answer your phone? your mother loved this park. ♪♪ she did. >> for the taylor family,

history had been split into. there was before, when they had crystal and life was good. and then there was after, and -- >> people kind of started treating us like, y'all are still talking about? that >> they just want you to move on. >> everybody wanted us to move on. >> and you said well i can't move on. >> you can't move on. because you're like what life. this is my life. i don't have a life to go back to.

>> they couldn't move forward. they couldn't go back. but they kept going over the last days of crystal's life. reminding to that trip when they visited their ailing mother in texas. they arrived back in los angeles in the middle of the night, saturday into sunday. yet crystal still woke up very early the next morning. >> she insisted on going to church. we were all thinking to sleep in. but she got up and she prayed and then she cried. she was going through something, she just was it sharing it with us. >> the next day was monday. the morning michelle saw a suspicious man on the stairs of the apartment building. she warned krystal who went a different way to the garage which might have saved her life, for 24 hours. what they didn't learn until much later was that crystal left were crying on that last day of her life. she didn't say anything to her family that night, but she did act differently. >> she went around the room and she hugs everyone. i think she just didn't want to

worry anyone. and i think she cry and of hope everything would work out. >> what was the matter with crystal taylor? they re-wound their mental tape a little further and there it was. a moment. it happened during their car trip back from texas. >> she was on her phone listening to something and she put her phone down, as she said is as if anything happens to me, it was. derek >> derek smyer, the father of her unborn child. is she going to any detail about what he had said to her to make her say that? >> no she didn't make conversation. she turned into, don't worry about him, the worry about him. he with the baby. >> they thought that's all it was. derek didn't want to help raise his child. now they replayed that movement over and over. >> we should've said, wait, what did he say to you? but instead of that, we were like we, don't need him. don't even talk to him. we were so used to picking up our burdens and going. >> she brought it up and she was worried.

but you didn't hear it. or it didn't sound bad enough. you're all kind of beating yourselves up for not listening to crystie's warning. >> exactly. >> even though it sounds to me like you would almost have to be a mind reader to know that she was really concerned. >> yeah. >> the years started to pass. and this family thought a lock about derek smyer. we crystal had said if something happened to her it was derek. they believed he was the only one who had something to gain from her death. as they had done with c-styles, michelle and monica now tried to find derek. >> i didn't know derrick's name. i thought his name was myers. and i was spelling derek the runway. and looking for him just forever. >> if they had managed to -- derek. they would've found a guy who seemed to fit the profile of a color. he was doing well, says his sister danielle. >> he had gotten his bachelors degree in business. he had went on to start his own company. he was doing great.

he was always happy. he was always in good spirits. he was driven. >> he still had that silver mustang convertible, with a custom plates, my wig. although monica initial never spotted the car, tia did. >> i stopped at a light and dark pulled up next to me in a car, top down, listening to music. i just felt like this was so unfair that it's a nice, sunny day and he's going on with life. it just tripped me out. like, this guy really just did this to my family. he did this to crystie, he did this to momo, to my mom, michelle javonte -- >> and he got away with. >> and he got away with. >> even detective robbie williams saw derrick one day at the airport. >> my wife and i were on our way to a vacation. and i look up and i see derek walker right past us. >> williams had never forgotten crystal taylor. he had taken her case file with him as he moved up the promotional letter from detective to lieutenant.

he'd always sheared the families suspicions that derek was somehow behind crystal's murder. but he also knew he didn't have enough evidence to arrest him. >> i whisper to my wife, that's the guy. that's the guy who had crystal taylor killed. >> that's got to be like a knife in you. i mean, if that's what you think, if you think that's the guy who had crystal killed. well here he is, out free, breathing the same air you are. going on vacation just like you. are having a great time. he got away with. it or so it seemed. help was about to come from the last place anyone expected. on the day crystal was murdered, when detective robbie williams foresaw at anderson park, derek wasn't alone. >> there was a group of men sitting near a cement picnic area talking. >> you hadn't even heard the name c-styles? we >> hadn't heard of c-styles. >> but much later, after he

c-styles was arrested and detective williams got a good look at him, he thought the gang banger look familiar. >> you think the first time you saw derek smyer, you think he was with c-styles? >> yes, i think he was in the company of c-styles. >> so if you are right, they were hanging out together just a couple hours after the murder. >> yes,. >> if only you have known. >> if only i had known. >> and now, a decade later, there was no way to prove who the man in the park might have been. and crystal is dead, c-styles a serving time for another murder, and nothing's happening today. >> nothing is happening to derek that i can see. but i'm a believer of karma. either in this life or the next. you're going to pay for what you've done wrong. >> i'm guessing you are preferring that is this life? >> yes. >> maybe it was karma. maybe it was luck. maybe it was a good police work. but whatever it was, on june 15th, 2011, l.a. sheriff's

detectives richard lopez and his partner beth smith, found themselves at a northern currently 40 a prison, with a few hours to kill. >> she mentioned that we skyler moore is here and i always wanted to talk to him about a 2001 murder that occurred in hawthorne. >> that would be crystal taylor's murder. -- she knew derek smyer would never spill but would c-styles? >> we said we've got three hours until the plane right. let's pull him. >> coming up -- >> we're looking for some help with some cases. >> the conversation with the convict. >> if you tell us something that you remember, truthfully remember, and we can corroborate it, we can get you moved out of california. >> like, to where, though? >> is c-styles about to come clean? when dateline continues when dateline continue namaste... ...surprise parties. aww, you guys. dupixent helps prevent asthma attacks...

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>> the cold steel of a .38 can fire a bullet at 1,000 feet per second. the speed of justice is not nearly as fast. crystal taylor was killed september 25th, 201. ten years later, her unsolved murder was still an open case. detectives believed skyler moore aka c-styles was the person who shot her. but they didn't have enough evidence to try him. and they thought the father of crystal's unborn child, derek smyer, might have been involved as well. but there was no evidence linking him to c-styles. except for one thing. now they were at a northern california prison sitting right across from c-stiles. >> remember when he was arrested and later there was a murder?

>> just, i need more detail. >> you don't remember when -- >> nothing like that. >> steve stiles was says something less than he said in 2001. even detective lopez gave it a try. he questioned a lot of gang members and he knew c-styles had gang members in prison snoon you can't go on the main yard, am i right? okay -- well, we're looking for some help on some cases. now one hand washes the other. if you tell us something that you remember, truthfully remember, and we can corroborate it, we can get you moved out of california. >> like to where though? >> arizona, illinois, tennessee. >> detective lopez assured c-styles this wasn't your typical police interrogation.

>> we didn't read you your miranda rights, right? so anything you say cannot be used against you. we are not trying to put a case on you, but we are just trying to get the truth. >> then detective lopez showed c-styles some photos of crystal taylor and derek smyer. >> i've got a sneaky suspicion he might recognize some of them faces. okay, okay? you're -- skyler, you're -- she, from what we know -- you know what's up, okay? it's a good act though. it's survival. and you know, no one's supposed to talk to the police, i know that. but everybody does, dude. you know that. >> you're told from when they're young kids, you know, "snitches get stitches." and you don't talk to the police. so when they finally break that barrier and they come and you open the floodgates, they have a tendency to talk then. and all the things that bothered them when they were in the life begin to come out. >> and that's what happened here? >> yes. >> bit by bit, c-styles started to talk. turns out, that was him in the park with derek. he met derek playing pickup basketball at the same park

where derrick rose derek met crystal, and that was the connection investigators had long looked for. between c-styles and derek smyer. and c-styles said back in the summer of 2001 derek began complaining about a problem named crystal taylor. >> he described derek as being desperate because of this pregnant girl. he said that derek had called her "gold digger." and that by getting rid of her, that takes care of the problem of having child support. >> so he said he and derek worked out a deal. c-styles would pull the trigger. and derek smyer would owe him a favor. >> did he promise you money or did he promise you dope? >> it was just a mixture, he basically promised me loyalty or whatnot so that's why i say money wasn't really a factor because it was going to be more beneficial down the line. >> that's how this works? i always thought that when you wanted somebody killed, you had to pay money for that.

>> everybody glamorizes it and thinks it's that way. but in skyler's mind, this was easier for him to do. he could do this and then, of course, derek would be indebted to him. >> and there would be no money trail linking the two men. c-styles said derek told him where crystal lived. >> skyler says he scouts the location, he's there waiting for the victim to come down the stairs. in fact, he -- i believe he runs into her sister. >> the day before. >> the day before. right, exactly. and so on the day of it he goes and waits, lies in wait for her. and she comes down to the car. and he shoots her. and then he runs out of the garage area. >> you're looking at a guy who's by all accounts kind of a hardened gang banger, living that life. what's in it for him to confess to one more murder when he's already in there doing life without parole? >> i can't speak to all of them. but i can speak to this one. he felt bad about this. and he wanted to make it right. >> killing a pregnant woman bothered him. >> yes. >> killing those other people did not? >> didn't seem to, no. >> police thought they finally had the story of who killed crystal taylor.

but it was a story they couldn't tell in court. not yet, anyway. coming up -- that dynamic duo of sister detectives wasn't done yet. >> cagney and lacy shift their focus to derek. >> we never thought he should get away with it. >> when "dateline" continues. h >> when "dateline" continues -kee-on-oh... -nope. -co-ee-noah. -no. -joaquin. -no. it just takes practice. give it a shot. [ grunts, exhales deeply ] -did you hear that? -yeah. it's a constant battle. we're gonna open a pdf. who's next? progressive can't save you from becoming your parents, but we can save you money when you bundle home and auto with us. no fussin', no cussin', and no --

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by 2011, for the taylor family, crystal's murder was an ugly scar that was never going to heal. >> we had almost stopped being as obsessed with it. >> but you still wanted answers. >> but we still wanted answer. >> then the phone rang. detectives shared the big news about their prison interview with c-styles. >> they said, "well, the shooter confessed." >> and told them it was derek smyer who put him up to it.

>> in his confession, mr. styles said he saw another woman on the stairs and thought maybe that was crystie. that was you. >> uh-huh. and he said he considered killing me. >> that was devastating. >> you were that close to getting killed. >> getting killed. uh-huh. yeah. >> the detectives still had to figure out how to use c-styles' off the record con investigation to make an on-the-record case against derek. in the meantime, sisters michelle and monica couldn't resist going back to prowling the streets, looking for clues. cagney and lacey shift their focus to derek? >> we never thought he should get away with it. >> when the police said, "come in. we want to talk to you, we're going to reopen the case," i have a notebook now. i'm like, "oh smyers." so i wrote it down, and then i go back and i found, like, businesses they had. >> they also figured out where derek lived. you're regularly driving by his

house? >> no, we were, you know, back on the job. making sure since the case was reopened, we -- they had enough evidence this time. >> by then, detective lopez at the sheriff's homicide bureau had pulled out the old files and read everything. police reports, forensic reports, interview notes. and what he read lined up with what c-styles had told him. >> the description of the place. the description of meeting the victim's sister the day prior. the way he ran out of the place, all those things were, you know, matched what he was telling us. and we were able to corroborate. >> with all that information, lopez decided to take a chance. arrest derek, apply some pressure, and see if he would crack. so nine years and ten months after crystal taylor's murder, derek smyer once again sat in a police interview room. >> he felt like he had to control everything that happened in the interview. he would answer a question, but

before he answered it, he would give a preamble as to why his answer was this. >> lopez pushed him. told derek that c-styles had confessed and implicated derek. derek denied everything. lopez thought he was lying. but what he was not doing was cracking. >> i said, you know, you're not a likeable person. i don't know if anybody's going to believe you. and he just didn't seem to mind. >> of course, it's possible derek wasn't worried because he wasn't guilty. during those ten years from 2001 to 2011, what's derek doing and how is he? does he seem like a guy with a cloud over his head? >> no. he seems like a man who's flourishing. >> derek's sister danielle was shocked by the arrest. she says the way she and derek grew up was a world away from people like c-styles and from crimes like murder. >> we played, we were into sports, we had two extremely active parents that were a part

of all of our sports leagues that were taking us to summer camps. >> she says derek did go off track in high school. he was just 16 when his girlfriend traci got pregnant. it was news their parents were not happy to hear. >> they were in shock, especially my dad. my dad is very traditional, you know, believes that children should be born in wedlock, as derek and i were. >> derek's daughter sydney was born in april of 1998 and instantly derek smyer had to be an adult. >> he dropped out of high school so that he could get a full-time job. and even though he wasn't making much, he was still doing what he could to support that baby. >> that changes your life. >> that does change your life. >> and that forestalls a lot of your options. >> absolutely, absolutely but derek, he was a hardworking guy. >> in 2002, the year after crystal died, derek smyer had another daughter with the same woman. >> if i fall, all this footage is being deleted. >> for the most part he wasn't a

full-time dad, but danielle says he was in his children's lives, as was the whole smyer family. danielle insists this father of two wouldn't commission a murder over an unplanned pregnancy. if, in fact, he even was the father of crystal's child. did derek tell you that he was dating crystal taylor? >> no. i never heard of crystal taylor before -- before he was actually arrested in 2011. >> did derek ever mention that he had gotten a girl pregnant and was concerned about that? >> no, he didn't tell me that. >> and she was adamant. there's no way her brother hung out with a gang banger. skyler moore aaka c-stiles, evey meet him? >> no. >> ever hear derek talk about him? >> never hear derek talk about

him. >> derek friends with any gang members? >> my parents are extremely traditional. they weren't into gang violence or any of that nonsense. derek would not bring gang members to the house or affiliate himself with gang members. furthermore, no one's seen derek ever, ever, with any gang member. >> danielle said her brother had nothing to do with crystal's murder and that c-styles was a liar. >> he is known as a jailhouse snitch, and he is harassed and beaten up by people where he's currently housed at. the deal for him is that he gets relocated out of state. to a place where nobody knows him. >> she says the cops simply took the path of least resistance. >> they had it out for derek from the start. >> because? >> because he seemed like the probable person. my brother is not a perfect man, but him being pulled in, harassed by the police, his children being taken from him, that's not my brother's fault. my brother's an innocent man. >> and maybe she was right.

just days after derek was arrested, the d.a. said there was not enough evidence to prosecute him. >> we had to let him go. we had to let him go and -- yeah, it was tough letting him go. >> derek smyer was once again a free man. >> i bet he thought he was clear. i bet you he thought he was done. he was never going to see us again. >> if that's true, he was wrong. coming up -- someone steps foward with a stunning new lead. >> he/she was assaulted, and her neck was cut. >> another attack on another pregnant woman when "dateline" continues. pregnant woman when "dateline" continues.

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derek smyer was out of jail. he insisted he was an innocent man. a father of two, who had no reason to commission a murder just because he got someone pregnant. but detectives were still investigating. and what they heard made them more convinced than ever that derek had crystal killed. they spoke with traci, the mother of derek's children. early on in the case, she had avoided the cops. now she was eager to tell them what she said happened in 1998 when she was pregnant with derek's first child. >> she got lured to the back of her apartment on the promise to be taken to a doctor's appointment by smyer. and she was assaulted. and her neck was cut. >> by some other person? >> by some other person. rushed to the hospital. and she told us that she was very leery because derek had never asked to take her to the

doctor before, and instead of picking her up in front, he asked her to come into the rear of the alley where it's darker and doesn't have much access to public view. >> there's the scar from the attack. and according to traci, it was just the beginning. and that wasn't the last time she was assaulted while she was pregnant? >> no, it wasn't. >> traci told police that in 2002, when she was pregnant with their second child, she was attacked again. >> she was knocked to the ground, and the assail ant tried to kick her in the stomach. >> that person was never caught. >> right. >> and whoever cut her throat in the previous incident was never caught. >> that's correct. >> traci now told the cops she believed derek was behind both attacks. she also said in both cases he wanted her to have an abortion, but that she had refused. after you're pregnant by one guy and you get lured to the back of your apartment building and then somebody tries to kill you, why you continue your relationship with that guy? >> you have to understand mr. derek smyer.

and one thing he is he is a manipulator of women. >> cops saw a pattern, one that was reinforced by something else they learned. >> as the investigation continued, we discovered that derek had been to prison -- for a federal offense of -- he was -- um, scamming money from a bank. >> it happened in 2004. here's derek in this fuzzy bank security photo stealing money from other people's bank accounts. turned out he had a girlfriend who worked at a credit union. he got account numbers from her and used them to move money into accounts he controlled. what happened to the $80,000 that they skimmed? >> the investigators, they didn't find it. and we tried to look for it, too, and we never found it. >> you heard about derek serving federal time on that bank charge. >> yes, yes. i wasn't surprised. and i wasn't surprised at who he used as an accomplice. >> his girlfriend. >> yes. >> why were you not surprised by that? >> because derek possesses that

type of selfish type of what can you do for me type of mentality. >> manipulative. >> manipulator, self-centered, and arrogant. >> maybe that's why derek never shied away from talking with the cops and why he never asked for a lawyer, or maybe he just wasn't guilty. >> definitely he thought he was smarter than we were, anyways. i mean, you know, what did we have. >> when derek was briefly arrested, detectives asked him who he was with at anderson park on the day crystal was murdered. remember, detective williams thought later it was probably c-styles, but cops had no way to prove it. and then under questioning, derek gave them one. >> he said -- he goes, i saw a woman in the back seat.

>> the back seat of detective williams' police car. the woman derek saw was jana poletto, crystal's friend from work, who'd accompanied detective williams. derek said he saw her quite clearly. >> the look on her face was she was totally distraught, that's what he said. >> which gave detective lopez an idea. >> if he is that close to see that she is totally distraught, then she should have a pretty good look at who he was talking to. >> at the time no one had thought to show jana poletto a photo of c-styles, but now they did. and she said -- >> that's who derek was talking to in the park. >> that was the missing link, a witness who could connect c-styles to derek smyer. then one last piece. the d.a. wanted c-styles interviewed again. >> how are you? >> fine, and you? >> good, good. i'm danette meyers, i'm the d.a. -- >> this time they made sure what he said could be used in court. >> you have the right to remain silent, do you understand? >> yes. >> c-styles told the same story with the same details. how he met derek and how derek

wanted help with crystal taylor. >> do you talk about when you're going to kill her? >> i told him i was going to do it, but, um -- i told him asap. as soon as i got the opportunity. >> police once again arrested derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. and this time they thought they had the goods. a jury, though, would have other ideas. coming up -- a bombshell from the defense. did someone else kill crystal? >> witnesses testify to hearing an argument. she was confronting her killer. >> that's when she was shot? >> absolutely. >> was this murder a hit at all? >> this is breaking me. >> when "dateline" continues. >> when "dateline" continues multivitamin gummies. with vitamins c, d & zinc for immunity support. plus 8 b-vitamins for brain support. one a day and done.

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it took police ten years to arrest derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. it took another five years to bring him to trial. and detective robbie williams knew the case wasn't airtight. >> juries like dna. >> dna, blood trail. in this case, a money transfer. in this case, the lack of cell phone records attaching the two defendants together. >> the only thing connecting derek to the murder was the confession of the triggerman skyler moore aka c-styles. but there was no guarantee the jury would take the word of a gang banger over the word of the clean cut derek smyer.

so it was with nervous anticipation that crystal's family filed into the courthouse on july 11, 2016. >> the facts and the law and your common sense will lead you to one conclusion. crystal taylor died at the hands of skyler moore and derek smyer. >> prosecutor danette meyers told jurors crystal's murder and the attacks on derek's other girlfriend traci williamson were no coincidence. >> he has a motive to do it because he doesn't want to have the kids, he doesn't want to pay child support -- >> the prosecution claimed that while derek may have failed to stop traci from having her two children, he found the right man for the job of stopping crystal. his basketball buddy, c-styles. >> he's a gang member. he's a killer. and mr. smyer knew who to go to when he wanted crystal taylor taken care of. >> go right over there, have a

seat. >> prosecutors showed the jury the admitted hit man's videotaped confession. >> i just seen her come down, from the, uh, front the front way stairs. it was still kind of dark. that's when i killed her. >> how'd you do that? what did you do? >> just shot her. >> when you left the area, did you go back and tell derek what you'd done? >> um, after that, i seen him -- not immediately after that. >> then they called c-styles to testify. but instead of tying a bow on the case, he lobbed a grenade and blew it to pieces. c-styles told the jury everything he said on that tape was a lie. >> people have false confessions all the time. it happens all the time. >> calvin schneider was derek

smyer's defense attorney. he said c-styles made up a story that the cops wanted to hear. he was hoping to get better treatment in prison. >> he came in and admitted that they made these offers to him. and that -- that's why he did it. >> you think police kind of rushed to judgment here? >> absolutely, because they had a hunch, they went with my client. and they excluded others. >> schneider told the jury that without c-styles' confession, there was no evidence linking derek to the murder. >> they're alleging multiple conversations, planning, without any proof of where, when, how. there's no emails between moore and smyer. there's no text messages. there's no phone calls. >> the defense portrayed derek as a man who loved his children. not one who would try to have them murdered. >> there's mr. smyer again in the hospital holding his baby. and i think it's important when you're looking at this case that you evaluate his expression on his face in these photos. proud father or killer? >> not only was derek smyer

innocent of crystal's murder, said the defense. maybe c-styles was too. there was no physical evidence placing him in that parking garage. maybe, they said, this wasn't a hit after all. >> several of the witnesses testify to hearing an argument. and then all of a sudden the argument ended, there was a pause, and a gunshot. it is absolutely inconsistent with a hired hit. >> if not a hit, then what happened? the defense had a theory. it involves this photo of crystal's son javonte, found near her body. >> it's obvious that miss taylor was holding that picture when she got shot. >> schneider wasn't allowed to directly spell out his theory for the jury. he did for us. >> i think she was confronting her killer saying, the only thing you're going to see is a photograph of your son until you pay child support. >> and you think that's when she

was shot? >> absolutely. >> the defense suggested javonte's father killed crystal. never mind that police had cleared him early on. derek's lawyer told the jury his client was an innocent man. >> but this tragedy, it will be compounded if you convict a person that is not involved. and i'm asking for a not guilty verdict on all counts. thank you very much. >> crystal's family was worried. they could only hope the jury believed c-styles' video confession and not his recantation of it. the wait for a verdict was agonizing. >> that was painful. >> one day passed. then two. three days in. >> i'm nervous. i don't want to do this again. i can't do this again. it's not easy. >> then it was a week. then one week turned into two. >> i'm like i'm just praying. i just keep praying, no matter

what i see or what i hear. i keep praying. >> every day the waiting was harder. that was true for derek's family too. >> i started getting nervous. i was there every day, anxiously waiting so that we could hear that verdict. so we could hear that derek was not guilty. i would see the jurors come out of there, red in the face. almost like they're arguing back there. >> like they'd been yelling. >> like they'd been yelling. >> we're on the record in people v. smyer. >> after 21 days, the jury reassembled in the courtroom. >> the jury has not been able to reach a verdict. >> they were stuck. >> i do declare a mistrial. >> this is breaking me. hopefully by the time it's time to do it again, i'll pull it back together. but today i don't want to do it again. coming up, trial number two. this time, new evidence. and a new witness.

>> when people were around, he'd behave a certain way. >> derek's own daughter. what would she reveal? when "dateline" continues. if you can help heal your skin from within. with dupixent adults saw long-lasting, clearer skin and significantly less itch. don't use if you're allergic to dupixent. serious allergic reactions can occur including anaphylaxis, which is severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems, such as eye pain or vision changes, or a parasitic infection. if you take asthma medicines don't change or stop them without talking to your doctor. talk to your doctor about dupixent. age before beauty? why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond.

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♪♪ it was like their own nightmarish "groundhog day." nearly nine months after the mistrial, crystal taylor's family once again entered a courthouse wondering if this time justice would finally be served. you feeling any better about the beginning of the second trial than you were at the beginning of the first trial? >> i did. i think because we kind of knew what to expect, we knew what they were going to say, we knew what we had -- >> and what you didn't have. >> right.

and we had hoped that, you know, whatever mistakes were made from the first trial, they'd learn from them and prepare for them and do better. >> two big differences this time around. first, skyler moore aka c-styles was on trial along with derek. although each defendant had his own jury. and second, derek's jury would not see c-styles' disputed videotaped confession. it was ruled inadmissible. so prosecutors focused on derek's motive. here was a man, they told the jury, who'd do almost anything to avoid paying child support. >> crystal and her five-month unborn son were killed with one gunshot. one gunshot to the back of her head. >> that, said the prosecution, fit a pattern. they called derek's old girlfriend traci williamson, who repeated her story that the first time she was pregnant with derek's child, she was attacked by a man she didn't know.

>> he put a knife to my throat. >> did he cut you with the knife? >> yes. >> and then during her second pregnancy, a second attack. >> somebody came and socked me in the face. and i went on the side of the car, and somebody stomped me on my stomach and my face. >> then derek's own daughter took the stand against him. she didn't testify in the first trial, but she told this jury that derek seemed to hate being a father. >> he would come during major occasions, um, birthdays and things like that. he was very ill-tempered. he didn't spend much time with me when he did. it just seemed like it was kind of for show, you know. when people were around, he'd behave a certain way. and when those people left, he

would go back to his ill-temperedness and his kind of monstrous ways. >> to help explain how derek had crystal killed, prosecutors again called her sister michelle who had been through the emotional wringer when she testified in the first trial. >> i was afraid of what it was going to do to me mentally the second time. i was afraid for myself. >> nevertheless, michelle mustered the courage to take the stand and testify to seeing the alleged gunman c-styles, in their apartment complex the day before her sister's murder. >> what did you say to the defendant mr. moore? >> i told him that he startled me and i asked him what he -- what was he doing there? >> the jury also heard from chavonna hall, in middle school at the time, now an adult, who said she still remembered seeing c-styles fleeing the crime scene. >> and what did you hear? >> it was like a, um -- like a gunshot, like a big noise basically. >> what next occurred? >> we seen somebody running past us.

>> prosecutors then had to connect c-styles with derek smyer. for that they relied on two eyewitnesses. detective williams told the jury he was pretty sure c-styles was with derek at the park on the day crystal taylor was ambushed and murdered. >> it wasn't until you actually saw him in person that you were able to remember that he resembled the person you saw at the park? >> objection, leading. >> it's overruled. >> yes. >> as before, crystal's friend and co-worker jana poletto left no doubt with her definitive testimony. >> as you sit here today, did you see both of those individuals in the park? >> yes. >> jana also told the jurors that while crystal was excited to have another son, she was afraid to tell derek she was pregnant, so jana told him for her via email.

>> after you sent the email, people's 51, to derek smyer, did you get a phone call? >> yes, i did. >> it was derek smyer, jana said, and he wasn't happy. >> he just didn't want no kids. he didn't want her to have the baby. >> did he say anything to you about trying to do something with crystal? >> yeah. he just said if i can get her to get rid of the baby, he said he will do whatever he can, but he don't want to have a baby. >> and jana recalled that the day before crystal was murdered, her first day back to work after the trip to texas, derek called again. >> could you hear anything with respect to the conversation she was having? >> no. the only thing i heard is before she hung up the phone she was like, "whatever." because she was crying and she was like, "whatever." she got up from her desk. >> when she got up from her desk did you see where she went? >> she went to the bathroom. >> and when you followed her in the bathroom, what was she doing? >> crying.

>> then detective beth smith testified about two key pieces of evidence that the first jury never saw. first, a photo of derek on his high school basketball team, proving he did play basketball. an important detail because police believed derek met skyler moore on the basketball court. the second new piece of evidence was security footage from the night before crystal's murder that placed derek at a 7-eleven near both crystal taylor's home and skyler moore's. it proved, they said, derek had lied about his whereabouts back in 2001 when he told police he was miles from crystal's hawthorne home that night. >> did he ever tell you that he went to the 7-eleven? >> no. >> as the evidence was mounting against him, derek's defense went on offense, portraying the mother of his two children as a lair whose testimony couldn't be trusted. >> have you lied to your family

members, like your aunt ms. mcmiller, your sister danielle, about things about mr. smyer? >> depends on what you talking about. you've got to be specific. >> have you ever lied to them? >> lied to them, period? people lie all the time. you lie. >> traci williamson was an admitted liar and untruthful. so you couldn't believe what she said. >> and as for crystal's friend jana who said she saw c-styles and derek smyer together? the defense says derek was with a high school friend, and derek's sister danielle says the idea that derek met a gangbanger on the basketball court is absurd. but he grew up playing basketball and a bunch of other sports. didn't he play basketball in high school? >> he did play basketball in high school. he played basketball up into his junior year. i played basketball up into my sophomore year. never touched a basketball since. derek doesn't play basketball anymore. >> in this court, everything was on the line. that's when derek smyer, who'd never shied away from explaining himself in the past, took the stand. coming up --

derek smyer, a dutiful dad-to-be? when "dateline" continues. dad-to-be? when "dateline" continues. ool, . to learn more, text thrive to 444555, or visit thrivent.com.

♪♪ it is a calculated risk for a defendant to testify at a trial. derek smyer was willing to take it. prosecutors had painted him as a child-hating, cold-blooded killer. derek and his attorney were determined to show he was anything but. >> do you recall the birth of your daughter sydney? >> yes, i do. >> what was the date? >> it was today actually, april

26th, 1998. >> and you were there for the birth, correct? >> of course. >> derek told the jury he was a loving and devoted father to his two girls. >> how would you describe your relationship? >> while they were growing up it was strong, in my opinion. >> and he was adamant. he had nothing to do with the attacks on traci while she was pregnant. >> didn't you have her attacked because you wanted the kid killed? you wanted her to have an abortion? >> no, i did not. in fact, at that time i had already dropped out of school, i was working, i was buying bottles, i was very much invested in the well-being of my daughter. >> derek told the jury he was a good dad to his children with traci and planned to treat crystal and their child the same way. >> weren't you angry that ms. taylor was going to keep this child? >> no, sir. >> wasn't this going to ruin your life? >> no, sir. >> weren't you worried about having to pay child support for 18 years? >> no, sir. >> why not? >> because i was prepared to take care of my responsibility. >> he admitted he did call crystal in the days leading up to her death.

but derek said it was just to check in on her as any good soon-to-be father would. >> i asked how she was feeling. >> why did you ask that? >> i know that before she went to texas she was having morning sickness. >> derek made sure to let jurors know that he, like crystal's family, marked time in relation to her death. >> how long did you work at bowne, inc.? >> um, i was -- well, until about two weeks after we lost crystal. >> crystal's family heard that and seethed. >> it bothered me so much to hear him say that because he never called, he never cared, he doesn't care. >> as for the prosecution theory that he hatched a plot on the basketball court with skyler moore aka c-styles to kill crystal taylor? impossible, said derek, for two reasons. first -- >> did you ever play basketball at this park? >> no, sir. >> but more important -- >> prior to this case, have you

ever seen skyler moore before in your life? >> no, sir. >> derek also had an explanation for why he showed up on security video at a 7-eleven near both moore's and crystal's homes. he said he stopped for cash after being at his aunt's house nearby. >> my mother asked me to run an errand for her, to take my aunt a cooking device. it was something round. it was either a crock-pot or a pressure cooker. >> derek forcefully denied any involvement in crystal's murder. >> did you have anything to do with the death of crystal taylor? >> no, i did not, sir. >> did you have her killed? >> no, i did not. >> did you have her shot in the head so that she couldn't give birth to your baby? >> no, i did not. >> nothing further. >> but derek was not done on the stand. now came the risky part. cross-examination by a prosecutor determined to show the other side of derek smyer. >> why did you ask her to get a paternity test? >> because i was being responsible, ma'am. >> oh, i see. well, wouldn't responsible be putting on a condom, sir? >> irrelevant, your honor.

objection. >> it's argumentative, sustained on that ground. >> the prosecutor forced derek to admit he had tried to convince crystal to terminate her pregnancy. >> did you tell her to get an abortion? >> not directly, ma'am, no. >> so indirectly you told her to get an abortion, is that your statement? >> yes, ma'am, yes, ma'am. >> and for all his talk about losing crystal, the prosecutor pointed out he never once tried to console her family. >> did you send flowers to the family when she died? >> no, ma'am. >> did you send the family a card, a sympathy card when she was murdered? >> no, ma'am. >> all of it was an attempt to show the jury that the calm soft-spoken derek smyer on the stand was a con. the real derek was an unrepentant criminal amused by his failed attempt at bank fraud. >> i didn't get my cut. >> and you think that's funny, don't you? >> no. i'm very embarrassed about it, which is why i paused. i was very hesitant to say that, but i wanted to tell the truth. >> well, that smile on your

face, i think, mr. smyer, would you agree, said it all? >> as for derek's story about going to his aunt's the night before the murder to deliver a crock-pot? the prosecution let derek and the jury know they thought it was a crock of something else. >> you didn't tell detective smith about a trip to your aunt, did you? >> no ma'am. >> maybe he was confident. maybe he was smug. and maybe he was a little too familiar with the rules of criminal law. >> mr. smyer, you didn't want another child. if crystal taylor had had that baby, you would have had to support two kids in 2001. right? >> i'm sorry. i believe that's compound. >> i don't know which one's the lawyer. what do i do? >> he tried to woo the the jury over with -- yeah, like, he just knew the law. >> so impressed with himself. >> he was very impressed with himself. >> that -- that -- arrogance almost just drives you nuts. >> then, once again, derek's

fate was in the hands of the jury. which derek would they believe was the real one? this time crystal's family didn't have to wait nearly as long for a decision. deliberations took barely more than a day. >> they brought the jury in. >> how's derek look? >> he looks cocky and arrogant like he -- he believes he's going to get a not guilty verdict. >> we the jury in the above-entitled action find the defendant, derek paul smyer, guilty of the crime of murder. >> i got to run out of there because now i can't even hold in emotion. i wanted to scream by then. like, ooh. i was so happy. i -- i was so happy. i was more happy than i've ever been in my life. >> across the aisle, a different emotion. >> they read that guilty verdict, and it's like time froze. i was in shock. how does this happen? >> outside the courtroom, a gesture from the opposing side caught danielle off guard.

>> michelle came up to me in that hallway. i didn't shed any tears because i was trying to contain my emotion. and she hugged me. and she said she was sorry. and i bursted in tears. i busted in tears because that to me is a true example of humanity, regardless of what we've gone through, and our families have both gone through a lot, lost a lot, continuing to grieve. but i appreciated the humanity that she showed. >> derek smyer was sentenced to life without parole. c-styles was also convicted in

crystal's murder and received two life sentences also without parole to be served consecutively. crystal's son javonte has reconnected with his dad, but still hurts from the loss of his mom. >> i'm always going to miss her. but, you know, i don't think she'd want me to linger to like just let it hold me back, everything that's happened. >> she wouldn't want you to be mi miserable. >> yes. >> easier said than done sometimes. >> yeah, that's true. but i had a lot of people to help me. good family. good friends. >> crystal's family, once splintered, now feel they are coming together again. it's not the same, they say, as when crystal was with them, but it's slowly getting better. and they have a plea for other potential crystal taylors out there. >> nothing can bring crystie back. this won't save her. this won't change anything for us. but somebody knows they're in a relationship like this. tell somebody. if it can happen to crystie, it can happen to anybody.

>> if you're with somebody who makes you feel threatened, tell someone, loudly, and now. and if you hear someone else, speak up. don't let a cry for help go by. i'm craig melvin. >> and i'm natalie morales. >> and this is "dateline." we are agonizing for these last two years. initially, it was panic. and then, it turned into torment. i was concerned that she was hurt somewhere. i felt so helpless. kelly bordeaux was always there for others. >> she liked to help people that needed help. >> reporter: there for her friends. there for her country. >> this was a good fit for her? the army? >> she wanted to be an officer. >> her personal life was a little more