>> 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. >> 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 there. >> 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.

>> 9-1-1. >> yes, i'd like to report a gunshot. there's a woman... she shot she's... laying on the floor in the garage. >> 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 scene. >> 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 go into her 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, too. the right now they were all in shock. >> i got there 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 she didn't make it she didn't make it. >> driving on the freeway and all of a sudden i just fell she was at. >> the news that they had lost their baby sister was unbearable. crystal it taylor is just 27. >> when i got 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 too. >> 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 screamed. >> 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, no. >> 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.

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tried 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 or 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 crystal 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 ten year old, 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, but there had been conflict over child support in the past. crystal had obtained a court order requiring kenneth to pay. so, two 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 as 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, b, 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 whip. 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? >> 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. >> 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 true. >> did he acknowledge that crystal was pregnant with his child? >> should he acknowledge that she was pregnant. but 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 hair. >> 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 quiet 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 derrick 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 and off 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.

>>, >> i'm dara brown with breaking news. senator mark kelly is projected to win the senate race. -- he bested his republican opponent blake masters who was endorsed by former president donald trump and, all eyes turn to nevada next where democratic senator katherine cortez masto is in a tight race for reelection against the republican, adam laxalt, an update on that vote count is expected later today, stay tuned, to msnbc for all the latest news. now back to dateline! now back to dateline >> sometimes the things that

people have to deal with after a loved one is murdered only at 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 chair 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 brought in 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 what are 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, they -- >> 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 nobility 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. ♪ ♪ ♪♪ voltaren. the joy of movement. ♪♪ music (i swear) jaycee tried gain flings for the first time the other day...and forgot where she was. you can always spot a first timer. gain flings with oxi boost and febreze. >> 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 the 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. we 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 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 offends 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 in prison. 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 -- nd i have never been more active. shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50. but shingrix protects. proven over 90% effective, shingrix is a vaccine used to prevent shingles in adults 50 years and older. shingrix does not protect everyone and is not for those with severe allergic reactions to its ingredients or to a previous dose. an increased risk of guillain-barré syndrome was observed after getting shingrix. fainting can also happen. the most common side effects are pain,

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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 work 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 hugged 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 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 that 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 wrong way. 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 walk right past us. >> williams had never forgotten crystal taylor. he had taken her case file with him as he moved up the promotional ladder 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? >> 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 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 california 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. detective mitt had worked with hawthorne pd about the case. 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 my husband and i have never been more active. shingles doesn't care. i go to spin classes with my coworkers. good for you, shingles doesn't care. because no matter how healthy you feel, your risk of shingles sharply increases after age 50.

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second. the speed of justice is not nearly as fast. crystal taylor was killed september 25th, 2001. ten years later, her unsolved murder was still an open case. detectives believe that skylar more, aka c-styles was the person who shot her. but they didn't have enough evidence to try him. and they thought that the father of her unborn child might have been involved as well. but there was nothing linking him to see styles except for possibly the alleged trigger man himself and now l.a. sheriff's detectives, richard lopez and ben smith, where at a california prison sitting right across from c-styles. >> remember we had arrested you in that case where that woman was killed who was pregnant? in hawthorne? later there was that other murder? >> i need a little bit more

detail. >> you don't remember when we arrested you? usually people at least remember when i arrested them. >> nothing like that. >> c-styles was saying even less than he did back in 2001. so detective lopez gave it a try. he questioned a lot of gang members and he knew that sea styles had enemies in prison. >> you're 28 years old, and you're really tired looking over your back. because that's why you're in the whole. because you can't go in the main yard right? okay well, we're looking for some help in 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 wear though? >> arizona, illinois, tennessee. >> detective lopez assured c-styles that this wasn't your typical police interrogation. >> we didn't read to your miranda rights, right? so anything you say cannot be used against you.

we're not trying to put a case on you, we're just trying to get to the truth. >> then, detective lopez showed him some photos of krystal taylor and derek smyer. >> i got a sneaky suspicion that you might recognize some of those faces. okay? you're, skyler, from what we know. you know what's up. okay? it's a good act though. it's survival. and, you know, no one supposed to talk to the police. i know that. but everybody does. you know that. >> there are told from when they're young kids. snitches get stages. and you don't talk to the police. so when you finally break that barrier, and you come, and you open the floodgates. they have a tendency to talk. and all the things that bothered them when they were in the, life began to come out. >> and that's what happened there? >> yes. >> bit by bit, c-styles started to talk. turns out it was him in the park with derek. he met derek playing pick up basketball. at the same park where derek met krystal. and that was the connection that investigators have longed

look for. between c-styles and derek smyer. and c-styles said back in the summer of 2001, garrett began complaining about a problem named crystal tylor. >> he described derrick as being desperate because of this pregnant girl. he said that derek had called him a gold digger, and by getting rid of her, that takes care of the problem of having child support. >> so he said that he and derrick worked out a deal, c-styles would pull the trigger. and derek smyer would owe him a favor. >> did he promise you money? did he promise you don't? >> it was just a mixture. he basically promised me loyalty and whatnot. >> so that's why i say, money was really a factor. because this is gonna 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 and things of it that way, but in

skyler's mind it was easier for him to do. he could do this and that there could be indebted to him. >> and there would be no money trail linking the two man. c-styles said derrick told him where krystal lived. >> he got to the location, he's there waiting for the victims to come down the stairs. in fact, i believe he runs in charge history. >> the day before? >> the day before. right. exactly. so he goes and lies and wait for her. and she comes out of the car. and he shooter. and then he runs out of the garage area. >> you're looking at the guy who by all accounts is a hard gang bang or, living that life. what is in it for him to confess to one 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 of pregnant woman bothered him? killing the other people didn't bother him? >> did not seem. to know. >> police thought they finally had the story of who killed

crystal taylor. but it was a story that they could not tell in court. not yet anyway. >> coming up! that dynamic duo of sister detectives was not done yet. >> they shift their focus to? derek >> we always thought he should not get away with it. >> when dateline continues! teline continues an make it hard. now i'm staying ahead of it. dupixent helps heal your skin from within. so you can have clearer skin and noticeably less itch. serious allergic reactions can occur that can be severe. tell your doctor about new or worsening eye problems such as eye pain or vision changes including blurred vision, joint aches and pain, or a parasitic infection. don't change or stop asthma medicines without talking to your doctor. ask your doctor about dupixent. tis' the season to buy the maytag pet pro pair. ask your doctor so you and your sweater can forget all about those hairy situations. enjoy instant savings, when you purchase multiple appliances. shop daily steals this black friday, exclusively at lowe's.

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family, crystals murder was an ugly scar that was never going to heal. >> we were still obsessed with it. >> but you still wanted? announcer >> we still wanted an answer. >> then the phone rang, the detective shared their big news about the prison interview with c-styles. >> and they said, well, the shooter confessed. >> and told them that it was derek smyer who put him up to it. >> in his confession, mr. styles said that he saw another woman on the stairs. and thought maybe that was

crispy that. with you? >> yeah. and he said he considered killing me. i was devastated. >> you are that close to getting killed? >> yeah. >> detectives still had to figure out how to use c-styles off-the-record confession, to make an on the record case against derek smyer. in the meantime, the sisters michelle and monica could not resist to going back to prowling the streets. looking for cruz. >> carrie and lacey shifted their focus to derek? >> we didn't think that he should get away with it. when the police said that we were gonna talk to you about the case. i have a notebook now. we were like oh mr. myers! and then i go back and i felt, -- >> they also figured out where derek lived. >> you regularly or are driving by his house? >> no, they were back on the job. since the case was reopened. 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 she styles had told him. >> that description of the place, the description of meeting the victims system the day prior, the way they ran out of the place. all of those things matched what they were telling us. we were able to corroborate. >> with all that information, lopez decided to take a chance. arrest eric, apply some pressure, and see if he would crack, so nine years and ten months after krystal taylor's murder, derek's meyer once again sat in a police interview room. >> he he felt like he had felt like he had to to control control everything that happened everything that in the interview. happened in the interview. he would answer a question, but before he would answer it he would give a preamble to why his answer was this.

>> he told derrick that sea styles had confessed and implicated derek. derrick denied everything. lopez thought he was lying. what he was not doing was cracking. >> i said, you are not a likable person. i do not know if anybody is going to believe you. but he did not seem to mind. >> of course it is possible that derek wasn't worried, because he wasn't worried how is derrick doing, does he seem like a guy was a cloud overhead? >> no he seems like a guy who is flourishing. >> derrick's sister danielle was shocked at the arrest. she says that the way that he the way she and eric grew up as a world away from a guy like sea styles, and guy crimes like murder. >> we played, we were into sports, we had two extremely active parents who are part of all of our sports leagues, who are taking us to summer camps. >> she said that directed go

off track in high school, but he was just 16 when tracey got pregnant. it was news their parents were not happy to hear. they >> were in shock. especially my dad he is very traditional, believes that children should be born in wedlock, as derek and i were. >> derrick's daughter sydney was born in april of 1998, and instantly derrick's myra to be an adult. >> he dropped out of high school so that he can get a full-time job, and even though he was not making much, he was still doing what he could to support that baby. >> that changes your life? >> that changes your life. >> and it forestalls a lot of your options? >> absolutely. but, derek he was a hardworking job. >> in 2002, the year after krystal dog, derek had another daughter with a same woman. for the most part, he was not a full-time dad, but danielle said he was in his children's

lives as was the smyer family. danielle insists that this father of two would not commission a murder over an unplanned pregnancy, if in fact he even was the father of crystals child. >> did derrick tell you he was dating crystal? >> i had never heard of krystal taylor until he was lasted in 2000. 11 >> did eric ever mention that he had gotten a girl pregnant? >> no he did not tell me that. >> and she was adamant there is no way her brother hung out with a gang banner see styles,, ever made him? >> ever hear derek talk? about >> him never. -- >> my parents were extremely traditional, they were not into gang violence or any of that nonsense. derek would not bring gang members to the house, or affiliate himself with any of

that nonsense. furthermore, no one's ever seen derek with a gang. mother >> and that she styles was a liar. >> he was known as aj elves snitch, and he has harassed and beaten up by people where he is currently housed at. the deal for him is that he gets relocated out of state, where nobody knows him. she >> says the cops simply took the path of least resistance. >> they had it out from derrick for the start. >> he seemed like the probable person, my brother is not a perfect man, but him being pulled in and harassed by the police, is children being taken from them. it is not my brother's fault. my brother is an innocent man. >> and maybe she was right. just days after derek was arrested, the da said there was not enough evidence to

prosecute him. >> we had to let him go and it was tough letting him go. derek mayer was once again a free man. >> i bet he thought he was clear, that he thought he was done and never going to see us. again >> if that is true, he was wrong. coming up, someone steps forward with a stunning new lead. >> she was assaulted and her neck was cut. >> another attack on another pregnant woman. when dateline continues. eline continues. or a double shift. make your move and get out in front of eczema with steroid-free cibinqo. not an injection, cibinqo is a once-daily pill for adults who didn't respond to previous treatments. and it's proven to help provide clearer skin and relieve itch fast. cibinqo continuously treats eczema whether you're flaring or not. cibinqo can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. before and during treatment, your doctor should check for infections and do blood tests.

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promoted conspiracy theories about the 2020 election and marched on the capitol on january 6th. now back to dateline. ck to dateline derrick smyer was out of jail. he insisted that 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 krystal killed. they spoke with tracey, the mother of derrick'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 derrick's first child. >> she got lured to the back of her apartment on the promise of being taken to a doctor's appointment buys meyer. 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 derrick had never asked to take her to the doctor before, and instead of taking her, she asked her to come to the rear of the law where it is darker and there is not much access to public view. >> there is the scar from the attack and according to tracey, it was just the beginning. >> and that was not the last time she was assaulted while she was pregnant? >> no it was not. >> tracy 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 assailant tried to kick her in the stomach. >> that person was never caught? >> that's right. >> and the person who qatar throw in the previous incident was never? caught >> that's correct. >> she believes derrick was behind both attacks and he says that she wanted he wanted her to have an abortion, but that

she refused. >> our you are pregnant by one guy and you get lured to the back of your apartment building, and somebody tries to kill you, why do you continue your relationship with that guy? >> you have to understand mr. derrick's myre, and one thing he is is a manipulator of women. >> the cops saw a pattern, one that was reinforced by something else that they learned. >> as the investigation continued, we discovered that derek had been to present for a federal offense. he was scamming money from a bank. >> it happened in 2000. for here is derrick in this fuzzy bank security photo, stealing money from other people's bank accounts. it turned out he had a girlfriend who worked at a credit union, he got account numbers from her and use them to move money into accounts that he controlled. >> what happened to the $2,000 a? scammed >> the investigators they did not find anything, we try to look for two, we do not find any.

>> you heard about derrick serving federal time on that bank charge? >> yes, i was not surprised. and i was not surprised at who used as an accomplice. >> his girlfriend? >> yes. >> why were you not surprised by that? >> because derek possesses that kind of selfish type of, what can you do for me type of mentality? >> manipulative? >> manipulator, self centered, and arrogant. >> maybe that is why derek never shied away from talking with the cops and why he never asked for a lawyer. or, maybe he just was not guilty. >> he never thought he was smarter than we were, in a way. what we have? >> derek was briefly arrested, they asked him who is with on anderson park on the day he was murdered. >> detectives williams thought later that it was probably see styles, but cops had no way to prove it. and then, under questioning,

derrick gave them one. >> he said, i saw a woman in the backseat. >> the backseat of detective williams police car. the woman derrick saw was jaren petito, his friend from work who had a company detective williams. derrick said he saw her quite clearly. >> the look on her face was, she was totally distraught. that is what he said. which >> which gave detective lopez an idea. >> he is at close to see that he is totally distraught, and she should have a pretty good look at who is talking. >> throughout the time, no one at thought to show janet alito a photo of sea styles. but now they did. and she said, >> that is who derrick is talking to in the park. >> that is the missing link. a witness that could connect see styles to derrick's meyer. then, one last piece. the da thought they wanted dc styles interviewed again. >> i am jeannette myers, the

da. >> this time they made sure what he said could be used in court. >> you have the right to remain silent, do you understand? >> yes. >> she styles told the same story with the same details. how he met derek, and how derek wanted help with krystal taylor. >> you talk about when you are going to kill her but -- >> i told him asap. as soon as i get the opportunity. >> derek once again arrested derrick smyer for the murder of krystal 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 krystal? >> witnesses testified to hearing him arguing that she was confronting her killer. >> that is when she was shot? >> absolutely. was this murder a hit at all? >> this is breaking me. >> when dateline continues. hen dateline continues

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arrest derrick's meyer for the murder of krystal taylor. it took another five years to bring him to trial and detective robbie williams knew that the case was not airtight. >> the jury likes dna. >> dna, blood, in this case money transfer, in this case lack of cell phone records attaching him to defendants together. >> the only thing connecting derek to the murder is the confession of the trigger man, skyler more, a casey styles but there is no guarantee that the jury would take the word of a gang banner over the word of a clean cut derrick smyer. so it was with nervous anticipation that crystals family filed into the courthouse on july 11th, 2016.

>> facts, and the law, and your common sense will lead you to one conclusion. crystal taylor died at the hands of skyler more and derek smile or. >> prosecutor generic millers and the attacks on the other girlfriend, racy williamson, were no coincidence. >> he has motive to do it because he does not want to have the kids, he does not want to pay child support. >> the prosecution claimed that while derek may have failed to stop tracey from having her two children, he found the right man for the job for stopping krystal, it is basketball buddy she styles. >> he is a gang member, he is a killer. mr. smyer knew who to go to when he wanted krystal taylor taken care of. >> have a seat. >> prosecutors show the jury

the hitman confession. >> from the front way stairs, it was still kind of dark. that's when, i killed her. >> how did you do that? what did you do? >> just shot. or >> when you left the area, did you, go back and tell derrick what you had done? >> i'm, 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 to 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 says she styles made up a story that 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 is why he did it. >> you think police? >> absolutely, because they had a hunch, they went with my client and excluded others. >> neither told the jury that without see styles confession, there was no evidence linking derek to the murder. >> they are alleging multiple conversations, planning without any proof of where, when, how. there are no emails before more and smyer. there are no text messages or phone calls. the defense betrayed derek who loved his children, not one who would try to have him murdered. >> there is mr. smyer again, in the hospital, holding his baby. i think it is important when you are looking at this case that you evaluate his expression on his face in these photos. proud father or killer? not >> not only was there smyer

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

>> and you think that is what you? shot >> absolutely. the >> the defense suggested javante's father killed crystal, never mind that police had cleared him early on. >> there is lawyer told the jury that their client was an innocent man. >> this tragedy would be compounded if you convict a person that is not involved. >> and i am asking for a not guilty verdict on all counts, thank you very much. >> krystal's family worried that they can only hope that the jury believed styles confession and not his recant asian of it. the await for a verdict was agonizing. >> that was painful. >> one day passed, then two, three days in. >> i am nervous, i do not want to do this again. i cannot do this again. it is not easy. >> then, it was a week, then one week turned into two. >> i'm just praying, no matter

what i see here or, i just keep crying. >> every day, the waiting was harder. that was true for derrick's family to. >> i started getting nervous, there every day, anxiously waiting >> i would see the jurors come out of their, right in the face, almost like they are arguing back there. >> like i had been? yelling >> like they'd been yelling. >> we have a record -- >> after 21 days, the jury reassemble 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. i hope by the time they do it again, they pull it back together. but today i do not want to do it again. >> coming up, trial number two. this time, new evidence.

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the it was like their own nightmarish groundhog day. but nearly nine months after the mistrial, crystal taylor's family entered a courthouse, wondering if this time justice would finally be served? >> are you feeling any better about the second trial, that you were about the beginning of the first? trial >> i was, because we knew what to expect. we knew what they were going to say, and we knew it we had. >> and what you didn't? have >> right. we hope that whatever mistakes were made from the first trial, we were prepared and would do better. >> two big differences this time around. first, skyler moore, a casey styles was on trial along with derek, although each defendant had their own defendant.

and they would not see c-styles videotaped confession. so prosecutors focused on derrick's motive. here is a man, they told the jury, who would do almost anything to avoid paying child support. >> krystal and her five month unborn child were killed with one gunshot. one gunshot, to the back of her head. >> that, said the prosecution, fit the pattern. they called derrick's old girlfriend tracy williamson, who repeated her story that the first time she was pregnant she was attacked by a man she didn't. no >> he put a knife to my throat. >> did he cut you with an? i've >> yes. >> and then, during her second pregnancy, a second attack. >> somebody came and slapped me in the face. i went on the side of the car, and somebody stomped me on my stomach and my face. >> then, derrick's own daughter

took the stand against him. she did not testify in the first trial, but she told this jury that derek seemed to hate being a father. >> he would calm during major occasions, birthdays and things like that. he was very ill tempered. he did not spend much time with me, and when it did it just seemed like it was for show. if people were around, he would behave a certain way, and when those people left he would go back to his ill temper dennis and his kind of, monsters ways. >> to help explain how derek had krystal killed, prosecutors again called her sister michelle who had been through the emotional ringer when she testified at the first trial. >> i was afraid of what he was going to do to me, mentally, the second time. i was afraid for myself. >> now they're the last,

michelle muster the courage to take the stand and testify to seeing the alleged gunman c-styles in their apartment complex today before her sister's murder. >> i told him that he startled me, and asked him what he was doing there. >> the jury also heard from chauvin a hall, in middle school at the time, now an adult who said she still remembers seeing c-styles fleeing the crime scene. >> what did you hear? >> it was like a gunshot. like a big noise, basically. >> what next occurred? >> we see somebody running past us. >> prosecutors then had to connect c-styles with derek smyer. for that they rely on to eyewitnesses. >> detective williams told the jury that he was pretty sure c-styles was with derek at the park on the day crystal tylor was ambushed and murdered. >> it was not until you saw him

in person that you are able to remember that he resembled the person you saw the park? >> yes. >> as before, crystals friend and coworker, janet left no doubt with her definitive testimony. >> as you sit here today, did you see both of those individuals in the park? >> yes? >> gianna also told the jurors that well krystal was excited to have another son, she was afraid to tell derek she was pregnant, so janet told him for her via email. >> after you sent the email to derek smyer, did you get a phone call? >> yes i did. >> it was derek smyer and he was not happy. but >> he did not want no kids,. he did not wander to have the baby. >> did he say anything to you about trying to do something with? krystal >> he just said if i can get her to get rid of the baby, he can.

but he does not want to have a baby. >> and gianna recalled the day before krystal was murdered, her first day back at work, derrick called again. >> could you hear anything with respect to the conversation she was having? >> no, the only thing i heard was before she hung up the phone she was like, whatever. because she was crying, she was like whatever. she got it 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 the photo of derek on the high school back spoil teen, proving that he did play basketball. an important detail because police believed derek met skyler more on the basketball court. the second new piece of evidence was security footage from the night before krystal's murder.

a place derrick at the 7:11 near krystal taylor's home, and skyler moors. it proved, they said, that derek had lied about its whereabouts in 2001. where he told police that he was miles from crystals hawthorne, home at night. >> did he ever tell you that he went to the same 11? >> no. >> as the evidence was mounting against him, derek's defense went on offense, portraying the mother as his two children as a liar whose testimony could not be trusted. >> have you lied to your family members like your aunt, sister danielle, about things about mr. smyer? >> i do not know what you are talking about the, you have to be specific. >> lied furious? people lie all the time. you lie. >> tracy williamson was an admitted liar, and untruthful. so you could not believe what she. said >> as for krystal's friend gianna, who said that she saw c-styles and derek smyer

together. >> the defense says derrick was with a high school friend, and eric sister danielle said derek mata gangbangers on the basketball court is absurd. but he grew up playing basketball in a bunch of other score. did he play in high? school >> he did in high school, he played high school up until's junior. have not touched a basketball, since derrick's not play basketball. >> in this court, everything was on the line. that is when dire derrick's meyer never shied away from explaining himself in the past, took the stand. i coming up, derrick but a dutiful dad to be? >> i was prepared to take care of my responsibility. when dateline continues. ine continues.

it is a calculated risk for a defendant to testify at a trial.

derrick 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's? >> yes i do. >> what was the date? >> it was today, actually. april 26, 1998. >> and you are there for the birth, correct? >> of course. >> derrick told the jury that 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 that he had nothing to do with the attacks on trey sewell she was pregnant. >> did you ever attack it because he wanted the kid killed, you wanted her to have an abortion? >> no, i did not. in fact that pointed already dropped out of school, i was working, i was buying bottles, others invested in the well-being of my daughter. >> derrick told the jury that

he was a good dad to his children with, tracy and plan to treat krystal and their child the same way. >> were you angry that miss taylor was going to keep this child? >> no sir. >> was not this going to ruin your? life >> or are you worried about having to pay child support for 18 years? >> no sir. >> why not? >> i was prepared to take care of my responsibility. >> he admitted he did call crystal leading up to her death, but derrick 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? >> because i know before she was having morning sickness. >> derek make sure to let jurors know that he, like crystals family, with -- >> how long did you work at bounty? >> until about two weeks after we lost krystal. >> krystal's family heard that and seized. >> it bothered me so much to hear him say that because he never called, he never cared,

he does not care. >> as for the prosecutor theory that he had just a plot on the basketball court with skyler moore, aka c-styles to kill crystal taylor. impossible, said derek. for two reasons. >> did you ever play basketball? >> but more importantly. >> prior to this case, have you ever seen skyler more in your life? >> derek also had an explanation as to why he showed up in security video at a 7:11 near both their homes. he said he stopped for cash being at his aunts house nearby. >> my mother asked my mom to take a cooking device. it was something round, either crock-pot or a pressure cooker. >> he denied any involvement in krystal's murder. >> did you have her killed? did you have a shot in the head so she could not give birth to your baby? >> >> no i did not. >> nothing further. >> but derrick was not done on

the stand. now came the risky part. cross-examination by a prosecutor, determined to show the other side of erik smyer. >> why did you ask her to get a paternity? test >> because i was being responsible. >> i see. but wouldn't being responsible being putting on a condom? >> irrelevant. >> the prosecutor forced derek to admit that he had tried to convince crystal to terminate her pregnancy. >> did you tell her to get an abortion? >> not directly, no. >> so indirectly you told her to get an abortion? >> yes ma'am. >> for all this talk about losing krystal, the prosecutor pointed out that he never once tried to console her family. >> did you send flowers to the family when she died? >> 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, softspoken derek speier on the stand was a con. the real deric was an unrepentant criminal, amused by the failed attempt at bank fraud. >> i did not get my caught. >> and you think that's funny, don't you? >> no, i am embarrassed by which, is why i paused. i am very embarrassed about, if i want to tell the truth. >> that smile on your faces something. ellis >> as fargo into stance than i before the murder to deliver a crock pot. the prosecution let derrick know they thought it was a crock of something else. >> you did not talk about a trip to year on did you? >> no ma'am. >> maybe he was, arrogant smog, and too familiar with the rules of the law. >> derek, you did not one another child. if she had had that baby he would've had to support two kids in 2000. for right?

>> i'm sorry, i believe that is compound. >> i do not know which ones to worry about. >> he tried to who the jury over like he knew the law. >> he was so impressed with himself. >> he was very impressed with himself. >> it almost -- >> then, once again, derek's fate was in the hands of the jury. >> which derek what they believe was the real one? this time crystal's family did not have to wait nearly as long for a decision. deliberations took barely more than a day. >> they brought the jury in. >> how does derrick look? >> he looks cocky and arrogant, like he believes he is going to get a not guilty verdict. >> we the jury find the defendant, derek paul's meyer, guilty of the crime of murder. >> i've got to run out of there because i cannot even hold an emotion. i want to scream by the end. i was so happy, i was so happy.

i was more happy than i had ever been in my life. >> across the aisle, a different emotion. >> they read that guilty verdict and it is 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 had not shed any tears because i tried to contain my emotion, and 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. regardless of what we have 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. >> derrick smyer was sentenced to life without parole. c-styles was also convicted in crystals murder and receive two life sentences, also without parole, to because served consecutively. krystal's son javante has reconnected with his dad, but still hurts from the loss of his mom. >> i'm always going to miss her, but i do not think she would want me to linger, to let it hold me back. everything that is happened. >> she would not want you to be? miserable >> yes. >> easier said than done, sometimes. >> that is true, but i have a lot of people to help me. good family, good friends. >> krystal's family, one splintered, now feel they are coming together again. it is not the same as when

krystal was with some, but it is slowly getting better and they have a plea for other potential crystal tailors out there. >> nothing can bring chrissy back. this will not fade her, it will not change anything for us. but somebody knows they are in a relationship like this, tell somebody. if it can happen to chrissy, it can happen to anybody. >> if you are with somebody who makes you feel threatened, tell somebody loudly and now. and if you hear someone else, speak up. do not let a cry for help go by. but bu i am craig melvin, and this is dateline. >> her father always told me to keep an eye on her. you >> had made a promise to him? >> yeah. to make sure she was okay. i was going to find her. >> you just knew as her mom that something w