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True Crime Story It Couldnt Happen Here S03E05 Mayfield Kentucky
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00:00There was an individual that I would say was somewhat of an activist towards trying to solve the murder of
00:06Jessica Curran.
00:08She starts becoming essentially an amateur sleuth.
00:12How about education in the area of law enforcement?
00:14Just a lot of court TV.
00:17She had created a MySpace page to try to get information that she could then turn over to the police.
00:23From the moment I seen the stuff on MySpace, I'm just thinking, like, this cannot be real right now.
00:28It was pretty shocking, and she was gaining more and more attention.
00:34I just had a feeling that we weren't going to get the right people.
00:52Oh, my God, look at that.
00:58You look at the map, and there's supposed to be a town here.
01:01And then you get here, and it's just rubble.
01:07In 2021, a massive tornado came through and just tore the place apart.
01:15Nothing looks like it did before the tornado.
01:18It was so beautiful here.
01:20It makes me emotional every time I talk about it.
01:23Mayfield before the tornado is a completely different Mayfield than we have right now.
01:28Our courthouse is gone.
01:31It was really surreal for us because, you know, you're driving around in a place that you've been in your
01:36entire life,
01:37and, like, there's no landmarks to tell you where to go.
01:41This is the second hope sign that I've seen here.
01:47That seems to be a word that people are hanging on to.
01:51A lot of people come together, rebuilding churches, businesses, barbershops.
01:57It's a good place to be until it's not.
02:01I think every town has something that lies beneath.
02:08Mayfield is a town that shows its scars, both literally with the damage from the tornado and emotionally,
02:15because they are still recovering from a murder that happened here in the summer of 2000.
02:20And that is when a young, single mother, 18-year-old Jessica Curran, decided to walk home, and she never
02:29made it.
02:29The search for answers has continued for decades.
02:33And for Jessica's family, they're still not satisfied with the conclusion that was reached.
02:40Jessica was my oldest daughter.
02:43Everybody in the family called her Jessie.
02:46My name is Joe Curran.
02:47I am a firefighter for the city of Mayfield.
02:52Jessica was always girly.
02:55On Saturday mornings, we'd go fishing.
02:58And I remember the first time she caught a fish, it was a big one.
03:02And she was scared to death.
03:03She took off running.
03:04But then she wanted to go again, so...
03:08Jessie was 18 years old is when she had her son, Zion.
03:14She was a really good mom.
03:17She was smart.
03:18She wanted to be in the medical field, because that helps people.
03:21I think she would have been pretty amazing.
03:25On Saturday, I went over to pick up Zion, the baby.
03:30And a few of her friends were there, some girls.
03:32They were talking about going somewhere to play chords.
03:35And we took Zion on home with us.
03:40And so, that Sunday morning, we went by to see if she was going to go to church with us.
03:45When we knocked on her door, we didn't get any answer.
03:50So, my wife and I was going around town, asking a few people about Jessica, if they had seen her.
03:56And we were getting a little nervous, because we know she always stayed in touch.
04:01Tuesday, we went up to the police department to file a missing persons report.
04:06And that's when they kind of told us that morning they had found a dead body in Mayfield.
04:13The Mayfield Police Department received a call from the Mayfield Middle School,
04:17because a body was found in the back of the schoolyard that had been burned.
04:22This is before I got involved in the investigation.
04:26My name is David James.
04:27I'm former commissioner of the Kentucky Bureau of Investigations
04:30from the Commonwealth of Kentucky Attorney General's Office.
04:33The Mayfield Police Department arrived, and they discover a young black female
04:39who had a dress on that was pulled up.
04:43It was also burned.
04:46There were ripped underwear nearby.
04:50And a braided leather belt near her head that could be the murder weapon itself.
04:58There was a small Gatorade bottle next to her that turned out to have an accelerant in it.
05:07There was indescribable violence that took place.
05:11My initial thought was, there ain't no way it couldn't be.
05:16I mean, it just couldn't be her.
05:19The police told us the condition that the body was in.
05:23They said that you really didn't want to see that.
05:27The murder of Jessica Curran, it was devastating.
05:31You don't forget hearing about a young girl being half burned at a middle school.
05:39I lived within two miles of the middle school.
05:42It was big talk of the town.
05:47This case in particular has been incredibly frustrating
05:52because depending on what you're looking at,
05:55the narrative changes so drastically.
05:59So right now we're meeting with attorney Miranda Hellman.
06:02And she is someone who has spent the last few years
06:05trying to learn every single detail about this case.
06:11Hi, Miranda.
06:12Hi, Hilary.
06:13How are you?
06:13How are you?
06:13I'm good.
06:14Thank you so much.
06:15Come on in.
06:16I would love to hear from you about Jessica Curran.
06:21Who would want to do something like this to this young girl?
06:23My sense was that the investigation centered very much on her cousin,
06:28Venetia Stubblefield, who was with her the night Jessica went missing.
06:32How old is she?
06:33Venetia was 15 to 16 years old as this is happening.
06:36Okay, so she's young.
06:38Very young.
06:39Venetia just says Jessica left that night
06:42from playing cards with her friends to walk home.
06:46Venetia tells police that she also headed out
06:50and that a white car pulled up
06:52and the occupants were Jeremy Adams,
06:55the father of Jessica's child,
06:57and Carlos Saxton, Jessica's current boyfriend.
07:00Venetia gets in the car and they do go find Jessica on her walk home.
07:05They tell her to get into the car
07:07and that some type of disagreement occurs
07:10and this disagreement turns violent.
07:14Venetia says that she leaves Jessica with Jeremy Adams and Carlos Saxton
07:18and that they drive away with Jessica.
07:21The Mayfield police ended up speaking
07:23with Lolo Saxton and Jeremy Adams.
07:28Lolo and Jeremy eventually get indicted
07:31by the Mayfield police department
07:33for the murder of Jessica Kern.
07:36Jessica goes missing at the end of July.
07:39They make the arrests six months after.
07:43How much later does the trial happen?
07:45So Jeremy and Carlos were not tried.
07:48The trial never occurs.
07:50The defense attorneys were saying,
07:52we know their interviews, their videos.
07:54There have to be alternative suspects
07:56that you looked into for six months.
07:58We want that information.
08:00And they seem to really be getting a lot of stonewalling
08:03and the judge dismisses the case.
08:08I've never seen a case so messed up in my entire life.
08:11Tim Fortner, he was a Mayfield police officer.
08:13He had never been a detective or an investigator before.
08:17And they told him to investigate it.
08:19Bad idea.
08:22The information they used to indict
08:25was based upon what I would say is a hearsay evidence.
08:30No one directly said,
08:32I saw this person kill Jessica Kern.
08:45Months passed and the Kentucky State Police
08:47had not made any indictments or arrests
08:50on the case.
08:52At that time,
08:54Jeremy Adams was out of jail
08:56and out of prison
08:57and walking around in Mayfield
08:59telling people he did it.
09:01And the police didn't pick him up.
09:03I was starting to believe
09:05that was something in this case
09:07that they didn't want to get solved.
09:17What does a victim's family do
09:19in the wake of this messy investigation?
09:24Joe was very vocal,
09:25pushing for,
09:27we need justice for Jessica.
09:28At that point in time,
09:30the state police head investigator
09:32meets this woman who lives in Mayfield
09:35named Susan Galbraith.
09:36Who is Susan Galbraith?
09:38She was friends with Jeremy's mother.
09:40Okay.
09:42She describes herself as
09:44this middle-aged,
09:45cigarette-smoking,
09:46busybody,
09:47wino.
09:49Susan believed Jeremy
09:51was wrongfully accused.
09:53She just becomes
09:54a private citizen investigator.
09:57I would say that Susan Galbraith
09:59was dedicated to this cause
10:01beyond belief.
10:02She was like,
10:03this is not Mayfield, Kentucky.
10:04People don't do this in my city.
10:07She did research on the internet.
10:09She tracked down things.
10:11She just wanted to find out
10:13who did it.
10:14Susan, in her amateur sleuth role,
10:17actually starts doing
10:18boots on the ground,
10:20interviewing an investigation.
10:22Just on her own?
10:22Just on her own,
10:24talking to people about the case.
10:25She's also reaching out
10:27to media outlets
10:28where she's,
10:30hey, I've got this crazy story
10:31about small-town Kentucky.
10:34She eventually gets a bite back
10:36from a journalist out of England,
10:39Tom Mangold.
10:41What's his reaction to it?
10:43In 2004,
10:44he leaves England
10:46and comes to Mayfield, Kentucky
10:48to help her
10:49put her investigation together.
10:52They start to fill those gaps.
10:54In time,
10:56in the who,
10:57what, where, when, how, why.
10:59Susan sees an arrest report
11:00for Quincy Cross
11:02early Sunday morning,
11:03the same weekend
11:04Jessica went missing.
11:06The report says
11:07that Quincy had a car
11:09that had ran out of gas
11:10on the side of the road.
11:11They note that Quincy
11:12smelled like gas
11:14and had gas on his clothing
11:17and that he was
11:18not wearing a belt.
11:20Police ask him
11:21where he's coming from.
11:22He says,
11:23Chris Drive.
11:24Can you tell me
11:25who Quincy is?
11:26Quincy is actually
11:28from Tennessee.
11:29He was in Mayfield
11:30Saturday night
11:30at this party
11:31on Chris Drive.
11:34The sheriff's deputy
11:35goes back to the car
11:37that day
11:37and sees
11:38the handle
11:39of a pistol
11:40in the glove box
11:41and what he describes
11:43as marijuana seeds
11:44on the seat.
11:46He gets an arrest warrant
11:48and they go
11:49and raid
11:50the address
11:52at Chris Drive,
11:53arresting Quincy
11:54and nearly everyone else
11:56that was at the house
11:56that day
11:57just hours
11:58after
11:58Jessica disappears.
12:01At this point,
12:02Quincy
12:02is just arrested
12:04for possession
12:05because this is all
12:06before Jessica's body
12:07has been found, right?
12:08Correct.
12:09In the initial Mayfield
12:10Police Department
12:11investigation,
12:12they did speak
12:13with individuals
12:14that were at the party
12:15at Chris Drive.
12:17There were these statements
12:18about Quincy
12:20being a little wild.
12:21They were drinking
12:22and partying.
12:23They had cocaine
12:24that night.
12:25He was jumping around,
12:27swinging his belt
12:28like a lasso.
12:30Susan uses the statements
12:31about Quincy
12:32smelling like gas
12:33and that there was
12:35a belt found
12:35next to Jessica's body
12:37to believe that Quincy
12:39truly is the best suspect
12:41in this crime.
12:43Yeah, I mean,
12:43what an exciting find.
12:44You know,
12:45you know that somebody
12:47used gas.
12:49You've got this buzzword
12:51in a police report
12:53from that same weekend.
12:55And she was turning
12:56these different facts
12:57that she's pulling
12:58out of records
12:59over to the state police.
13:01Of course,
13:02everyone wanted
13:02to find out
13:03how it happened,
13:04who did it,
13:05what's going on.
13:06Susan Galbraith
13:08probably knew
13:09a lot more
13:10than the police knew.
13:12She knew so many people
13:15and they weren't afraid
13:16to talk to her.
13:19After Tom had visited
13:21Mayfield with Susan,
13:23he returned to England
13:24and wrote a long-form article
13:27that was released
13:28in July of 2004.
13:30And he really,
13:31for the first time publicly,
13:34put together
13:35Susan's narrative
13:37pointing at Quincy Cross
13:39as the perpetrator
13:41of this crime.
13:46So the article comes out
13:48in 2004,
13:49four years after
13:50this crime happens.
13:51I have to imagine
13:53that lights a fire
13:55under law enforcement.
13:56Yes.
13:57So I believe
13:58that it was a catalyst
13:59for KSP.
14:02Susan becomes
14:03this additional piece
14:04of the law enforcement
14:06investigation.
14:08But Susan herself
14:09began to grow
14:11more and more frustrated
14:12that no arrests
14:14had been made
14:15in the case.
14:17I was hoping that
14:18when we got state police
14:19on it,
14:20that it could get
14:21something done.
14:22But that never
14:23happened either.
14:24So I went to talk
14:25to the attorney general
14:27about my case.
14:28The way I first
14:29got involved
14:30in the investigation
14:30was Attorney General
14:32Craig Stumbo
14:33told me that
14:34he had met
14:35Joe Curran.
14:36and Joe Curran
14:37asked him
14:38would he help
14:39solve his daughter's
14:41murder.
14:41And the attorney general
14:42said yes he would.
14:49Once KBI got involved,
14:51my investigators
14:52poured through
14:53the documents
14:53from the Mayfield
14:54Police Department.
14:57They met
14:59with the Kentucky
15:00State Police
15:01and ended up
15:02meeting with
15:03Susan Galbraith.
15:04Because Susan
15:05had information too
15:06that was actually
15:07helpful.
15:08There was a theory
15:10that ran through
15:11this case
15:12from the very beginning
15:13that the perpetrators
15:14of the crime
15:15were a black male
15:17and a white male.
15:19When Susan begins
15:20her investigation,
15:21she believes
15:22that the black male
15:24is Quincy Cross
15:25and the white male
15:26is now Jeffrey Burton.
15:29Jeffrey Burton
15:30is a younger
15:31white guy
15:32and in the initial
15:34investigation
15:36as folks
15:37from Chris Drive
15:38are being interviewed,
15:40one of those witnesses
15:41says that two white males
15:42came to the door.
15:44One was a person
15:45with the last name
15:45Burton.
15:47And Susan
15:48takes this information
15:50to mean that
15:50it was actually
15:51Jeff Burton
15:52who came to the
15:53Chris Drive party
15:54that night
15:55and that he was
15:57involved in this
15:58with Quincy Cross.
16:06Susan is using
16:08MySpace
16:08to put out
16:09lists of individuals
16:11that she thinks
16:12were involved
16:13or have relevant
16:15information
16:15to her investigation.
16:16She immediately
16:17adds Jeff's name
16:19to the MySpace list.
16:22This is when my life
16:23really got altered.
16:25My name is Jeffrey Burton
16:27and I grew up
16:28in Mayfield, Kentucky.
16:30It's late 2006.
16:32A buddy of mine
16:33called me
16:33and he's like,
16:34hey man,
16:34you might want to
16:34get on MySpace
16:36and look at this thing.
16:38They're talking bad
16:38about you on here.
16:40I end up talking
16:41to my mom and them
16:41kind of freaking out.
16:43She's like,
16:43you know,
16:44oh, don't worry about it.
16:45It's just something
16:46on MySpace
16:46somebody's saying
16:47I haven't done
16:48anything wrong.
16:50Susan uses MySpace
16:51to reach out
16:53to people
16:53she believes
16:54would have information.
16:56One of those people
16:57is Victoria Caldwell.
16:59Victoria was questioned
17:01by police
17:02back in 2000.
17:04Do we know
17:05what Susan was saying
17:07specifically to Victoria?
17:09Some of it,
17:10but we do know
17:11that she really pushes
17:12Victoria to talk
17:13to law enforcement again.
17:16The investigators
17:17eventually spoke
17:18to Victoria Caldwell.
17:19she confessed
17:21to actually being there
17:22when it happened,
17:23when Jessica was killed.
17:26Victoria implicates
17:27a woman named
17:28Tamara Caldwell.
17:30Tamara and Victoria
17:32were first cousins.
17:33My cousin asked me
17:34if I wanted to take
17:35a ride with them.
17:36Quincy
17:37and Tamara
17:38and this white guy.
17:41You said you remember
17:42this first name?
17:43Yeah.
17:43What was that?
17:44It was Jeffrey.
17:44Victoria tells KBI
17:47that Quincy Cross,
17:49Jeffrey Burton,
17:50Tamara Caldwell,
17:51and Venetia
17:52were all in a white car.
17:55Quincy has sex
17:56on his mind.
17:57Victoria says
17:58they see Jessica
17:59walking down the street
18:00and eventually talks her
18:02into getting in the car.
18:04Quincy makes
18:05sexual advances
18:06towards Jessica.
18:08Jessica resisted
18:10his advances
18:10and eventually
18:11all those folks
18:12ended up
18:13at Jeffrey Burton's house.
18:15And so I have seen
18:18Tamara holding
18:19Jessica down
18:21and Quincy over her
18:22with a belt
18:23around her neck.
18:25Victoria provided
18:26to the KBI
18:27that Quincy did
18:29strangle her
18:30and that he had
18:31called all of the
18:33participants
18:33into Jeffrey's room
18:35throughout the evening
18:36to engage
18:37in sexual acts
18:39with Jessica.
18:41Victoria said
18:42that Quincy
18:45killed Jessica.
18:46I think
18:47Quincy lifted the head
18:48and the white guy
18:49lifted the feet.
18:50They took her out of the house
18:51and put her
18:51on the back of the car.
18:53Quincy stops
18:54to get gas.
18:55The worst thing
18:56about it was
18:57he got a cup
18:58and he put
18:59the gas in the cup.
19:01Victoria says
19:02they dispose of the body
19:03Sunday
19:04in the wee hours
19:05of the morning
19:05at the Mayfield
19:06Middle School.
19:08Tamara got out
19:09and she helped
19:09them take the body.
19:12Quincy threw the gas
19:14on her.
19:15Venetia threw the match
19:17and I just remember
19:17I just ran away
19:18because I didn't want
19:19parts of it at all.
19:21Over the course
19:22of a few days
19:23in February
19:24they continued
19:24to talk to Victoria.
19:26Quincy,
19:27she hit her
19:28with a bat
19:28on her head.
19:30A bat?
19:32And a bat.
19:33Like a little
19:35that.
19:37Victoria had provided
19:38to law enforcement
19:39that all of this
19:40evidence she had
19:41from the crime scene
19:42was buried
19:43at her sister's house.
19:45A search warrant
19:46is conducted
19:47and they don't
19:48find a bat.
19:49They find a ratchet.
19:51Law enforcement
19:52go back to Victoria
19:53and essentially
19:54ask her
19:54could it have been
19:55any of these items
19:56instead.
19:57Are you sure
19:57it was a bat
19:58or you said
19:59one time
20:00it was a tie
20:00you thought it was
20:01a metal object
20:02a tie or two
20:03you described it
20:05with the best
20:06of your recollection
20:07what do you think
20:08it was?
20:11At that time
20:11I think it was a bat.
20:12Okay.
20:14After police
20:14continued to question her
20:15her story does change.
20:17There are
20:18a few different versions.
20:20She had like
20:21came to
20:23and
20:24that's when
20:25she was hit again.
20:28And what was she
20:29struck with at that time?
20:32Um
20:34I'm not sure
20:35I think it was
20:36the metal thing
20:37I'm not really sure.
20:38Okay explain
20:39describe that
20:40to us again.
20:42It's like
20:44probably about
20:45like this long
20:46and
20:47it has like
20:48this thing on it
20:49it spins.
20:50One of the things
20:51that Victoria told us
20:53was where
20:54that weapon was
20:56the socket wrench
20:57and that gave us
20:58a lot of credibility
21:00with Victoria
21:01at that point.
21:03Investigators
21:04eventually spoke
21:05to Venetia Stubblefield.
21:06Venetia's story
21:07changes
21:08over time
21:09but then
21:10when KBI
21:11brings Venetia in
21:12for questioning
21:13she corroborates
21:14a lot of pieces
21:16of the story
21:17that Victoria provided.
21:18There were
21:19hundreds of interviews
21:20that were conducted
21:21to either eliminate
21:23certain information
21:24that we'd received
21:25or to corroborate
21:27certain information
21:28that we'd received.
21:29We interviewed
21:30anybody and everybody
21:32that had anything
21:32to say about anything
21:33about it
21:35to make sure
21:35that ultimately
21:36we knew that
21:37we were putting
21:38the right people
21:39in jail for this.
21:43I was working
21:44at Stanley Steamer
21:45and they come
21:46and got me
21:47like you know
21:48come with us
21:48and I'm like
21:49you know
21:50oh my god
21:51they take me
21:52to a hotel
21:54in Peruca.
21:56Are you going
21:57to take responsibility
21:58for what you done
21:59when you were there
22:00or are you going
22:01to take responsibility
22:01for the murder?
22:02I was not there man.
22:04You were there.
22:05They were at your house.
22:07Jeffrey Burden
22:07and Tamara Caldwell
22:09were brought
22:09to the hotel.
22:10You want to be charged
22:11with the murder
22:12with him?
22:12Because you're lying.
22:14I'm not lying
22:14about nothing.
22:16You're starting out
22:16lying.
22:17You ain't even
22:17getting close
22:18to the truth.
22:19Damn bro.
22:21They denied
22:22any involvement
22:24with anything
22:25about anything.
22:26I did not kill her
22:28or rape or burn
22:29or any of that
22:30other stuff
22:30that y'all said.
22:31I just remember
22:32them trying to get me
22:32to go along
22:33with this story
22:33that was a lie
22:34and I'm just like
22:36there ain't no way
22:37this is real.
22:38It was just
22:38mind-boggling to me.
22:40You told this girl
22:43don't tell the police
22:44that Jessica Curran
22:47was ever in my house.
22:48And you know what?
22:49No, that's lies man.
22:50That's bull****.
22:52Whatever, whatever.
22:53That's bull****.
22:54You know,
22:54they're bringing
22:55these girls in
22:55saying that I've done
22:56this, that,
22:57and I'm just like
22:57why are y'all
22:58standing there
22:58lying on me?
22:59This is a lie.
23:01A straight up lie.
23:03Police have arrested
23:04a Paducah man
23:05and a Mayfield woman
23:06for the murder
23:06of Mayfield mother
23:08Jessica Curran.
23:09Police are still
23:10searching for
23:10Quincy Omar Cross
23:11of Tiptonville, Tennessee
23:13in connection to the case.
23:15He should be considered
23:15armed and extremely dangerous.
23:18Armed and dangerous,
23:19that puts a target
23:20on your back.
23:21And especially
23:22if you're a minority,
23:24you don't run from that.
23:26I am David Cross,
23:29Quincy Cross's father.
23:31I saw on TV
23:32that he was wanted
23:34in connection
23:35with the murder
23:35of Jessica Curran.
23:37I was shocked.
23:39A couple of days later,
23:40police knocked on my door.
23:42It was probably
23:43about 15 of them
23:44outside.
23:45They threw my door
23:47open and one guy
23:48could come past me
23:49with a shotgun
23:51and went all through
23:52my house looking for him.
23:53And I talked to him.
23:54I said,
23:54well, I don't know
23:55where he is,
23:55but I want him
23:57to turn himself in.
24:00And that's exactly
24:01what happened.
24:11Quincy, much like
24:12Jeffrey and Tamara,
24:14denies any involvement
24:15in this crime
24:17in any way.
24:27Jeffrey, Tamara,
24:28and Quincy had all
24:30been charged
24:30with multiple
24:31capital offenses
24:32and were facing
24:34a death penalty
24:35sentence in trial.
24:37Victoria and Venetia
24:39had been charged
24:40with the sexual assault
24:42that occurred
24:43and tampering
24:44with physical evidence.
24:46These were all
24:47young people.
24:48How could they
24:49do all of this
24:50to my daughter?
24:51How could they
24:52strangle her
24:53and hit her
24:54and burn her body?
24:56I mean,
24:57that's more than evil.
25:00I credit Jessica's
25:02parents for solving
25:03this case.
25:04It would not
25:04have happened
25:05had they not
25:06been so insistent
25:07on having justice
25:08for their daughter.
25:10And the other reason
25:11it happened
25:11was for Susan Galbraith.
25:13Her energy
25:14and just blind
25:16determination
25:17of solving
25:18the death
25:19of this young
25:20African-American woman
25:20was just
25:22so important to her.
25:23So the Attorney General
25:25was like,
25:25we should
25:27reward her somehow.
25:29Susan Galbraith
25:30was named
25:30Citizen of the Year
25:31by the Kentucky
25:32Bureau of Investigation.
25:35And to know
25:36that I had
25:36just the slightest
25:37part of it,
25:37it just,
25:40I felt like
25:41I was meant to.
25:42I did not know
25:44Susan Galbraith.
25:45I had never
25:46seen her before,
25:47only in the newspaper.
25:49She was the
25:50outstanding citizen
25:51of the year
25:53supposedly solving
25:54this crime,
25:55even before
25:56the trial.
25:59Everyone's been
26:00rounded up,
26:01and so are they
26:02being tried
26:03together?
26:04No.
26:05Tamara and Jeffrey
26:06are in jail
26:07waiting for the trial.
26:09Victoria and Venetia
26:10agree to testify
26:11against Quincy
26:11and are offered
26:13a plea deal,
26:14maximum five-year
26:15sentence.
26:16Quincy was the
26:17first person up
26:18to be tried.
26:25What is the
26:26basis of the
26:27prosecution's case
26:29against Quincy?
26:31The stories
26:32of Victoria and Venetia
26:33that they
26:35were with Jessica,
26:36Tamara, and Jeffrey
26:37that night.
26:38Quincy murdered Jessica,
26:40this sex party happens,
26:41and then her body
26:42is dumped
26:43at the middle school.
26:43The law enforcement
26:45agents support
26:46that story
26:47by saying,
26:48here's the investigation
26:49we did
26:50that led us here.
26:51And does that
26:52include any
26:53physical evidence?
26:54There's no DNA.
26:55There's no fingerprints.
26:57There's just nothing
26:58as far as physical
26:59forensic evidence
27:00that tie anyone
27:01to this crime,
27:02let alone
27:03these folks.
27:06The defense theory
27:08throughout this trial
27:09was to highlight
27:11the inconsistent
27:12statements
27:13that point to
27:14Quincy as being
27:15the perpetrator
27:16of this crime.
27:18Initially,
27:19Victoria had said
27:20that they had
27:22killed Jessica
27:23and disposed
27:24of the body
27:25on Sunday morning.
27:26After law enforcement
27:27point out
27:28that her body
27:29was not discovered
27:30until Tuesday,
27:32her story does change.
27:34She says that
27:36Quincy directed
27:37the group
27:38at gunpoint
27:39to dispose of the body
27:41sometime
27:42on Monday.
27:44however,
27:45Quincy was arrested
27:46early Sunday morning
27:48and could not
27:49have been present
27:50at this meeting.
27:53Victoria then
27:54changes the participants
27:55of the meeting
27:56and now says
27:57Quincy wasn't there
27:58when the body
27:59was disposed of
28:00on Tuesday morning.
28:15The KBI agent said,
28:17we noticed at some point
28:18Victoria likes
28:19to always keep a diary.
28:20The prosecution says
28:22here's contemporaneous
28:23evidence that this is true
28:24and she's telling the truth.
28:41When the jury left the room,
28:43I was devastated.
28:45I knew they done
28:46made their mind up.
28:58That was a relief
28:59for my family
29:00and that's what I felt.
29:02When Quincy went to trial
29:04and then they find him guilty,
29:06it just sucked the life
29:07out of me.
29:08Like, I've seen everything
29:09and it just flashed
29:10before my eyes.
29:11Like, my life is over now.
29:13I'm a f***ing lie.
29:14How is this possible?
29:15I don't even know
29:16this dude, man.
29:18Let alone do a f***ing crime
29:19with him.
29:20What the hell?
29:21The next thing I know,
29:22my lawyers are trying
29:22to get me to take
29:23the Alfred plea.
29:24An Alfred plea
29:26is just a statement
29:28that the prosecution
29:29has enough evidence
29:30to find you guilty,
29:32but you will not
29:34make a statement
29:35that you actually
29:35participated in that crime.
29:38I don't want to take
29:38no plea, man.
29:39I didn't do this stuff,
29:40but I don't want to wind up
29:40like Quincy Cross neither.
29:44When this time went on
29:45in the jail,
29:46seeing what happened
29:47to him,
29:49I'm thinking,
29:50what am I going to do?
29:52And then they say
29:53this stuff,
29:53and I'm like,
29:53oh, there's a possibility
29:54I could still have
29:55some kind of life.
29:58They convince you
29:58with this Alfred plea.
29:59You're not admitting
30:00to anything.
30:01You're maintaining
30:02your innocence,
30:02pretty much.
30:05But that's not
30:05how it's looked at
30:06at all.
30:08I know you did it.
30:09You know you did it,
30:10but you don't want
30:11to admit you did it.
30:12If you want to take
30:13an Alfred plea,
30:14it's still guilty
30:15as far as I'm concerned.
30:24How are you just
30:24going to go off
30:25if somebody done lied
30:2520 times?
30:26There's no physical
30:27evidence tying us
30:29to this.
30:30There's literally none.
30:32It's just what somebody
30:33says.
30:37Miranda,
30:37how do you
30:38get involved
30:40in this very complicated,
30:42long history
30:43of this case?
30:44So Quincy
30:45sends a letter out
30:46to the Kentucky
30:46Innocence Project.
30:48They picked the case up
30:49shortly after his conviction
30:50and did some investigation
30:53in the case.
30:53I started with
30:55the Kentucky Innocence Project
30:56and ran across
30:58an internal memo
30:59that says,
31:00do not close this case.
31:01This case needs resources.
31:02This case needs a team.
31:03This is a case
31:04that truly deserves
31:05everything we have
31:07to give it.
31:08When they found him guilty,
31:10I felt there was
31:10some relief for my family.
31:12But we didn't
31:14went that many years
31:15and we would take
31:16anything that they,
31:17if they said a dog did it,
31:18we would take it.
31:19Because we wanted
31:20to get this solved
31:21and over with.
31:22But in my mind,
31:24there was still
31:25something astray.
31:26It was so many
31:27different stories
31:27come out in all of that.
31:29It was just hard
31:29to figure any of it out.
31:32I thought the case
31:33still needs to be looked at.
31:35In 2014,
31:37Jessica's father, Joe,
31:38provided a statement
31:39that was used
31:41in Quincy's
31:41post-conviction litigation.
31:43He was upset
31:44with how the investigation went,
31:47that he did not
31:48respect,
31:49that Susan Galbraith
31:51was involved
31:51in this case
31:52in the way that she was.
31:54And he believed
31:55that an injustice
31:56had occurred.
31:59When I started
32:00talking to Susan Galbraith,
32:01I had hope
32:02that she'll get
32:02something done.
32:03But the case
32:05kept leaning
32:06in a certain direction.
32:07And I don't like that.
32:09Susan Galbraith
32:10happened to be
32:11a friend
32:12of Jeremy Adams' mom.
32:14To us,
32:14it seemed like
32:15she was trying
32:16to protect
32:17Jeremy Adams.
32:19The person
32:19who's at the crux
32:20of all of this
32:21is Susan.
32:22And so,
32:24was anybody
32:24in the Innocence Project
32:26able to go to her
32:27just to understand
32:28where her information
32:29was coming from?
32:30So by the time
32:31I came onto the case,
32:32she was no longer alive.
32:33But in late 2022,
32:35early 2023,
32:37a media company
32:38in England
32:38starts looking
32:39into the case
32:40to see what
32:40they can do with it.
32:41So they contact me
32:43and say that
32:44they had some documents
32:45they wanted to share.
32:47And so they shared
32:48about 200 pages
32:49of emails
32:51that were between
32:53Tom Mangold,
32:55Susan Galbraith,
32:56as well as
32:57other witnesses
32:58and investigators
33:01and friends.
33:02We have a number
33:04of writings
33:04from and about
33:05Susan Galbraith.
33:07She very early on
33:09made it seem like
33:10this was a story
33:12she wanted to tell
33:13that I believe
33:14her phrasing was
33:15could be a Hollywood
33:17blockbuster.
33:19In these emails,
33:20Tom really pumps her up.
33:22He gives her writing prompts
33:23and homework.
33:24How did you solve this case?
33:26You are the literal
33:28citizen of the year.
33:29She's got the award
33:30to prove it.
33:30Absolutely.
33:31She says,
33:32it took me a long time.
33:34I had to focus on
33:35how do I put everyone
33:36in this white car
33:37with Jessica?
33:38She says,
33:40absolutely no one
33:40except myself
33:41knew about Burton.
33:43She believes
33:45she was brought
33:46to Jeffrey Burton's house
33:48by a higher power.
33:50She says she's called there
33:52and she knows
33:53something terrible
33:54happened there.
33:55It was Susan
33:56and Susan alone
33:57who raised
33:58Jeffrey's name
33:59in this investigation.
34:01Susan Galbraith
34:02has put her theory
34:03onto MySpace
34:04and she has reached
34:05out to Victoria.
34:07There were multiple
34:08conversations that
34:09are referenced
34:10through Susan Galbraith's
34:11emails that we have.
34:12At this point,
34:14she's just writing stories.
34:16Stories that eventually
34:18become the testimony
34:20at trial
34:20that never existed
34:22prior to these writings.
34:25We have email exchanges
34:26from when the British company
34:28working with Tom Mangold
34:30started kind of fact-checking
34:32the story
34:33so they could start
34:33to put together
34:34additional productions.
34:35When they speak
34:36with Victoria,
34:38Victoria says
34:39the diary
34:40that was used
34:41at trial
34:41was fake.
34:42Wow.
34:44Victoria very plainly said
34:47that Jeffrey Burton
34:48never had anything
34:49to do with this crime.
34:51TC is her cousin,
34:53Tamara Caldwell.
34:54Says here,
34:55Tamara did not do anything.
34:56Victoria,
34:57she had spite
34:58towards TC
34:59for personal reasons.
35:00Who is LW?
35:01One of the KBI agents.
35:04This says
35:05he threatened
35:06to put a needle
35:07in her arm
35:07and he told her
35:09that the juicier
35:10the story,
35:10the more people
35:11would believe.
35:13Did Tom look
35:14at this correspondence?
35:16Mm-hmm.
35:17What's his reaction
35:18to it?
35:19Tom Mangold,
35:20through email,
35:21says this.
35:22I'm just beginning
35:24to wonder,
35:25this is but a tiny worm
35:26of an idea
35:27in my wine-soaked brain
35:29that there is
35:30a teeny-weeny,
35:32itsy-bitsy chance
35:33that we've got
35:34the whole murder story wrong
35:36and that there may have been
35:38a huge miscarriage
35:39of justice.
35:46You're representing
35:47so many families
35:47at this point
35:48because even though
35:50Tamara and Jeffrey
35:51are out right now,
35:53they're still walking around
35:54with convictions.
35:55So you fighting
35:57for Quincy's innocence
35:59and for closure
36:00for Jessica's family,
36:01it's just such
36:03a layered situation.
36:05It's been really difficult
36:06because lots of folks
36:07believe that everyone
36:08got it exactly right.
36:10I love Mayfield,
36:12but I also hate Mayfield
36:14because of what happened
36:15to me.
36:16This is a lie from hell
36:17that Susan Galworth
36:18came up with
36:19for whatever reason.
36:20And, you know,
36:22I'm not saying
36:23I believe in karma,
36:24but I do believe in God.
36:26You know,
36:26that woman's no longer alive.
36:28I'm sure she's in the pits
36:29of hell
36:29because she's a bad person.
36:33If this were
36:34a scripted story,
36:36you know,
36:37you would get notes
36:38back on it saying
36:39it's too much,
36:39it's ridiculous.
36:41None of this makes
36:41any sense.
36:43And so we're going
36:44to speak with Quincy's
36:45dad right now.
36:47And it's important
36:48to understand
36:48where their fight
36:49today lives.
36:56Thanks for having us over.
36:57We are glad you're here.
37:00We've been devastated
37:01ever since this situation
37:04came about.
37:05Were you at all aware
37:07of what was going on
37:09in Mayfield
37:10in the summer of 2000
37:13with the death
37:14of Jessica Curran?
37:15I saw what everybody else
37:17saw on the news.
37:19That was it.
37:20Yeah.
37:20Had no idea
37:21that anybody
37:22had any reason
37:25to accuse Quincy
37:26of a murder
37:28because
37:29it ain't no way
37:30that he's not
37:32that type of person.
37:33Do you remember
37:35the moment
37:35that the jury came back
37:36with their verdict?
37:37Yeah.
37:38I won't never forget it.
37:41It was just like
37:42somebody shot me
37:43in the middle
37:44of my chest.
37:45He looked up at me
37:46and he asked me
37:48one question
37:49and the tears
37:52started running
37:52out of his eyes.
37:53He said,
37:54where is our God now?
37:58We have now asked
38:00for Quincy's conviction
38:01to be vacated
38:03based on all the new evidence
38:05we have provided.
38:07This evidence includes
38:09recantations
38:10by both Victoria and Venetia.
38:11They both say
38:13that they were either pushed
38:14or promised something
38:16to make those statements
38:17against Quincy,
38:18Tamara,
38:19and Jeffrey
38:20and that they were not true.
38:22Through the documentation
38:23that we've been able
38:25to obtain,
38:26we had discovered
38:26that in February 2007,
38:29KBI starts a practice
38:31of providing cash payments
38:33to Victoria.
38:35Victoria is placed
38:37under a witness
38:38protection program.
38:40They pay for car repairs.
38:42They pay her
38:43for moving expenses.
38:44There were numerous receipts
38:46provided that included
38:48margaritas,
38:49night saddle at a bowling alley,
38:51and a sex toy
38:52that was purchased
38:53in North Carolina
38:54while she is in
38:56witness protection.
38:58If you're coming forward
38:59with information,
39:00it has to be
39:01at no benefit to yourself.
39:04And when you start paying
39:05a lot of money
39:07to someone,
39:08that has to be relevant.
39:10It's very important
39:11that when you put
39:12somebody in prison
39:12that you put the right
39:13person in prison.
39:14In this particular case,
39:16I feel very strongly
39:17that the right people
39:18are in jail
39:19and were convicted
39:20and pled guilty
39:21to these offenses.
39:24I don't think
39:25that it's possible
39:25to definitively say
39:27who committed this crime.
39:28I just don't think
39:29that the investigation
39:31yielded enough
39:32truthful, reliable evidence.
39:35From the very beginning,
39:36I told the prosecutor,
39:38I don't care
39:39how long it takes
39:41to get the case done.
39:42I don't care
39:43how many people
39:44you pick up.
39:45I don't care
39:46if it's the mayor
39:47of the city.
39:48I want the right people.
39:50And I don't think
39:51it was the people
39:51that they picked up.
39:53Somebody's still out there
39:54that killed my daughter.
39:55Until this happened to me,
39:57I never considered
39:58people being in prison
39:59to be innocent.
40:01I thought pretty much
40:02the same way
40:03as everybody else.
40:04Dog, you're arrested,
40:06you're guilty.
40:07You know what I mean?
40:08But man, I gotta fight
40:09for this, man,
40:09because this is wrong, man.
40:10This messed my life up
40:12and messed Tamara's life up.
40:13And Quincy Cross
40:14is still in prison.
40:15Joe Curran still does not
40:16have justice.
40:17That has to change.
40:22I'm on the block
40:23where Jessica went
40:25to a card game
40:26with her friends
40:27the night she went missing.
40:28And this is the last thing
40:30we know is true
40:30because everything else
40:32we've been told
40:33about what happened
40:34to her that weekend
40:35has flip-flopped
40:38way too many times
40:40for us to believe anybody.
40:42And yet the one voice
40:44that everyone feels
40:45really comfortable
40:47leaning into
40:48is Susan Galbraith,
40:50the least experienced,
40:52the least trained person
40:54in this situation.
40:55The goal should be
40:56to get justice for Jessica,
40:58to get answers
40:59for her family.
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