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00:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
00:30Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
01:00Transcribed by ESO, translated by —
01:02Even though this is a beautiful creek, you get a lot of kayakers in here that love the scenery.
01:09It's still a sinister place.
01:13You see all the cypress trees and the different trees.
01:18That's what colors the water.
01:20The tannic acid from the swamps makes it a dark water.
01:28One area, Lofton Creek, is especially popular with anglers like John Spivy.
01:34But in February 2001, it was his father-in-law, a seasoned shrimp fisherman, who experienced the darker side of these waters.
01:45My father-in-law came home and told us he had found a body down at Lofton Creek.
02:01He had went fishing early that morning, cold winter morning.
02:09And he came in, and when he was loading his boat up, the boat wake actually pushed a body from underneath the dock.
02:18And it was wrapped up in something.
02:26And he was pretty shook up.
02:27This is the dock, I believe, that the body was washed up under.
02:36And it must have been at low tide when the body was dumped, because there's no way for a body to get under this dock at any tide except low water.
02:47He tied the body to one of these cleats on this dock, so it would not float away while he went and contacted the authorities.
02:57I remember it to be partly cloudy, which is typical for that time of the year, and high humidity.
03:08Right around lunchtime, I heard over our police radio that there was a body that was located in Lofton Creek.
03:15And it was partially wrapped in what appeared to be a shower curtain.
03:21It's not typical for us to have somebody drown in Lofton Creek.
03:25So I started responding to the call as the detective assigned to the area.
03:31I'm going through my mind of, OK, do I think this is going to be a suicide?
03:36Do I think it's going to be a homicide?
03:38Do I think it's going to be just a natural death?
03:41The information coming from dispatch, it's popping into my mind that we may be looking at another dump job.
03:47The woods, the creeks, the rivers, that's where people a lot of the time dump bodies after they've murdered somebody.
04:00Oftentimes it's for convenience or proximity or, depending upon the location,
04:05there's some hope that this person's not going to be found because it's a remote location,
04:10or some predator is going to help them dispose of the body.
04:17Most of the time when you have a dump job, it's going to be criminal activity related.
04:22So this is a replacement doc, but if this had been the original doc, he would have been tied off right there.
04:33He was down in the water.
04:35We could see, based on his position, that he had tattoos on his body.
04:41And upon further inspection, while he was still on the water, there was evidence of a gunshot wound.
04:49So on this case, that kind of starts the ball rolling.
04:57Crime scene investigators could tell the victim was a black male in his early 30s.
05:02But the watery crime scene made further examination of the body more difficult.
05:07There were remnants of the shower curtain, and I remember the wildlife being in the area.
05:16It was a pretty gruesome scene.
05:23Sometimes bodies in water are bodies found after a few days.
05:27The wounds and the injuries can be obscured by things like the water
05:31or by insects or other creatures that may feed on that area.
05:35In this case, there was an injury to the head, and there were fish in that area.
05:46Staring at the body and the staring at the water, it's very, very dark, brackish water.
05:51So I knew that this was going to be a challenge to see what evidence may be in the water.
05:57Some of the locals call it coffee water.
05:59It's when fresh water and salt water mix, and then you've got the sediments off the trees, off the bark.
06:09Specialist divers from the Florida Department for Law Enforcement
06:12were called in to assess the body before moving it.
06:15Remains, once they're in water, and especially if they're in water for an extended period of time, become very fragile.
06:28In this case, police divers are faced with the challenge of being extra careful
06:33because the remains had already been altered by those who found them.
06:38An added challenge to this case is the fact that they had little to no visibility.
06:44So everything they have to do, most of the time, it's by feel to figure out the condition of the body,
06:50but be careful as to not destroy any evidence.
06:55Police hoped they could still use fingerprinting to identify the victim.
07:00Skin slippage and wrinkling is very common.
07:03This can make it difficult to collect fingerprints.
07:05However, there are several ways that dive and forensic professionals can combat this issue.
07:13One of the most common ways to roll prints is to actually carefully remove the skin from the hand,
07:21slide a living hand into that, and then roll the prints.
07:26Another method is when you have significant wrinkling is you can actually rehydrate the finger,
07:31which causes the wrinkling.
07:33It kind of tightens the skin, then resulting in the ability to roll prints.
07:38Identification was relatively quickly in this case because the body had only been in water for three to five days,
07:44and so the fingerprints were relatively preserved.
07:48The dead man was identified as Paul Sheely.
07:53Paul Sheely's name was in the database because of a minor infraction,
07:56so it was already there, and when they ran the fingerprints, they got a match.
08:01Paul had his children tattooed on his body,
08:05and in this case, it proved to be very valuable.
08:11Detectives discovered Paul Sheely was a father of eight.
08:16Lofton Creek, where his body was found,
08:19was just 24 miles from his home in Jacksonville.
08:22He was a resident of the northwest side of Jacksonville,
08:28which is an area commonly known to us as being a violent area that homicides do take place in.
08:39So many questions come up when you're presented with a gunshot wound death.
08:45Whether or not the body has spent time in the water.
08:48First is, was this self-inflicted, or do we have a homicide?
08:55Most people who shoot themselves, shoot themselves either on the side of the head,
09:01or under the chin, or in the mouth.
09:06So I think the initial call of a suicide needed to be taken seriously,
09:10because it's always a possibility.
09:12And so, given the fact that we don't know that,
09:13they're going to then start doing what we forensic psychologists call like a psychological autopsy,
09:18which is to begin researching that person's life and the events leading up to that death
09:24to see if, does this person have the risk factors of suicide?
09:29What indications do we have that this person was thinking about it?
09:33And as they began doing this, there was nothing in Paul Sheely's background or recent history
09:41that would suggest he was in that frame of mind.
09:45The position of Paul's bullet wound also ruled out suicide.
09:50So we have an entrance gunshot wound in this particular case on the forehead.
09:55According to the investigation, the wound was caused by a .38 caliber firearm,
10:05and it was matched back to a weapon that Paul Sheely himself owned.
10:11And if that weapon is fired fairly close to the head,
10:17one would expect significant injuries to the skull and the brain.
10:20And depending on which part of the brain is injured, death can be very, very quick.
10:28The autopsy suggested Paul died instantly.
10:32Paul was actually found wrapped in a shower carton, and one gunshot wound to the head.
10:37He would not have been able to have done that to himself,
10:40to wrap himself in a shower carton after he shot himself.
10:43Therefore, it was determined to be a homicide.
10:45And that's really where we start the process of gathering information
10:53and starting to formulate in our mind what may have taken place,
10:58start coming up with predictions of where, when, who might have committed this crime.
11:04In Florida, police now know that the body found in a creek with a gunshot wound to the head
11:20is 31-year-old Jacksonville man, Paul Sheely.
11:26He's been murdered.
11:29Evidence from the body also suggests there's a second crime scene.
11:34The fact that there was no significant fluid in the lungs indicates to me
11:42that the primary scene is not the creek
11:46and that Paul Sheely was shot somewhere else
11:49and then the body was dumped in the creek.
11:53We don't find any evidence that there is blood there
11:56or that there is any kind of tissue
11:58or anything to indicate a struggle at that crime scene.
12:01So everything that we find indicates that this was purely a dump site,
12:06that Paul was killed someplace else, put in the shower carton,
12:09and then taken to this place.
12:11I think one immediate question would be,
12:26why is this person in this creek?
12:29And who would have knowledge of this creek?
12:31Who's familiar with this area?
12:33We do know that most, you know, perpetrators tend to place a body,
12:39most of them, not all, place them relatively close to their home
12:43or in areas they're familiar with.
12:45So that would be one, I think, potential avenue of questioning.
12:50My theory is it was dumped off the bridge and washed under here.
12:53The people that disposed of the body
12:57must have knew the area, the title, the gators that were in here.
13:05It's really close to the highway,
13:08but they knew that the tide would wash the body out
13:12or a gator would get it.
13:13In the state of Florida, especially northeast Florida,
13:21it's common for people to dump homicide victims in water
13:25thinking that alligators are going to get rid of the body
13:29or dispose of the evidence from the body.
13:32When a body starts to decay,
13:34there again is this odor, this putrid odor,
13:36that typically will put off alligators and they won't attack.
13:43Alligators and crocodiles are predators.
13:46However, they are not scavengers,
13:48which is why in this case,
13:50although the remains were in a body of water
13:53with several gators known to be in the area,
13:56there was no trauma to the body.
14:00Next, detectives turn to Paul Sheely's background,
14:04looking for a possible motive to his murder.
14:09So we were able to determine that he did not have
14:12a Monday through Friday full-time job.
14:15But he did have at least $1,000 in cash on him
14:19at any given time.
14:21But also that he had twin .380 caliber pistols
14:24that he'd like to carry with him.
14:28Gang activity is prevalent in that area of Jacksonville,
14:31also narcotics activity.
14:34Is he involved in the drug trade?
14:35It may he have ripped off somebody,
14:38not paid them, owed somebody money.
14:42And was that what caused this?
14:46They also discovered he had a complicated love life
14:50with eight children by several different women.
14:53One of his girlfriends at the time was Aisha James.
15:07I met Paul when I was about 24 years old.
15:11I met him working at a men's clothing store.
15:16Yeah, Paul was very, very much of a ladies' man.
15:19He loved women.
15:23He just came up to me to ask me
15:24would I help him with some clothes, and I did.
15:28He was nice-looking.
15:30Short, but he was nice-looking.
15:33He had a great style by himself.
15:36Kind of like goofy, but he was sweet.
15:39He was very, very sweet.
15:41And then afterwards, he was like,
15:43can I get your number?
15:44Can I take you out for a drink?
15:46And I was like, sure, no problem.
15:48And then we headed off from there.
15:53He was pretty much a free spirit, spontaneous,
15:57loved to travel, loved to be around family.
16:01He spent a lot of time with his kids.
16:04He took them shopping.
16:06The latest tennis shoes came out.
16:08Jordan's, he was there buying all of his kids' clothes
16:12and all of the kids' shoes and just everything.
16:16He spoiled his kids.
16:19One of the things I think it's important to realize
16:21is that even though he had multiple children
16:24with different women
16:25and didn't really seem motivated to settle down
16:28with any of the women,
16:29he absolutely adored his children
16:31and tried to be very involved in their life
16:33and as a matter of fact,
16:34had their names tattooed on him.
16:37And people who knew him said
16:39he talked about his children all the time.
16:42His eldest son was Paul Sheely III.
16:45He was only 10 when his father's body was found.
16:50My dad, definitely,
16:51when it came to his children,
16:53he did, you know, above and beyond.
16:57He was a hell of a guy.
16:59I carry his name, you know what I'm saying?
17:01I would look like him, walk like him,
17:03talk like him, dress like him, act like him.
17:06Paul loved to dress from head to toe.
17:10We had to match,
17:11including down to his socks and underwear,
17:13his shoes, everything.
17:16Paul loved to wear jewelry
17:18from, like, necklaces to watches, rings.
17:25He had a lot of jewelry, for sure.
17:28And it wasn't 20
17:29to probably $25,000 worth of jewelry.
17:34Paul was very, very flashy.
17:37He would pull out watts and watts of money
17:39and buy anyone a drink that,
17:42you know, that he knew.
17:45He had a lot of cars,
17:46so it's not like it was just one car.
17:49He also liked the Jacksonville Jaguars,
17:51our NFL professional football team.
17:53So he had his vehicles painted
17:55like a Jaguar fan would have their vehicle painted.
18:00He had it painted in the Jaguar colors.
18:03He had it painted in teal and gold.
18:08So this is a person
18:09that liked to draw people's attention towards him.
18:12Was he so flamboyant
18:15that he showed so many people
18:16that he had money, jewelry, guns,
18:19everything like that?
18:20Did somebody just decide to rob him?
18:24At first, evidence from the body
18:27seemed to support the robbery theory.
18:28We noticed that he was not wearing any jewelry.
18:33He was not wearing flashy clothes.
18:35And every time the newest version
18:37of the Nike Air Jordan came out,
18:39he was the first one to have it.
18:41So finding the body without the flashy clothes,
18:44the jewelry,
18:45and specifically the Air Jordans,
18:47which are high-dollar shoes,
18:49that gave us a little bit more of an idea
18:51that this may have been a robbery.
18:53Our last conversation,
19:06it was on Sunday.
19:08We stayed out together for a long time,
19:11just talking to almost three hours in the morning.
19:15And we had a deep conversation,
19:19you know, just about life in general.
19:21I told him I love him,
19:24and he told me he loved me,
19:26and, you know, things gonna be okay.
19:29But at the same time,
19:31it was, like, surreal.
19:34I called him on a Monday,
19:36and I didn't hear any word from him.
19:38I just had a bad feeling.
19:43It wasn't a day that we were going by
19:44that my dad don't talk to his mom.
19:45So for her not to hear from him,
19:50one day, it's weird.
19:51But two or three days,
19:53it's just, that's,
19:55there's something wrong.
19:56Something's not right.
19:56My grandma came and picked me
20:07and my sister from daycare one day,
20:08and when we got back to the house,
20:10there was a note on the mailbox.
20:12A detective's card, actually,
20:13and it said,
20:14you want to give me a call?
20:16So she called him.
20:18I remember he said,
20:20you might want to take a seat.
20:22And she just fell out,
20:23and she just started crying.
20:24And she's like,
20:25my baby gone, my baby gone,
20:26my baby gone.
20:30Yeah, I understand,
20:31my grandmother was told
20:32that she couldn't even have kids,
20:33and that was her only child.
20:35So there was no words for,
20:38you know, saying that,
20:40hey, you know,
20:40your child is gone,
20:41and he's never going to go.
20:44Because I seen the news report
20:46about a guy, you know,
20:48they found the body,
20:49and over 31-year-old man.
20:54It was like an eerie feeling
20:56when I seen it.
20:58And I went around
21:00to one of his friends' house,
21:01and the look on his face
21:05kind of told it all.
21:08His friend told me
21:09that it was Paul.
21:12I broke down crying.
21:15It was very, very emotional.
21:16The autopsy put Paul's murder
21:20between three and five days
21:23before his body was found.
21:25It also raised serious doubts
21:27about the investigation's
21:28working motive for the killing,
21:30which was robbery.
21:33One of the things
21:34also looked at at autopsy
21:35is something we call
21:36defensive injuries.
21:37In this case,
21:38there were no defensive injuries
21:40found on Paul,
21:41and that indicates
21:41that there was no struggle.
21:42He had no significant
21:46blunt force trauma,
21:48and there were no
21:50antemortem injuries
21:52consistent with binding
21:54of the hands or feet
21:55by ligatures
21:56that would have left
21:58bruising on those areas.
22:01The most information
22:04that we got
22:05was that he was
22:05very street-wise,
22:07that he always
22:07paid attention.
22:09He always knew
22:09when there was trouble brewing,
22:11he did not want to get
22:11involved in the trouble.
22:13So that started really
22:14making us go down
22:15that path of,
22:16okay, it's not robbery.
22:18There was also no evidence
22:20Paul's murder
22:21was related to gang crime.
22:23So when we started
22:24getting the information
22:25that he would leave town
22:26to be involved
22:28in whatever activity
22:29he was being involved in,
22:30and he would come back
22:30with large sums of money,
22:32which would point
22:33towards criminal activity.
22:35But the information
22:36that we gathered
22:36from family members
22:37and friends
22:38was that they never
22:40saw anybody come in town
22:42to deal with him.
22:45After eliminating
22:46several lines of inquiry,
22:48investigators were left
22:50with one probable motive
22:51for Paul's murder.
22:53Paul had several children
22:55with several different women,
22:57and in fact,
22:58during the beginning parts
22:59of this investigation,
23:00we had determined
23:01that there was a young lady
23:02that was pregnant
23:03with Paul Sheely's child,
23:05but it wasn't the person
23:07that he was currently
23:08with at the time.
23:10Do we have a crime
23:11of passion?
23:12Do we have a situation
23:13where a girlfriend,
23:15a lover,
23:15had found out
23:16that he was being unfaithful,
23:18and could that be part
23:19of this?
23:41Detectives investigating
23:43the murder of Paul Sheely,
23:45found dumped
23:46in a Florida creek
23:47with a gunshot wound
23:48to his head,
23:49now suspect one
23:50of his many lovers
23:51could be the killer.
23:53They launch a fingertip search
23:55of the swampy water
23:56where his body was found,
23:58looking for evidence
23:59to support their theory
24:00that this is a crime
24:02of passion.
24:03When a body is found
24:14in water,
24:14there's a lot of complexity
24:15to the investigation.
24:17The body can travel
24:19because this is a tidal area,
24:21so any time
24:21the ocean tide goes out,
24:23our tributaries
24:24go out also.
24:26It also affects
24:27where we're going
24:28to find evidence
24:29that may have been
24:30dumped with the body.
24:33So when they dive
24:34in the water,
24:35they use a combination
24:36of intense lighting
24:37to try to see
24:38what's there,
24:40metal detectors,
24:41side scanning sonars,
24:43and then just touch
24:44and feel.
24:50When police divers
24:51have to conduct
24:52searches in water
24:53where there's no
24:54or limited visibility,
24:56this often requires
24:57the diver
24:58to be tethered
24:59by a line
25:00and someone on shore
25:01is guiding them
25:02through a water
25:02using a search pattern.
25:05The diver
25:06is responsible
25:08for slowly pulling themselves
25:09along the bottom
25:10of the water,
25:12feeling anything
25:12that comes
25:13along their path.
25:16Once an item is found,
25:18the diver at that point
25:19should use some form
25:20of flotation device
25:21to actually mark
25:22the location
25:23of the item
25:24in situ.
25:25It is up to the dive team
25:27to properly recover
25:29the item
25:29while minimizing
25:30the amount
25:31of contamination.
25:34As well as
25:35the shower curtain
25:36Paul's body
25:37was wrapped in,
25:38divers retrieved
25:39a large rug,
25:41a gold chain,
25:42and a pair of glasses.
25:44And these glasses
25:45look like women's glasses.
25:47And because they were
25:48found in the proximity
25:49of this shower curtain,
25:52they're really hopeful
25:53that this might be
25:54a significant piece
25:55of information,
25:56particularly if they could
25:56find somebody
25:57they belong to
25:58or somebody who has
25:59a similar pair
26:00of glasses like these.
26:02While they waited
26:03for forensic results
26:05on the items
26:05found in the creek,
26:07detectives began
26:08to get a clearer picture
26:09of Paul Sheely's
26:10love life.
26:11We were seeing
26:12each other
26:12probably just a couple
26:14of months.
26:16Then I got pregnant.
26:19And he's like,
26:20okay.
26:23He told me
26:24that he was going
26:24to be there
26:25for me and my son.
26:27You know,
26:27he was like,
26:28when the baby's born,
26:30I'll, you know,
26:30I'll be there
26:31to help you out
26:32no matter what.
26:35We saw a lot
26:36of each other
26:37while I was pregnant.
26:40And we talked
26:41on the phone
26:42pretty much
26:42every other day.
26:44I called one day
26:46to find out
26:48where he was
26:49because he was supposed
26:50to come in
26:50and visit me.
26:52And when I called
26:53a female announcer,
26:54which was his girlfriend
26:55at the time,
26:56Alicia Lee,
26:56I knew that he was
26:58in a relationship
26:59in the beginning
27:00of our relationship.
27:03Alicia Lee,
27:05a single mother
27:05of three,
27:06had been living
27:07with Paul
27:07in Jacksonville
27:08for more than
27:09a decade.
27:12He was dropping
27:13off one of his kids
27:13at daycare.
27:14She was a daycare worker
27:15and they really
27:16hit it off right away.
27:18And I think
27:19this was pretty unusual
27:20for Paul
27:21to actually have
27:22that kind of relationship
27:23where he moves
27:24in with somebody.
27:24So I think
27:25he was quite smitten.
27:26I also get the sense
27:28that in some respects
27:28she was, you know,
27:30kind of different
27:30from a lot of the women
27:32that he had relationships
27:33with that were more casual.
27:35And I think
27:35from Lisa's point of view,
27:38I don't think
27:38that she thought
27:39of philandering,
27:41for example,
27:41as part of that relationship
27:43or an acceptable
27:44part of it.
27:46Alicia told me
27:47that she, you know,
27:49that she's his girlfriend.
27:50They've been together
27:51for 10 years
27:52and pretty much
27:53he's not going anywhere.
27:55So, you know,
27:56just leave him alone
27:57and stop calling his phone.
27:59I proceeded to tell her.
28:01I said,
28:01I'm not sure
28:02if he told you or not,
28:03but I was pregnant,
28:04you know,
28:05with the son.
28:09I can sense
28:09from her,
28:10the phone conversation
28:11that she was
28:12very, very hurt,
28:14very, you know,
28:16disappointed
28:17and disgusted
28:18with him.
28:19I think she would
28:20have certainly
28:20told herself
28:21that he wouldn't
28:22do this to her
28:23because they had
28:24a different kind
28:24of relationship.
28:26And I think
28:26it would have been
28:27very frustrating
28:28and cause a lot
28:30of rage
28:31and disappointment
28:31to discover that,
28:33no,
28:34that you're not special
28:35in that way,
28:36that Paul's behaving
28:38with you
28:39just as he has
28:40with every other woman
28:41in his life.
28:44We exchanged words,
28:46curse words
28:46back and forth
28:47and after we hung up,
28:49that was it.
28:52Miss Lee's very upset.
28:53So now we've determined,
28:54okay,
28:55that was within
28:56a couple of days
28:57of Paul going missing,
28:59not being seen.
29:01That kind of gave us
29:02more of that idea
29:03of, okay,
29:04there are some
29:05heated passions here.
29:06could that be
29:08the way that this went?
29:11One of the things
29:12that becomes clear
29:13is that there were
29:14some bad blood
29:15between them
29:16and some serious jealousy.
29:19You know,
29:19when you look at
29:20the motives
29:21for murder,
29:23you know,
29:24love slash jealousy
29:26slash revenge,
29:27that's at the top
29:29of the list
29:30in terms of
29:31why people
29:32murder other people
29:34that they're involved with.
29:36Detectives questioned
29:39Alicia Lee
29:39about the days
29:41before the discovery
29:41of Paul's body
29:42in Lofton Creek.
29:44Miss Lee
29:57had provided
29:58a little bit
29:58of a time frame
29:59for the Sunday,
30:00a potential time
30:01that this could occur.
30:04She advised
30:05that Paul
30:06had come home
30:07either from out of town
30:08or somewhere else
30:09in Jacksonville,
30:10that she believed
30:11that he was with
30:12one of the other girls
30:13that he was having
30:14a relationship with.
30:15And then when he got home,
30:17he went to sleep.
30:19She got her children up.
30:21She got them dressed.
30:22She had them eating breakfast
30:23in the kitchen.
30:24She takes them to church,
30:26pretty consistent
30:27with what she's done
30:28in the past.
30:28She drops off
30:30her children
30:30at the aunt's house
30:31and then goes back
30:33over to her house.
30:34When she returned home,
30:36Paul was gone.
30:38The car was gone.
30:40She decided
30:41to replace the mattress
30:43on her bed
30:44that her and Paul share.
30:48Why would you replace
30:49the mattress
30:50all of a sudden,
30:51actually on a Sunday morning?
30:53We determined
30:55we needed to get
30:56the Florida Department
30:56of Law Enforcement
30:57forensic team out there
30:58and process the house
31:00with a search warrant.
31:03The team did forensic tests
31:05in the main part
31:06of the house.
31:08They did come up
31:09with a small amount
31:10of blood
31:10in one of the sinks.
31:11Again,
31:12not consistent
31:13with the amount of blood
31:13that would have been lost
31:14during a gunshot wound.
31:15There were no shell casings.
31:17There was no other
31:18physical evidence
31:19that was found
31:20during this processing.
31:21One of our main concerns
31:34with a case like this
31:35is it turning
31:36into a cold case,
31:37turning into a situation
31:38where, yeah,
31:39we know there was
31:40a homicide.
31:41We have potential suspects,
31:43but we cannot prove
31:44what occurred.
31:46We have a good idea
31:48that, okay,
31:48this probably happened
31:50in the city of Jacksonville.
31:52We cannot prove that.
31:54Nobody's talking.
31:56Nobody's giving us
31:56any more information
31:57than giving us
31:58an idea of who he is.
32:00So we know
32:01that it's just going
32:02to take that one person
32:03to tell us,
32:04yeah,
32:04this is what happened.
32:06To blow this thing open,
32:09unfortunately,
32:10we were unable
32:10to get over that hurdle
32:11in the initial part
32:12of the investigation.
32:13It's very hard,
32:16I think,
32:17for a family
32:17to really grieve
32:18not knowing
32:19what happened
32:20to their loved one,
32:22not having justice,
32:24not having answers.
32:26And unfortunately,
32:27this case,
32:28for a number of months,
32:30kind of,
32:31just kind of stagnates.
32:32So it starts moving
32:36into that cold case field,
32:38which is very difficult
32:39to get out of.
32:45And then one day
32:46I got a phone call
32:47saying,
32:49hey, guess what?
32:51Jacksonville Sheriff's Office
32:52busted the case wide open.
32:53For nearly a year,
33:10Florida detectives
33:11have drawn a blank
33:12in their hunt
33:13for the killer
33:13of Paul Shealy,
33:15whose body was found
33:17in a Florida creek.
33:19They suspect
33:20this is a crime
33:21of passion
33:22committed by
33:23his long-term girlfriend,
33:24Alicia Lee,
33:26but can't prove it.
33:28We have potential suspects,
33:30but we cannot prove
33:31what occurred.
33:33There was nothing
33:34indicating any other way
33:35that this was going to go,
33:36but we just could not
33:37get over that last hurdle.
33:40DNA tests on the items
33:42found near the body
33:43in the creek,
33:44a pair of women's glasses,
33:46a gold chain,
33:47a shower curtain,
33:48and a large rug
33:49also offered no answers.
33:52The evidence
34:01that was found
34:01in the water
34:02posed several difficulties,
34:04especially when considering
34:06an item such as a rug.
34:09Because of the fact
34:10it was in very murky water,
34:13there likely would have been
34:14a lot of algae,
34:15vegetation,
34:16mud,
34:17and other debris
34:17on the rug.
34:18So the investigators
34:21are now faced
34:22with the challenge
34:23of trying to find
34:24a way to remove
34:25the debris
34:25while still preserving
34:27any forensic evidence
34:28and also without removing
34:31too much
34:32of those environmental factors
34:33that link the rug
34:35to that body of water.
34:36The type of water
34:40that evidence
34:41is recovered in
34:41will directly impact
34:43if any DNA
34:43can be recovered
34:44from the pieces
34:45of evidence.
34:47Where there's a lot
34:48of debris,
34:49a lot of vegetation,
34:50and when they're
34:51in warmer environments
34:52like the state
34:53of Florida,
34:54there's a lot
34:55of bacteria.
34:56That bacteria
34:57can quickly eat away
34:59at any DNA evidence
35:00that might be left
35:01on any of the items
35:03found in the water,
35:04and that's exactly
35:04what happened
35:05in this case.
35:16Then,
35:17detectives got
35:18a breakthrough.
35:20Daniel Reddick,
35:22who was serving time
35:23for attempted burglary,
35:24confessed that he
35:26and three accomplices
35:27dumped Paul's body
35:28in Lofton Creek.
35:30This is an acquaintance
35:31of both Ms. Lee
35:33and Mr. Sheely
35:34had been arrested
35:35and started providing
35:36information on
35:38what actually took place
35:39that Sunday,
35:40how the body was dumped,
35:42where the body was dumped.
35:43prior to her shooting him
35:46and wanting him dead,
35:48what did she step
35:48to you and say?
35:51She asked me,
35:52what did I do?
35:53Was it hard
35:54to end up
35:54killing anybody?
35:56And what did you tell her?
35:59I told her,
36:00no.
36:02Reddick denied
36:03shooting Paul.
36:04Instead,
36:05he claimed it was
36:06Sheely's girlfriend,
36:07Alicia Lee,
36:08who had planned
36:09and executed
36:10the murder.
36:10She said
36:11she signed him
36:12on the way.
36:13Meaning she signed him
36:13home.
36:14Meaning what, sir?
36:16She killed him.
36:19He pretty quickly
36:20kind of fesses up
36:22and says that
36:23he did help
36:25hide this body
36:26and that he did this
36:28at the request
36:29of Alicia Lee,
36:31who had made
36:33no bones
36:33about the fact
36:34that she wanted
36:35Paul Sheely dead.
36:37He said
36:38that she had asked him
36:40if he would
36:40murder him
36:41and he had said,
36:42no,
36:43I won't do this.
36:44And he said,
36:44I thought that
36:45was the end of this
36:45until she calls me
36:47out of the blue
36:48and says that
36:49she's done it.
36:52Reddick admitted
36:53he and three friends
36:54helped Alicia Lee
36:56dispose of the body
36:57and the mattress.
37:00Then,
37:01Lee rewarded them
37:02by divvying up
37:03Paul's jewelry
37:04and expensive sneakers.
37:07And I think
37:07it's just,
37:08it is somewhat
37:08mind-boggling
37:09that you have
37:10these four individuals
37:11who have had
37:12nothing to do
37:13with the actual murder
37:14who are willing
37:15to just assist her
37:17in getting rid
37:18of his body.
37:24Now certain
37:25that Paul
37:25and Alicia's
37:26Jacksonville house
37:27was the primary
37:28crime scene,
37:29forensic teams
37:30returned
37:31for a second time.
37:33Their focus,
37:34the master bedroom.
37:35the brain
37:37starts working,
37:38that mattress,
37:39that bedroom.
37:41Jacksonville Sheriff's
37:42Office took
37:42their forensics unit,
37:44they illuminaled
37:44that bedroom,
37:45and they found
37:46plenty of evidence
37:48showing that the crime
37:50had actually occurred
37:51in that bedroom.
37:54So now it's time
37:55to bring in
37:55your person of interest.
37:56The only real suspect
37:58you've had
37:58during this entire process,
38:00you bring Miss Lee in
38:01and start questioning
38:02her,
38:04and that was
38:04ultimately successful.
38:09Lee denied
38:10murdering her partner,
38:11but it was the pair
38:12of women's glasses
38:13found with the body
38:14which would finally
38:16prove her guilt.
38:19When they were
38:20interviewing her,
38:21they provided her
38:22with something to read,
38:23and she actually
38:24pulled out a set
38:25of reading glasses,
38:26and a very astute
38:29detective
38:29remembered seeing
38:31those glasses
38:31in the pictures
38:32of the physical evidence
38:33that was collected
38:34at the bottom
38:35of Lofton Creek,
38:36and it was an absolute
38:37match for the ones
38:39that she had on her then.
38:41Lee had lost
38:42an identical pair
38:43in the shower curtain
38:45she'd used
38:45to wrap Paul's
38:46dead body in.
38:48I believe that's
38:49what took the wind
38:50out of her sails
38:50along with everything else
38:52that made her
38:53finally confess
38:54to committing the murder.
38:56Later, Lee reenacted
39:00for detectives
39:01the moment she shot
39:02Paul in the head
39:03as he slept.
39:10What did surprise me
39:14and I thought
39:15was interesting
39:15is her demeanor
39:16during this confession.
39:19She's very matter-of-fact
39:20in how she talks
39:22about the very
39:24specific details
39:25of murdering him.
39:28Did anybody
39:29promise you anything?
39:30No.
39:31Why are you doing this?
39:33I don't get
39:34any sense of remorse
39:36from her.
39:39It is jealousy,
39:42I think,
39:42that motivated Alicia,
39:43but I think
39:44it was more revenge.
39:45Alicia Lee was charged
39:56with first-degree murder
39:58and sent to trial.
40:00This is what we think
40:01happens.
40:04Paul Shealy had come home.
40:06He had gone to bed.
40:09The children were
40:10in the kitchen.
40:11She's made up her mind
40:12to kill him.
40:13She recalls
40:14that Mr. Reddick
40:15advised her
40:16that a way
40:17to silence a gun
40:19is with a potato.
40:22She waited
40:23until he was
40:24good asleep.
40:26She made sure
40:27her children
40:27was busy
40:28in the other room.
40:31She went
40:32into the closet
40:34and got his gun
40:35and got the potato
40:37and, you know,
40:38put it on there
40:39as a silencer.
40:40and then she just,
40:41she went in there
40:42and just shot him
40:44while he slept.
40:46And it goes about
40:47her business
40:48for the rest of the day,
40:49taking the kids
40:50to church,
40:51taking them over
40:51to Ann's house,
40:52and then dealing
40:52with the four other people
40:54to get rid of the body,
40:56get rid of the mattress,
40:57get rid of the evidence,
40:58take it up to Nassau County
40:59and dump it
41:00into Lofting Creek.
41:00Well, when I was told,
41:05it, it, it, it, it,
41:06it shocked me
41:07because I didn't think
41:09or suspect
41:10that she, you know,
41:11would have did
41:12anything like that
41:13because she was
41:14such a quiet person,
41:16a laid-back,
41:17chill person.
41:18When you look
41:20at Alicia Lee,
41:21it's hard to see
41:22anything at all
41:24in her background
41:25that would,
41:25would predict this.
41:28She goes to church,
41:29she takes her kids
41:30to church,
41:31she has a steady job,
41:33she's a child care worker,
41:35she's responsible.
41:37This is somebody
41:38you would never think
41:39would engage
41:40in some kind of violence,
41:41certainly murder,
41:42of somebody
41:43they're in a relationship with.
41:44The story
41:51and how she did it
41:52is the most disgustingest thing
41:56that I could ever think of.
41:58Like, you killed them
42:00and then you got your kids
42:01ready for church.
42:02You took them to church,
42:04came back,
42:06and disposed of the body
42:07with some friends.
42:10She actually came
42:11to the funeral.
42:12She was on the porch
42:13with us crying
42:14and consoling my grandmother.
42:19That is wild to me.
42:31In March 2006,
42:34Lee accepted a plea bargain,
42:36admitted second-degree murder,
42:38and was sentenced
42:39to 30 years in prison.
42:40Her four accomplices
42:44got between three
42:45and five years
42:46for disposing of Paul's body
42:48in Lofton Creek.
42:51What makes this case so bad
42:53was not only the fact
42:55that she had done this
42:56while her children
42:57were in the house.
42:58She then drew other people
43:00into this murder investigation,
43:03into this conspiracy,
43:05had them help her
43:07get him to Lofton Creek
43:08in Nassau County,
43:10and then to pay them
43:12by telling them
43:13that they can divvy up
43:14those flashy jewelry pieces,
43:17the flashy clothes,
43:18everything that everybody
43:20had told us in the beginning
43:21was part of Paul Sheely,
43:23what made Paul Sheely
43:24Paul Sheely.
43:26It was cold-blooded.
43:27You're not giving that person
43:31any chance
43:32to defend themselves,
43:33explain themselves,
43:34think of other options.
43:36I mean, you've made a decision.
43:37You've made a unilateral decision,
43:39right,
43:39that I'm going to end
43:40this person's life.
43:41That, I think, is cold.
43:44Do I think that perhaps
43:46in Alicia Lee's mind,
43:48she justified it by saying,
43:51Paul made me do this?
43:53I've reached the breaking point.
43:54He pushed me over the edge.
43:55I can see her thinking that.
43:58Nobody pushes anybody
43:59over the edge.
44:01They step across that line.
44:03But I do think that
44:05that would have been
44:06possibly a reason for her,
44:08a justification for her
44:09of making this decision
44:10to end his life.
44:14Justice was done.
44:16But Paul Sheely's family
44:18and those involved
44:19in the investigation
44:20would feel the consequences
44:22of his murder
44:23for years to come.
44:25It definitely affected
44:28my life,
44:29especially during that time
44:31because I was getting
44:32in so much trouble.
44:34I was rebelling, man.
44:36You know, I don't have a father
44:37and I'm not getting the things
44:39that I'm used to getting.
44:41It was hard.
44:43It was hard.
44:46My father-in-law actually
44:47was a little afraid
44:49that his name would get out
44:51and the people
44:53that had murdered the victim
44:54would come after him
44:58because he found the body.
45:01And that was something
45:02that disturbed him
45:03the rest of his life.
45:09Paul had eight kids
45:10and my son was number nine.
45:15I think he would have been
45:16a proud dad.
45:19If he was still around,
45:20he would be there
45:21at everything
45:22that happened
45:23in my son's life.
45:27Still to this day,
45:28I'm still to this day
45:29still angry,
45:30for sure,
45:31because
45:32the hurt never goes away.
45:37People speak of closure,
45:40but it's no real closure.
45:45Being here in this context,
45:47not a lot of change here
45:49and it really brings it
45:51back to mind
45:51the sadness
45:53of a father of nine
45:56coming to this end
45:58in this location,
45:59in this manner.
46:00It's a terrible thing.
46:30It's...
46:35I think this is a terrible thing.
46:40It's a terrible thing.
46:41We all won't care
46:41of that kid.
46:44Maybe he could
46:45leave,
46:45but it's...
46:46I think this is a terrible thing.
46:48It was not a culpa.
46:49It's just a terrible thing.
46:50What time?
46:51Anyway,
46:51I think this is something
46:51that's...
46:53It's actually before
46:54the time or not..
46:54What time?
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