selling book. that is tonight at 9:00 p.m. eastern and streaming on peacock. that will do it for me. thank you for watching. be sure to watch tomorrow. tune in tomorrow to the sunday show. when congressman robert garcia and congresswoman maxine waters joins me to talk about donald trump's latest alarming revelations about what he plans if elected to a second term. plus, former dc metropolitan police officer discusses trump's assertion he considered pardoning all the january 6th insurrectionists. storm at 6:00 p.m. eastern on msnbc. remember to follow us on x, instagram, tiktok, threads, using the handle at weekend capehart. you can catch clips of the show on youtube and listen to every episode of the show for free. scan the qr code on your screen. r code on your screen. she hugged me. she said she was sorry. and i burst did in tears.

i burst did in tears because that, to me, is a true example of humanity. >> two families torn apart by one devastating crime. a young mom named 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 is who she was. >> police zeroed in on the man in her life. one, two, three of them. >> we were trying to found out who would have the motivation to do this. >> to help find crystals killer, her sisters would turn

amateur detectives. >> i couldn't even sleep. i needed an answer. bye that was my baby sister. >> the twist that stopped everyone cold? there had been another attack on another pregnant woman. >> she was assaulted and her neck was cut. >> who is targeting moms to be? >> in this life for the next are going to pay for what you've done wrong. >> how does this happen? >> in the mega sprawl of los angeles county, the city of hawthorne occupies about 6 mi.2. one of them, especially glamorous. for decades, local pride centered on the beach boys. they grew up here and quickly left. nowadays, it is tech giants like spacex, with headquarters at the local airport, but the heart and soul of hawthorne was and is working families,

strivers who stay close and look out for each other. this is a story about one of those families. they faced ups and downs like everyone else, and always worked through them together. until one moment, one mormon -- morning, one bullet came to tear them apart. growing up, sisters crystal, michelle, and monica taylor were always there for each other. >> we have this tradition of having a family support group. >> it was their mother, known as momo, who set the tone. >> i thought it was the most wonderful family there was. you know, my mom and i were best friends. my little sister and i were best friends so i thought life was great. >> i am the oldest, michelle is the middle and crystie is the baby and she was every bit the baby. she was my mom's baby. >> crystal taylor was the youngest by six years and both older sisters thought momo loves kristi a little extra.

spoiled her, too, say michelle and monica. >> she talked to her every day and as soon as she started talking to my mom she started talking like an eight-year-old come all the time. her niece remembers crystie is a romantic dreamer. >> she was just really down to earth happy to be at home watching movies or she would watch the same movie all the time and she would love love stories. hope floats, ever after -- >> those of -- are all stories that have women who find love in improbable ways and end up with a happily ever after. >> i know she wanted a fairytale life. 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 singing it never rains in southern california and labor and shaking the bed like what? >> crystal called her little boy javonte, against the wishes of the boys father. >> he came in the room and we were in there and he's like i want his name to be junior and she's like and labor. stop labor. no. she said well, no, because i'm not marrying him and if i get married to somebody else i don't want to have two juniors. >> so she made the decision she was having the baby that she was not going to be his wife. >> but that was crystie. she made a decision, there was no changing her mind. >> wrapped in the big blanket of her family, crystal knew she and javonte would do just

fine. >> we love babies. strangers babies, anybody baby. >> anybody say that's too young to be having a baby? >> no. we all had babies young. >> we still said it. it would still be said but it was always followed by your stuck in a finish school. you made your life harder but you're going to have this baby. >> everybody finish school, started a career and raise their children on their own successfully. >> as javonte grew, crystie grew up. >> she really took care of her baby, went to work and like brought her lunch because she was never spending any money. if she went to the movies with her son, he knew not to ask for snacks. she would not spend any money. >> money was for the important things like javonte's education. >> she always talked about his promise when he goes to college, what she wanted him to do with his life and how she wanted him to be different so she took her job as a mother really seriously. >> by 2001, michelle, crystie,

and their kids were living in two separate apartments in the same apartment building in hawthorne. even moore lived there until her health began to fail and she moved to texas for her sister-in-law, a nurse, could take care of her. but soon came word, momo is in bad shape. come quick. that day was easy to remember. it was september 11th, 2001. they could not fly. no one in the u.s. could, so they drove from hawthorne to texas. crystie would not leave momo is side the entire time they were there. >> she's like am sorry but i came here to see mom. she wasn't leaving her room, like she was just focused on her. >> and that worked. your mom came around. >> oh, yeah. >> 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. >> yes, i would like to report a gunshot. there is a woman laying on the floor in the garage. >> soon after, a neighbor of crystie's -- called tia with some brutal news. >> she had screamed the most harrowing screen. >> coming up, a family in anguish. >> i broke down crying. i just cried myself to sleep that night. >> m, the first clues to the mystery. >> what's going on here? >> that was her question. >> when dateline continues. tio >> when dateline continues. oooh! i can't wait for this family getaway! shingles doesn't care.

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like to report a gunshot. there is a woman who was shot. she is laying on the floor in the garage. >> minutes after a 911 call, the hawthorne police arrived at crystal taylor's apartment building. detective robbie williams was not far behind. >> i was at my desk and i received a call from the patrol units that they had a young lady who was unresponsive. it appeared that she may have suffered a gunshot wound to the head. >> williams arrived and quickly sized up the scene. >> there were officers already trying to revive her. she is laying down in the lobby area of her apartment complex, at least from the upper stairs, which are the apartment's and to the garage area and then we just start getting into the processing of the crime scene, making sure we identify as many witnesses and whether there are 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 are kids walking to school, people preparing themselves for their day of work so a lot of people were out and a lot of people reported hearing a gunshot. >> a father making breakfast for his kids looked out 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 herded and saw a man holding a shining object. he jumped a fence and ran north. >> anybody actually see the shooting? >> no, and no surveillance cameras captured it either. >> was she rubbed? >> the evidence does not support a robbery. her purse was still intact. the amount of time between someone hearing a shot and someone else seeing someone running away from the crime scene does not necessarily support a robbery. >> was she sexually assaulted? >> no evidence supported that. her clothes appeared to be intact. >> was anything amiss in her apartment?

>> no. it did not appear that there was a conflict, no sign of any physical confrontation. >> so, what is 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 would have questions, too, but right now, they were all in shock. >> i got there first. they were like, go in this room that was off to the side. i had already been to the hospital a lot with my mom so i know they took the family to a side room so i told them no, i don't want to go in there. i want to see about my sister, so then the doctor came out and he told me he was like well, she didn't make it. >> i'm driving on the freeway and all of a sudden i just felt like she wasn't here. >> the news that they had lost their baby sister was unbearable. crystal taylor was just 27.

>> when i got in, michelle was on the floor. i tried to hug her. >> now, they had to tell their ailing momo her baby was gone. >> when i had to call my mom and say somebody killed crystie, she screamed the most harrowing screen and i just know, this is going to kill mama, too. >> there's nothing worse than burying your kids. >> no. >> when you are already so sick -- i remember when i was talking to my mom i was like don't believe me. >> telling crystal's 10-year- old son was even harder. >> we kind of sat next to him like javonte, your mom died. he crossed his arms like this and he just kind of leaned back. >> your mom died. they did not say how. you will kind of shielded javonte from what had happened. >> yes. we were older and cannot grasp what had happened to her, so

why give it to him? >> so, in one day his whole world goes away. no mom, no more home, no more life as he knew it. >> he taught himself to like not even talk about it. like he learned to just -- i don't know, he just sat down. >> even now, javonte seems almost numb when talking about the worst day of his life. >> that day, i pretty much broke down crying. i cried myself to sleep that night. >> you remember that? >> yes. >> do you remember what she looked like? >> yes. >> i heard you can't remember the sound of her voice. does that bother you? >> a bit, yes. >> this family tragedy would only get worse, because crystal taylor was not 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 men in crystal's life,

three of them. >> trying to find out who would have motivation to do this. >> when dateline continues. tel come on. i already got a pneumonia vaccine, but i'm asking about the added protection of prevnar 20®. if you're 19 or older with certain chronic conditions like asthma, diabetes, copd, or heart disease, or are 65 or older, you are at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. prevnar 20® is approved in adults to help prevent infections from 20 strains of the bacteria that cause pneumococcal pneumonia. in just one dose. don't get prevnar 20® if you've had a severe allergic reaction to the vaccine or its ingredients. adults with weakened immune systems may have a lower response to the vaccine. the most common side effects were pain and swelling at the injection site, muscle pain, fatigue, headache, and joint pain. i want to be able to keep my plans. i don't want to risk ending up in the hospital with pneumococcal pneumonia. that's why i chose prevnar 20®. ask your doctor or pharmacist about the pfizer vaccine for pneumococcal pneumonia. while i am a paid actor, and this is not a real company, there is no way to fake how upwork can help your business.

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you know, we're trying to find out who would when we start re-creating that person's life you know, we are trying to find out who would have the motivation to do this and oftentimes, a civilian like she was, not involved in any criminal enterprises, we tend to focus on 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 a woman arguing. is that a clue? detective williams learned crystal had a boyfriend named dino. >> just a hard-working 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 kaz woods, father of crystal's 10-year-old son, javonte. >> he was not helping with

davon tate and there had been conflict over child support in the past. crystal had obtained a court order requiring kenneth to pay go, so two possible leads and the third surfaced when williams went to crystal's office. >> we get to her place of employment and spoke to several young ladies who identified themselves as being her friend and they are shocked that this has happened. >> they told him 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 she was pregnant by did not want her to be pregnant any longer. >> you couldn't tell she was pregnant when you saw her lying on the ground? >> 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 want to find out where derek is. >> most definitely, we want to find out everything about him right now. >> the detective learned crystal and derek had a quick sling that only lasted a month or so. they had met at anderson park which is near both their jobs. by now, it was lunch time. derek was not in his office, so williams drove to the park, bringing the crystals work friends with him and one of them immediately noticed something. >> she points out a car that derek drives. >>'s car was easy to spot. it had vanity plates that said my quit, slang for a fancy car, then crystal's friend pointed out derek and detectives brought him in for a talk. >> what is your last name, sir? do you have a middle name, derek? >> he freely answered your

questions? he did not ask for an attorney? >> no. he never requested an attorney during my interview time with him. >> was the last time you saw her that you can recall? >> the last time was not recently. i haven't seen her, physically, and a couple of months. about two months. >> he discounted it as yeah, we were on and off really quick. >> does derek offer any theory of what he thinks happened to crystal? >> at some point in the interview he talks about her being involved with other people. >> sometimes she would say man, i wish this guy would stop calling me. at least that's the impression what i got. it might be true. she might've been trying to make me -- i don't know, you know what i mean? people say things. they're not always the truth. >> did he acknowledge that crystal was pregnant with his child?

>> he acknowledged that she was pregnant became short of acknowledging that the child was his. >> you are the father of the child, or she thinks you are? >> you had a basic description of someone witnesses saw a running from the same. >> yes. african-american male wearing a dark colored hoodie with a scarf around his head, or a handkerchief around his head. a small build, wearing dark clothing with light facial hair. >> did that description resemble derek smyer? >> it does. >> derek smyer had no criminal record. he had a white-collar office job and came from a close knit,

loving family, said his sister, danielle. >> i looked up to my brother growing up. as a young child he was my best friend. when we went to high school, he was more of a protector for me, that i was really quiet in school but everyone knew who derek smyer was. he had my back and there was no doubt that if anything happened, he would be there to take care of me. >> so, 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. i said what happened? he said i don't know what happened. nothing about crystal taylor's death. >> it sounds to me like you are pretty fixated on derek pretty early. >> he was one of our top three because remember, we are looking at the son's father, looking at her love interest on and off guy, dino, and looking at now, derek. >> how did javonte's father react when you told him kristin -- crystal had been murdered? >> his reaction was shock. >> 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 for derek smyer. his neighbor saw him at home at 7:30 that morning, meaning he could not have shut crystal. >> does not sound like enough to hold anybody on at that point. >> no. >> but, soon enough there would be another person police would be looking at. coming up -- >> when i came around the corner, there was a guy sitting on the stairs and he smiled at me a little bit, i kind of got this instinct. i said remember what he looked like. >> sisters turned investigators? >> we've been watching called case and criminal files, so we thought we were real detectives. he wasn't going to get away with killing our sister. >> when dateline continues.

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a delegation from hamas is

in cairo for the latest round of hostage and cease-fire talks. negotiators signal there have been signs of compromise in recent days despite a looming ground invasion on ruffle, and dozens of people have been rescued in harris county, texas amid catastrophic flooding there. rescues are still underway. a flood watches been extended into tomorrow with the national weather service saying an additional 1 inch to 3 inches of rain as possible. sometimes, the things people have to deal with after a loved one is murdered only intensify the agony. there was the bloody mess left at the crime scene. crystals pastor and a family friend stepped in to clean it so the family would not have to. the sisters were asked to donate crystal's organs. that proved too difficult 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 not supposed to be born for 20 more weeks. he never got a birth certificate, only a death certificate, then the corner released his body along with his mother's, so their family could say goodbye. >> it was an open casket. i wanted to reach out and touch her. i just sat on 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. michelle 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 it was a guy sitting on the stairs and when i came around he stared at me a little bit so i stopped asking what was he doing there and then he told me he was waiting for someone.

>> michelle had a bad feeling about him. >> i kind of got this instinct. i said, remember what he looked like and then i focused on what he looked like and went on about my business. >> and she warned crystie about the man. >> i called her and said there was a strange guy that was on the stairs, just be careful when she came up. >> so, was the man michelle saw on monday the same man witnesses saw and tuesday, running from the scene after the murder? >> what i would like to do is to snow a little bit about -- >> police brought in shabana hall, the 11-year-old schoolgirl who saw the man. with the mom at her side, she worked with a forensic artist from the los angeles sheriff's department on a sketch of the

suspect. michelle worked with the same artist. >> does the description of the guy crystals sister says was waiting on the staircase matched the description of the guy people say was running away after the shooting? >> almost identical. >> here is the sketch drawn from both their descriptions. >> were you happy with the final sketch? did look like the guy? >> no, yeah, it looked like him. >> but, he did not look like any of the men in crystal taylor's life, not derek, not dino and not javonte's father, kenneth. they would have to figure out who he was and where to find him. monica and michelle did not want to wait for that. >> we've been watching called case and criminal files and all that 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 were going to could -- together, help crystal raise her son and were not helping solve her murder. so, they canvassed the neighborhood.

>> you, not the police? >> she became so obsessed it worried me how obsessed she was when she would say he's not going to get away with doing this to my baby sister. >> tia was afraid her mother and aunt were putting their own lives in danger. >> i threatened to tell the police, like you guys are not supposed to be doing that. what are you going to do? what are you looking for and what are you going to do if you find it? >> but, there is no arguing with success. their 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 are right, if this is the guy, he's a killer and a gang banger and you're just going to what, walk up on him and say -- >> he wasn't going to get away with killing her sister. >> they didn't find him but they did tell detective systems

who run the name through a database and discovered that unfortunately, there was more than one c. styles. eventually, williams found a c. styles who had been on probation at the time of the murder. >> my first goal was to identify the connection between c. styles and crystal taylor, and gang affiliation, any relatives, was your boyfriend, ex-boyfriend? the sisters say no. her friends say no. there is no evidence to support that they even knew each other. we have to also keep that is a card on the table. how can we start proving this? we start examining where their lines they have crossed. crystal taylor lives 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. he said to him, what do you have to do with the model of crystal taylor and he says? >> i do not know her, i did not do this, but he is studying her photo. >> and then, c. styles continued to talk. >> is coming up with an analysis of the person who would've done this. and he refers to the person as this person had a lot of rage. this person has a lot of rage in them to do that. >> as opposed to just saying i didn't do any murder, i don't know who this is, i don't know what you're talking about. >> exactly. >> that seemed strange, but so did this. there was no obvious reason for c. styles to kill crystal taylor. through, that if you are worried about becoming a victim of gang violence you are probably safest in the morning because these guys stay up very late and don't roll out of bed

until late morning or noon? >> i'm not going to say that is a fact, but it is more true than not. >> if someone is up and working at 707:30 in the morning -- >> their paths just wouldn't cross, not normally cut --, not a hard-core person like c. styles. >> so, was he the man in the parking garage? on that question, c. styles was not terribly helpful but then he did something surprising. after staring at crystals photo and floating theories about her killer, c. styles suddenly confessed to a different murder of a rival gang member. >> i don't do this for a living, but he wasn't even being charged with that, and you weren't even asking him about that. >> i didn't even know there was a murder. >> so why would he blurt that out? >> you have to understand c. styles' mentality. it is that there is nobility in killing the enemy. there is no nobility, or honor, in killing a lady who is pregnant.

>> so, he was innocent? >> yes. >> not somebody in the life. >> right, it goes right in line with building your resume. if your resume as a gangster is that i go out and put in work for my gang including killing, including robbery, well, eventually you're going to have to prove that okay, was the last time you killed somebody? when is the last time you did a robbery? this is his advertisement, by taking claim for you, i shut these guys. i shut this guy. i killed him. but i wouldn't do her. i would not kill her. >> detective williams was convinced c. styles was only copping to the other murder to distance himself from crystals. and then, all the witnesses and crystals murder picked him out of the lineup two months after crystal taylor's death.

skyler moore, a.k.a. 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. >> and then you see him and he is in court right in front of you. face to face with a confessed killer. >> you were not afraid to testify? >> yes i was. i was praying and asking god to make us strong enough but i was really scared. >> when dateline continues. n d e directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement.

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will be next. >> i was afraid to open the door in the morning like there is a blind spot when i first walked out, like i'm literally looking out like this every morning. >> were you all looking over your shoulders? >> really bad. it was almost like posttraumatic stress syndrome kind of thing, just nervous all the time. >> but, with skyler moore a.k.a. c. styles charged with the murder, there was some sense of relief. >> it was some comfort because he was the one that could show up and kill anybody. >> even so, the sisters were still afraid to face him at the preliminary hearing. >> tough to be in the courtroom and see him? >> no, yeah. we were crying as soon as we walked through the door in court but we thought like i don't know what i'm going to do if i see him. i'm looking for this guy day and night and then his in court right in front of me and i'm expecting to have this visceral reaction to him and i felt like

-- like you had some remorse because i remember we told the detective like he looked like he had some remorse. >> the detective did not buy it for a minute. >> is like no, he's a straight up killer. he don't have no remorse. >> whatever the tailors saw, that hint of humanity in the cold-blooded killer, c. styles still scared them. >> you weren't afraid to testify. >> yes, i was. >> but you went ahead and did it. >> i went ahead and did it. i was praying and asking god to make us strong enough to be able to do whatever we needed to do but i was really scared. >> michelle testified she saw c. styles at crystals building the day before the shooting. it was up to other witnesses to place them there the day crystal was killed, and there were several who could . a man making his kids breakfast, a neighbor who saw a man who looked like c. styles around

1:00 that same 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. >> ms. hall, who was a child essentially when she saw what -- someone running away from crystal tailors murder, she was willing to testify. >> yes, she was. >> but, her family was pretty worried. >> yes, her mother was really concerned about that. >> the d.a. had his own concerns. the testimony of a school girl and the sister of the victim did not seem enough to convict and that is about all the evidence they had. police never found any dna, fingerprints or forensic evidence that linked c. styles

to their garage of crystal tailors apartment and while they found a 38 caliber bullet lodged in crystals brian, 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 d.a. dropped the charges. >> the prosecutors said we don't want to 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 that's going to be a couple of months, maybe a year. instead, many months past and nothing happened. the nation grew obsessed with the murder of a 27-year-old pregnant woman but it was not crystal taylor. >> lacy peterson's case is showing on the news every night and crystie is the same, young beautiful woman and there's no

coverage, everybody is going on with life like the world kept going. people go to work the next morning, the birds are chirping and it always just weird. >> in your thinking, when 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, and being together, so we separated for a while. >> and 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 c. styles had pulled the trigger but they were sure of something else, too.

c. styles had no reason to kill their sister. someone put him up to it. and, they thought they knew who that someone was. coming up -- >> you did this to crystie. he did this to all of us. >> and he got away with it. >> the chilling clue crystal had given her family . >> i whispered that's the guy, that's the guy who had crystal taylor killed. >> when dateline continues. ylo. >> when dateline continues. with the freestyle libre 3 system know your glucose levels. no fingersticks needed. all with the world's smallest and thinnest sensor.

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business. i think it's a grea it's not a nine-to-five proposition. it's all day and into the night. it's all the things that keep this world turning.

the go-tos that keep us going. the places we cheer. and check in. they all choose the advanced network solutions and round the clock partnership from comcast business. see why comcast business powers more small businesses than anyone else. get started for $49.99 a month plus ask how to get up to an $800 prepaid card. don't wait- call today. for the taylor family, history had been split in two. there was before when they had crystal and life was good. for the taylor family, history had been split in two. there was before, when they had crystal and life was good, and then there was after. >> people kind of started treating us like are you all still talking about that? >> they want you to move on. and you say well, i can't really move on. >> you start feeling like well you want me to go back to what

life? this is my life. >> they could not move forward. they could not go back. they kept going over the last days of crystal's life. rewinding 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 just sleep in but she got up and she prayed and then she cried. she was going through something. she just wasn't 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 crystal, who went a different way to the garage, which might have saved her life for 24 hours. what they did not learn until much later was that crystal

left work crying on that last day of her life. she did not say anything to her family that might, but she did act differently. >> she went around the room and she hugged everyone. >> she never did that. >> i think she didn't want to worry anyone and hoped everything would work out. >> what was the matter with crystal taylor? they rebound 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 and she said if anything happens to me, it was derek. >> derek smyer, the father of her unborn child. >> as you go into any detail about what he had said to her to make her say that? >> she didn't. the conversation turned to don't worry about him, don't worry about him helping with the baby. >> they thought that's all the conversation was, derek did not want to help raise his child. now, they replayed that moment over and over. >> instead of saying what did he say to you, we were going we don't even need him, showing her

the kind of support -- we are 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 yourself up for not listening to trent's warning 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 in this family thought a lot about derek smyer. crystal had said if something happened to her, it was derek. they believe 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 did not know derek's name. i thought his name was myers and i was calling derek the wrong way and looking for him like forever. >> if they had managed to tail derek, they would've found the guy who did not seem to fit the

profile of a killer. he was doing well, says his sister, daniel. >> he had gotten his bachelors degree in business and gone on to start his own company. he was doing great. he was always happy, in good spirits, driven. >> he still had that silver mustang convertible with the custom plates, my flip, although monica and michelle never started the car. tia did. >> i stopped at a light and derek 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 and michelle and javonte and he got away with it. >> even detective robbie williams saw derek one day at the airport. >> my wife and i were on our way to 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 letter from detective to lieutenant. he had always shared the family suspicions that derek was somehow behind crystals murder, but he also knew he did not have enough evidence to arrest him. >> i said 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 is what you think. if that's the guy that had crystal taylor killed, there he is. free and going on vacation just like you are, having a great time. he got away with it. >> or so it would seem. help was about to come from the last place anyone expected. on the day crystal was murdered , on the day detective robbie williams first saw derek smyer at robinson park, derek was not alone. >> there was a group of men sitting near us emit picnic area talking. >> you had not even heard the

name c. styles at that point. >> i had not even heard of him. >> but, much later after c. styles was arrested and detective williams got a good look at him, he thought the gang banger looked familiar. >> you think the first time you saw derek smyer he was with c. styles at that point? >> yes, i think he was in the company of c. styles. >> so if you're right, they were hanging out a couple of hours after the murder. if only you had known. and now, a decade later, there was no way to prove who the man in the park might've been. >> and crystal is dead, c. styles serving time for another murder, and nothing is happening to derek. >> nothing was happening to derek that i could see, but i believe in, either in this life or the next, you're going to pay for what you have done wrong. >> i'm guessing you prefer it was this life. >> yes. >> maybe it was,. maybe it was luck. maybe it was good police work.

but, whatever it was on june 15th, 2011, l.a. sheriff's detective richard lopez and his partner, beth smith, found themselves at a northern california prison with a few hours to kill. >> she mentioned that skyler moore is here and i always wanted to talk to him about the 2001 murder that occurred in hawthorne. >> that would be crystal taylor's murder. detective smith had worked with hawthorne pd on the case. she knew derek smyer would never spell, but would c. styles? >> i said we got three hours till the plane ride, let's pull him. >> coming up, a 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. >> is c. styles about to come clean? when dateline continues. (jen) so we partner with verizon. their solution for us? a private 5g network.

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fire a bullet at 1000 feet per second. the speed of justice is not nearly as fast. crystal taylor was killed september 25, 2001. 10 years later, her unsolved murder was still an open case. detectives believed skyler moore a.k.a. c-styles was a person who shot her. they did not have enough evidence to try it. they thought the father of crystal's unborn child, derek smyer, might've been involved as well. there was nothing linking him to c-styles except , possibly, the alleged trigger man himself. now, l.a. sheriff's detective richard lopez and beth smith were at a northern california prison sitting right across from c- styles. >> remember we had arrest do in the case where that woman was killed in hawthorne? later, --

>> just -- i need a little more detail. >> you don't remember when we arrested you? usually people remember when we arrest them. >> c-styles was saying less than he did in 2001, so detective lopez gave it a try. he questioned a lot of gang members, and he knew c-styles had enemies in prison. josh mankiewicz (voiceover): detective lopez assured c-styles this wasn't your typical police >> detective lopez assured c- styles, this was not your typical police interrogation.

>> detective lopez showed c- styles some photos of crystal taylor and terex meyer. when you're told, from when they're young kids, you know, snitches get stitches, and you don't talk to the police. >>ri told from when you're youn kids, you get stitches and to talk to the police. when they break the barrier and open the floodgates, they have a tendency to talk. all the things that bothered them in the life begin to come out. >> and that's what happened here? yes >> bit by bit, c-styles started to talk. that was him in the park with derek. humid derek playing

basketball, the same park where derek met crystal. that was the connection investigators had long look for. between c-styles and derek smyer. c-styles said in the summer of 2001, derek began complaining about a problem need crystal taylor. >> he described derek as being desperate because of this pregnant girl. he said derek called her gold digger and by getting rid of her, that takes care of the problem of having child support. >> he said he and derek worked out a deal. c-styles would pull the trigger and derek smyer would owe him a favor. 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, >> that's how s mithis works? i thought when you wanted somebody killed commute to pay money. >> everybody thinks it's his

way but in his mind as was easier. he could do this and then 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. >> he said he has location and is waiting for the victim to come downstairs. in fact, i believe he runs it to the sister. the day before. on the day, he goes and waits for her and she comes down to the car and he shoots her. then he runs out of the garage area. >> you're looking at a guy who's a hardened gang bangor. what's in it for him to confess to one more murder when he is already in the doing life without parole? >> i can speak to this one. he felt bad about this. he wanted to make it right. >> killing a pregnant woman bothered him. killing the others did not? >> it didn't seem to. >> police that they at the

strap who killed crystal taylor. it was a story they couldn't tell in court, not yet anyway. >> coming up. that dynamic duo of sister detectives was not done yet. >> cagney and lacey shift their focus to derek. >> we never thought he should get away with it. ith it. oooh! i can't wait for this family getaway! shingles doesn't care. shingles is a painful, blistering rash that can last for weeks. ahhh, there's nothing like a day out with friends. that's nice, but shingles doesn't care! 99% of adults 50 years or older already have the virus that causes shingles inside them, and it can reactivate at any time. a perfect day for a family outing!

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crystal's murder was an ugly scar that was never going to heal. we had almost stopped being as obsessed with it. by 2011, for the taylor ou family, crystal's murder was an ugly scar that would never heal. >> we stopped being as obsessed but we wanted an answer. >> then the phone rang. the detective shared the 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, c-styles said he saw another woman on the stairs. and, but maybe, that was crystal. that was you. >> and he said he considered killing me. that was devastating. >> you were that close to getting killed. >> yeah. >> detectives had to figure out how to use c-styles of the record confession to make an on the record case against derek.

in the meantime, sisters michelle and monica could not 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. the plea said we want to talk to you. i have a notebook now. so i wrote it down. and then i go back and i found businesses they had. >> they figured out where derek lived. you regularly driving by his house? >> no. we were back on the job. since the case was reopened, they had enough evidence this time. >> by the detective lopez at the homicide bureau pulled out the old files and ran everything. police reports, forensic reports, interview notes. what he read lined up with what c- styles had told him. >> description of the place. description of meeting the

victim's sister the day prior. the way he ran up. all those things were matching what he was telling us and we could cooperate. >> with that information, lopez decided to take a chance, arrest derek and apply pressure and see if he would crack. nine years and 10 months after crystal taylor's murder, derek smyer sat in a police interview room. >> he felt he had to control everything that happened in the interview. he would answer a question but before he answered, he would give a preamble as to why his answer was this. >> lopez pushed him and told derek the c-styles confessed and implicated derek. derek tonight everything. lopez thought he was lying, but what he was not doing was cracking. >> i said you are not a likable person. i don't know if anybody will believe you. he didn't seem to mind. >> it is possible derek was

not worried because he was not guilty. during those 10 years from 2001 to 2011, what is derek doing and how was he? does he seem like a guy with a cloud over his head? >> no. he seems like he is florida wishing. >> his sister were shocked by the arrest. she said the way she and derek group is a world away from people like c-styles. and from crimes like murder. >> we played. we were into sports. we had active parents who were a part of our sports leagues and taking us to summer camps. >> she said derek did go off track in high school. he was 16 when his girlfriend got pregnant. it was news their parents were not happy to hear. >> they were in shock, especially my dad. my dad's traditional. he believes children should be

born in wedlock as derek and i were. >> his daughter sydney was born in 1998 and instantly, derek smyer had to be an adult. >> he dropped out of high school so he could get a full- time job. even though he wasn't making much, he was doing what he could to support the baby. >> that changes your life and forestalls a lot of options. >> absolutely. absolutely. derek was a hard-working guy. >> in 2002, the year after crystal died, he had another daughter with the 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 whole family. danielle insists this father would not commissioning murder over an unplanned pregnancy, if in fact, he even was the father of crystals child. did derek tell you he was dating crystal taylor? >> no.

i never heard of crystal taylor before he was arrested in 2011. >> did derek mention he got a girl pregnant and was concerned about that? >> he did not tell me that. >> she was adamant that there was no way her brother hung out with a gang banger. skyler moore, a.k.a. c-styles, ever meet him? ever hear him talk about him? >> never heard him talk about him. >> my parents are traditional. they were not into gang violence or any of that. derek would not bring gang members to the house or affiliate with them. no one has seen derek ever, ever with any gang member. >> danielle said her brother had nothing to do with crystal's murder and with c- styles, he was a liar. >> he is known as a jailhouse snitch. he has harassed them is beaten up by people where he is housed at.

the deal for him is that he gets relocated out of state to a place where nobody knows him. >> she said the cops took the path of least resistance. >> they had it out for derek from the start. >> because? >> he seem like the probable person. he is not perfect but being pulled in and harassed by the police, his children taken from him? that's not my brother's fall. he is an innocent man. >> 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. it was tough, letting him go. >> derek smyer was once again a free man. >> i betty thought he was clear. he would never 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. only sotyktu, a once-daily pill for moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and the chance at clear or almost clear skin. it's like the feeling of finding you're so ready for your close-up. or finding you don't have to hide your skin just your background. once-daily sotyktu was proven better, getting more people clearer skin than the leading pill. don't take if you're allergic to sotyktu; serious reactions can occur. sotyktu can lower your ability to fight infections, including tb. serious infections, cancers including lymphoma, muscle problems, and changes in certain labs have occurred. tell your doctor if you have an infection, liver or kidney problems, high triglycerides, or had a vaccine or plan to. sotyktu is a tyk2 inhibitor. tyk2 is part of the jak family. it's not known if sotyktu has the same risks as jak inhibitors. find what plaque psoriasis has been hiding. there's only one sotyktu, so ask for it by name.

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shell. powering progress. it's a beautiful... ...day to fly. wooooo! josh mankiewicz (voiceover): derek smyer was out of jail. he insisted he was an innocent man, a father of two who he derek smyer was out of jail. he insisted he was an innocent man. the father two who had no reason to commission a murder just because he got someone

pregnant. detectives were still investigating. what they heard meet the more convinced than ever that derek had crystal killed. they spoke with tracy, the mother of derek's children. early on 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. she said she was leery because derek never asked to take her to the doctor before. instead of picking her up in front he asked her to come to the rear of the alley wordstar grand doesn't have access to public view. >> there is the scar from the

attack and according to tracy, it was just the beginning. that wasn't the last time she was assaulted while she was pregnant. >> no it was not. >> in 2002 when she was pregnant with their second child, she was attacked again. >> she was knocked to the ground in the assailant tried to kick her in the stomach. >> that person was never caught and whoever cut her throat in the previous incident was never caught. >> that is correct. >> she knows that she believed derek was behind both attacks and in both cases he wanted her to have an abortion but she refused. after you were pregnant by one guy and you got lured to the back of your apartment building and somebody tries to kill you, why you continue your relationship with that guy? >> you have to understand derek smyer. one thing he is is he's a manipulator of women. >> the cops saw a pattern. when that was reinforced by something as they learn. >> as the investigation

continued we discovered that derek had been to prison for a federal offense, scamming money from a bank. >> it happened in 2004. here is derek in this 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 to count numbers from her and used them to move money into accounts he controlled. what happened to the $80,000 a scam? >> we try to look for it and never found a. >> you heard about derek serving federal time. >> yes. i was not surprised. i wasn't surprised at who he used as an accomplice. >> his girlfriend. why were you not surprised? >> derek possesses that selfish- type of what can you do for me type of mentality. >> manipulative.

>> manipulator. sub center. eric and. >> maybe that's why derek never shied away from talking to the cops and why he never asked for a lawyer, or maybe he was not guilty. >> he thought he was smarter than we were. what did we have? >> when derek was briefly arrested, detectives asked him who he was with that anderson park the day crystal was murder. 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 i saw a woman in the backseat. >> the backseat of detective williams police car. the woman was janet, crystal's friend from work who had accompanied detective williams. derek said he saw her quite clearly. >> the look on her face as she was totally distraught. that is what he said. >> which gave the detective an

idea. >> if he's that close to see it than she should have a good look of who he's talking to. >> at the time no one thought to showed janet a photo with c- styles. now they did. she said -- >> that is who derek was talking to in the park. >> that was the missing link. a witness who could connect c- styles to derek smyer, and then one last piece. the da wanted c-styles interviewed again. >> they a major what he said could be used in court. c-styles told the same story with the same details. how he met derek, and have derek wanted help with crystal taylor. once again arrested derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. and this time, they thought they had the goods.

>> wopolice arrested derek smye for the murder of crystal taylor. this time, they thought they had the goods. a jury would have other ideas. >> coming up. a bombshell from the defense. did someone else kill crystal? >> witnesses testified to hearing an argument. she was confronting her killer. >> was it a hit at all? e boss?. outdoor time is me time. i hear that. that's why we protect all your vehicles here. but hey...nothing wrong with sticking it to the boss. ooooh, flo, you gonna take that? why would that concern me? because you're...the... aren't you the..? huh...we never actually discussed hierarchy. ok, why don't we just stick to letting dave know how much he can save when he bundles his home or auto with his boat or rv. wait, i thought jamie was the boss. [ laughter ] it's funny because i'm not boss material!

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when that national guard shop four students. protesting against the war in vietnam. demonstrators gathered on campus this time calling for a cease- fire in gaza. for now, back to dateline. 10 years to arrest derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. it took another five years to bring him to trial. it took police 10 years to o were pressed derek smyer for the murder of crystal taylor. it took another five years to bring him to trial. detective williams new the case was not airtight. juries like dna. >> dna. blood. this case, 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 a confession of the triggerman, skyler moore, a.k.a. c-styles. there was no guarantee the

jury would take the word of a gang banger over the word of the clean-cut derek smyer. it was with nervous anticipation that crystal's family filed into the quarters 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. >> the prosecutor told jurors that crystal's murder and the attacks on the other girlfriends tracy were no coincidence. >> he has motive to do it because he doesn't one of the kids and he doesn't want to pay child support. >> prosecution claim that while derek may have failed to stop tracy from having her two children, he found the right man for the job for stopping

crystal. his buddy c-styles. >> he is a gang member and a killer. and smyer knew who to go to when he went to crystal taylor taken care of. >> prosecutor showed the jury the admitted hitman's videotaped confession. josh mankiewicz (voiceover): then they called c-styles to testify. but instead of tying a bow on the case, he lobbed a grenade >> they calledtestify. instead of tying a bow on the case, he lobbed a grenade and blow 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 was derek smyer's attorney. he said c-styles made up a story the cops wanted to hear and was hoping to get better treatment in prison. >> he admitted they made these offers to him. and that is why he did it. >> you think police rushed to judgment. >> absolutely. they had a hunch and they went with my client and the excluded others. >> he told the jury that without c-styles confession, there was no evidence linking derek to the murder. >> they are alleging multiple conversations, planning, without proof of where, when, or how. there's no emails. there's no text messages. there's no phone calls. >> the defense portray derek is a man who loved his children and not one who would try to have the murdered. >> there is smyer again in the

hospital, holding his baby. i think it's important when you look at this case that you evaluate his expression on his face in these photos. proud father her killer? >> not only was derek smyer innocent of crystal's murder they said, maybe c-styles was too. there was no physical evidence placing him in the parking garage. maybe, they said, this was not a hit after all. >> several of the witnesses testify to hearing an argument then all of a sudden the argument ended. there was a pause and a gun shop. it's inconsistent with a hired hit. >> if not a hit, then what happened? the defense had a theory that involves this photo of crystal's son found near her body. >> it's obvious that ms. taylor was holding the picture when she got shot.

>> snyder was not allowed to directly spell out his theory for the jury. he did for us. >> i think she was confronting her killing -- killer, the only thing you will see is a photograph of your son until you pay child support. >> you think that's when she was shot? the defense suggested that the father killed crystal. never mind police had cleared him early on. 's lawyer told the jury that his client was an innocent man. >> this tragedy will be compounded if you convict a person that is not involved. and i am asking for a not guilty verdict on all counts. >> crystal's family was worried. they could only hope they believed the video confession of c-styles and not his recantation of it. the weights for the verdict was agonizing. >> that was painful. >> one day then two days, three

days in. >> i am nervous. i do not want to do this again. i cannot do this again. it's not easy. >> it was a week then one week turned into two. >> i am just praying. i keep praying no matter what i see or hear. >> every day the waiting was harder. that was true for derek's family too. >> i started to get nervous. i was there every day anxiously waiting to hear the verdict that derek was not guilty. i would see the jurors come out red in the face, almost like they are arguing. >> like they had been yelling. >> like they had been yelling. >> after 21 days, the jury reassembled in the courtroom. >> the jury has not been able to reach a verdict. i do declare a mistrial. >> this is breaking me. i hope by the time it's time to

do it again. i put it back together. today, i do not want to do it again. >> coming up. trial number 2. this time no evidence and a new witness. >> he would behave a certain way. >> his own daughter. what would she reveal? arthritis pain relief gel, which penetrates deep to target the source of pain with nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medicine directly at the source. voltaren, the joy of movement. everybody wants super straight, super white teeth. they want that hollywood white smile. new sensodyne clinical white provides 2 shades whiter teeth and 24/7 sensitivity protection.

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choose advil liqui-gels for faster, stronger and longer-lasting relief than tylenol rapid release gels because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. so for faster pain relief, advil the pain away. josh mankiewicz (voiceover): it was like their own nightmarish because advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. groundhog day. nearly nine months after the mistrial, it was like their own nightmarish groundhog day. nearly nine months after the mistrial, crystal taylors

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? >> i did because i think we know what to expect. we knew what they were going to say. and we knew what we had. we hope to whatever mistakes were made from the first trial they learned and prepared for them and do better. >> to differences this time around. first, skyler moore a.k.a. c-styles was on trial along with derek although each had their own jury. second, derek's jury with c- styles disputed videotaped confession. it was ruled inadmissible. prosecutors focused on derek's motor. here was a man they told the jury who would 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 derricks old girlfriend tracy williamson who repeated her story that the first time she was pregnant with derek's child, she was attacked by a man she did not know. >> he put a knife to my throat. >> did he cut you with a knife? >> yes. >> during her second pregnancy, a second attack. >> someone socked me in the face. i went on the side of the car and someone's stopped on my stomach and face. >> then his own daughter took the stand against him. she did not testify in the first trial but told the story that derek seem to hate being a father. >> he would come during major occasions, birthdays and things like that. he was ill tempered and did not spend much time

with me. when he did, it seemed like it was for show. people were around he would behave a certain way. when those people left, he would go back to his ill temper and his kind of monstrous ways. >> to help explain how derek had crystal killed, prosecutors called her sister michelle who had been three emotional ringer and testified in the first trial. >> i was afraid of what it would 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's c-styles in the apartment complex the day before her sister's murder. >> what did you say? >> i asked him what was he doing here? >> the jury heard from hall,

and middle school at the time, now an adult who said she still remembers seeing c-styles fleeing the crime scene. >> what did you here? >> it was like a gunshot, a big noise. >> what next occurred, --? >> we seen someone rush past us. >> they relied on two eyewitnesses. detective williams told the jury he was pretty sure c- styles was with derek at the park on that day crystal taylor was ambushed and murdered. >> it wasn't until you saw him in person that you were able to remember that he resembled the person you saw in the park. >> objection. >> yes. >> crystal's friend and coworker janet left no doubt

with her definitive testimony. >> as you sit here today, did you see those individuals in the car? >> yes. >> she told the jurors the well crystal 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, people's 51, to derek smyer, did you get a phone call? >> yes, i did. >> it was derek smyer she said and he was not happy. >> he didn't want kids. >> did he say anything to you about trying to do something with crystal? >> he said if i could get her to get rid of the baby, he said he would do whatever he can. he don't want to have a baby. >> janet recalled the day before crystal was murder, the first day back at work after the trip to texas, derek called again. >> could you hear anything with respect to the conversation she was having? >> the only thing i heard was

before she hung up the phone, she was like, whatever. she was crying and said whatever and got up from her desk. >> when she got up, did you see where she went? >> she went to the bathroom. >> when you followed her to the bathroom, what was she doing? >> crying. >> then the detective testified about evidence the first jury never saw. first, a photo of derek on his high school basketball team proving he played basketball. an important detail because police believed he met skyler moore on the basketball court. the second a new piece of evidence was security footage from the night before crystal's murder that placed derek at a 7-eleven near crystal taylors home. approved, derek's lied about his whereabouts in 2001 when he told police he was miles from the hawthorne home that night. >> did he ever tell you that he went to the 7-eleven?

>> no. >> as evidence was mounting, his defense went on offense, portraying the mother of his two children as a liar whose testimony could not be trusted. >> have you let your family members like your aunt or your sister about things about mr. smyer? >> you have to be specific. >> have you ever lied to them? >> people lie all the time. >> she was an admitted liar and untruthful. you could not believe what she said. >> as for crystal's friend janet who said she saw c-styles and derek smyer together? the defense said derek was with a high school friend and danielle said the idea that derek met a gang banger on the basketball court is absurd. you grew up playing basketball and other sports. did he played esca ball in high

school? >> he did up until his junior year. i played up until my sophomore year. never touched a basketball since. derek does not play basketball anymore. >> in court, everything was on the line. that is when derek smyer who never shied away from explaining himself in the past took the stand. >> coming up. derek smyer, a dutiful dad to be? when dateline continues. ntinu with the freestyle libre 3 system know your glucose levels. no fingersticks needed.

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josh mankiewicz (voiceover): it is a calculated risk for a defendant to testify at a trial. derek smyer was willing to take it. it's a calculated risk for a defended to testify at a trial. derek smyer was willing to take it. prosecutors 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? >> yes, i do. >> what was the date? >> april 26, 1990 he. >> and you were there for the birth. >> of course. >> he 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. >> he was adamant he had nothing to do with the attacks on tracy while she was

pregnant. >> did you have her attack because you wanted the kid killed? you wanted her to have an abortion? >> no, did not. i had already dropped out of school. >> he told the jury he was a good dad with the children with tracy and plan it to treat crystal and their child the same way. >> weren't you angry that crystal was going to keep this child? >> no, sir. >> weren't you worried about having to pay child support? >> no, sir. >> why not? >> he admitted he called crystal in the days leading to her death, but he said it was to check in on her, is any good soon to be father would. >> i asked how she was feeling. >> why? >> she was having morning sickness. >> he made sure to let jurors know that he liked crystal's family part-time in relation to her death. >> how long did you work? >> until about two weeks after

we lost crystal. >> crystal's family heard that and see. >> it bothered me to hear him say that. he never called. he never cared. >> as for the prosecutions there that he hatched a plot in the basketball court with skyler moore a.k.a. c-styles to kill crystal taylor? impossible said derek for two reasons. first, is >> did you ever play basketball at this park? >> no, sir. >> derek had an explanation for why he showed up on security video at a 711 mcnear skyler moore is an crystal's home. he said he stop for cash. >> my mother asked me to run an errand for her to take a cooking advice, a crockpot or pressure cooker. >> he denied any involvement in crystal's murder. >> did you have anything to do

with the death of crystal taylor? >> no, did not. >> did you have her shot in the head so she could not give birth to your baby? >> no, i did not. >> but he was not done on the stand. now came the risky part. cross examination by prosecutor determined to show the other side of derek smyer. >> why did you ask her to be -- to get a paternity test? >> because i was responsible. >> wouldn't being responsible putting a condom on? >> the prosecutor forced derek he had tried to convince crystal to terminate her pregnancy. >> did you tell her to get an abortion? >> not directly. >> indirectly you told her. >> yes, ma'am. >> for all this talk of losing crystal, he never once tried to console her family. >> did you sunflowers to the

family when she died? >> no, ma'am. >> did you send the family a card, a sympathy card when she was murder? >> no. >> an attempt to show the jury that the soft-spoken derek smyer on the stand was a con. he was an unrepentant criminal, amused by his failed attempt at bank fraud. >> i didn't get my cut. >> you think that's funny? >> i wanted to tell the truth. >> that smile on your face, said it all? >> as for the story about going to stop's the night before the merger to deliver a crockpot? the prosecution let 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. >> maybe he was confident or smug and maybe he was too familiar with the rules of

criminal law. >> you didn't want another child. if crystal taylor had had the baby, you would've had to support two kids in 2001, right? >> i believe this compound. >> i don't know which one is the lawyer? >> he tried to woo the jury over like he knew the law. >> he was impressed with himself. >> he was very impressed with himself. >> once again, his 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 as long for a decision. deliberations took barely more than a day. >> how does derek look? >> he looks cocky and arrogant like he believes he will get a not guilty verdict. >> we the jury find the defendant derek smyer guilty of

the crime of murder. >> i got to run out because i can't hold in the emotion. i wanted to scream. i was so happy. i was so happy. more happy than i've ever been in my life. >> across the aisle, different emotion. >> they read that guilty verdict, and it was 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 did not shed tears because i was trying to contain my emotion, and she hugged me. she said, she was sorry. i first into tears. outburst into tears because

that, to me, is a true example of humanity regardless of what we have gone through. our families have 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 the murder and received two life sentences, also without parole to be served consecutively. javonte reconnected with his dad but hurts from the loss of his mom. >> i am always going to miss her. i don't think she would want me to linger. let it hold me back. everything that has happened. >> she would not want you to be miserable.

easier said than done sometimes. >> i had a lot of help. good family and friends. >> the family feel they're coming together again. it is not the same as when crystal was with them, but it is slowly getting better, and they have a plea for other potential crystal tailors out there. >> nothing can bring crystal back. it will not change anything, but somebody knows they are in a relationship like this, tell somebody. if it could happen to crystal, it could happen to anybody. >> if you are with somebody who makes you feel threatened, tell somebody loudly, and now. if you hear someone else, speak up. don't let a cry for help go by. hello, i am andrea canning. this is dateline.