20/20 ABC Death of a Showgirl

John Aylward True Crime

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Transcript

00:00:02A Vegas showgirl is a girl who has beauty, who has talent, who can be seductive.

00:00:08You have so many women with their unique talents, and they're bringing them to this city.

00:00:14A Vegas showgirl is glamorous.

00:00:15She's beautiful.

00:00:17She's sexy.

00:00:17She is Las Vegas.

00:00:21Debbie breathes dancing.

00:00:23She landed a spot on one of the strip's biggest shows called Fantasy.

00:00:28Sometimes being pretty puts you at risk.

00:00:32I can tell you from personal experience how scary Vegas can be.

00:00:38Debbie was never late to practice.

00:00:41She was always on time.

00:00:42But then the last practice before the opening act, Debbie didn't show up.

00:00:49Red flags immediately started popping off.

00:00:53We have an employee that's been missing for about 24 hours now.

00:00:57We have to find her.

00:00:59Could she have been taken?

00:01:01Could she have been kidnapped?

00:01:02Everyone knows that she would not have missed the final dress rehearsal.

00:01:07This was her dream.

00:01:09And for her to not show up to rehearsal that day, it just wasn't right.

00:01:14It wasn't going to turn out good.

00:01:21My name is Celeste Flores Narvaez.

00:01:26My sister's name is Deborah Flores Narvaez.

00:01:31She loved dancing.

00:01:33It was her passion.

00:01:38She loved being in the spotlight.

00:01:41She loved performing.

00:01:43And she loved showcasing her ability and her creativity.

00:01:52Debbie decided that I'm going to pursue my dream of dancing and acting and modeling.

00:02:01And she moved to Las Vegas.

00:02:15Wow.

00:02:16Las Vegas is a city of lights and spectacle and major entertainment.

00:02:24Debbie wanted to conquer the world.

00:02:25I remember right when she moved to Vegas, she was posting auditions.

00:02:30She was posting tryouts.

00:02:31She could do jazz.

00:02:32She could do hip-hop, ballet.

00:02:34She was so graceful, but she had so much personality in her movement.

00:02:39Debbie's ultimate goal in Las Vegas was just like the rest of us, to star in a big Las Vegas

00:02:46show.

00:02:47She wanted to learn ballroom theatrical arts and also a Vegas showgirl style.

00:02:54She looked good in her costume, in a real tight bikini, a real sexy body.

00:03:00Sex sells in Las Vegas.

00:03:02If you're not sexy, you're not going to get hired.

00:03:06Debbie had that Vegas showgirl quality, and she was a hard worker.

00:03:11So when Debbie lands that coveted role as a background dancer on Fantasy, it is a dream come true.

00:03:16When Debbie got a part in Fantasy at the Luxor, she called all of us.

00:03:21She was so excited.

00:03:21She couldn't stop talking about it.

00:03:24Fantasy is an institution in Vegas.

00:03:27It's one of the strip's most popular burlesque shows.

00:03:30It's lasted decades, and it features dance performances with top musical artists.

00:03:35I was so proud of her, so proud of her, because she just felt as if she was now on

00:03:41the same

00:03:41playing field as many of us featured in major productions in Las Vegas.

00:03:48Debbie's ambition doesn't stop at Fantasy.

00:03:51When she starts out as a background dancer, Debbie quickly earns her way to the front of

00:03:55the dance line, and lands a solo alongside Grammy-nominated artist, Sisko.

00:04:03Debbie called and told me she was excited because she was going to be doing a show with Sisko.

00:04:07And we all know Sisko as this dynamic entertainer.

00:04:12He's so talented, so popular, and his song, The Thong Song, was everywhere.

00:04:18Let me see that song.

00:04:27The Thong Song was the biggest hit, top 100.

00:04:34Dancing as a soloist with the pop star Sisko is the biggest break of Debbie's career.

00:04:42Debbie and Sisko, shown here, practiced for weeks to perfect their routine.

00:04:47They practiced to make sure that they got the roll down.

00:04:54There's a part where I think he has to, like, smack her on her butt.

00:04:59And he kind of, like, patted it, and she was like,

00:05:01No, no, no, no, no.

00:05:02You gotta smack it.

00:05:12They had practiced that day, and then they took a break.

00:05:16Everyone went home.

00:05:18And they were to reunite back that night so they could have a final practice before the red carpet opening.

00:05:26The final rehearsal is going to be at midnight.

00:05:29Very, very normal for a Las Vegas show.

00:05:33And Debbie didn't show up.

00:05:41I'm like, this is not right.

00:05:43It's not right at all.

00:05:45There's no way she's going to give up her dream opportunity and not show up for rehearsals.

00:05:51It was just so surprising because Debbie is a very timely and professional person.

00:05:56Everybody was looking for her, all the dancers.

00:05:58Debbie doesn't just miss midnight rehearsal.

00:06:01She can't be found.

00:06:02And when she doesn't show up to the premiere, the show has to replace her.

00:06:07I get a call from my mom, and she says, hey, I'm worried.

00:06:11I haven't heard from your sister.

00:06:14I've been trying to call her.

00:06:16I immediately called my sister, and it went straight to voicemail.

00:06:21And I sent her a Facebook message, and I said, hey, mom and dad are looking for you.

00:06:28Just please call them back.

00:06:33As fantasy goes on without her, Debbie has not been heard from for 24 hours.

00:06:38Nobody knew anything.

00:06:39I decided to call her roommate, who then told me, I put a missing report out on your sister.

00:06:46I haven't heard from her.

00:06:47This is serious.

00:06:50Hi, I want to call her a missing person report.

00:06:52And who is the person you need to file it on?

00:06:55My roommate.

00:06:56Okay.

00:06:57How long has it been since you saw this person?

00:07:00Oh, $38.

00:07:01Every night.

00:07:02I don't know, like, 7 o'clock.

00:07:03I don't know if I saw it.

00:07:06And what is this person's name?

00:07:10Deborah, Debbie, S-L-O-R-E-S.

00:07:18I started getting anxious.

00:07:20I went on her Facebook, and I put a message out saying, if anybody's heard from my sister, just let

00:07:28me know.

00:07:29Debbie without a phone or her social media was unheard of.

00:07:35She was so very active on social media.

00:07:38She had a Facebook account with so many fans, and she took pictures every night.

00:07:43And that was a dangerous thing to do, because you're letting thousands of people know where you work.

00:07:49It can be very, very, very dangerous for many showgirls in Las Vegas.

00:07:55These women are exposing themselves physically to much of male audiences.

00:08:03I was certain that someone had snatched her.

00:08:06One of her fans, maybe someone was rejected and decided to maybe seek revenge.

00:08:12She's a beautiful woman.

00:08:14She's a dancer.

00:08:15She's missing.

00:08:18Surveillance footage of Debbie leaving her apartment, walking out into the Vegas night, where she disappears without a trace.

00:08:32Throw those in there.

00:08:34I am making pollo guisado con arroji gandules, which is a Puerto Rican stew, and it is very popular in

00:08:43Puerto Rico.

00:08:44Debbie was always extremely proud to be Latina.

00:08:50She loved a good chicken dish.

00:08:52Some of her favorites was pollo guisado, arroj con habichuela, arroj con pollo, which is rice and chicken, arroj con

00:08:59pollo.

00:09:00My sister was a terrible cook.

00:09:03There were times when she would try to make a meal for, like, her boyfriend.

00:09:15We were both born in Puerto Rico.

00:09:17My mom was a housemaker taking care of me and my sister and my father.

00:09:21He worked for the military.

00:09:23And when we were seven and eight, we moved to Maryland, which was completely new to us.

00:09:31We were in a different world.

00:09:34We didn't speak English, so it was like, oh, my God, two new girls, and they don't speak English.

00:09:41We want to know what they're like.

00:09:44My sister and I were really close.

00:09:46My mother always dressed us alike.

00:09:48We were only a year and four months apart, so we always had twin outfits on.

00:09:54She was just like a little ball of fun.

00:09:57She was just tiny, tiny little, little Debbie.

00:10:01Everybody always called her Little Debbie.

00:10:03When we were little, we would always perform in front of my mom.

00:10:10I just remember doing these, like, Michael Jackson dances that we would practice in our room.

00:10:16And then we would go present these dances to my mom.

00:10:19She just loved it.

00:10:22I met Debbie in seventh grade.

00:10:25I think I fell in love with Debbie probably the moment I met her.

00:10:29Before you even see her, you're going to hear her voice.

00:10:31She has this very, very loud, raspy voice.

00:10:35Even the way she talked, it had this, like, accent.

00:10:39It had this, like, spiciness to it.

00:10:41Debbie really did love her friends.

00:10:43If I told her that I needed something for anything, she was like, I got you.

00:10:48Debbie always had a smile on her face, but she also had a very sexy look to her.

00:10:53She could really charm you with just a single look.

00:10:57When you look at her, you see this dark hair and these dark eyes.

00:11:01And she's beautiful.

00:11:02She is beautiful.

00:11:04Of course, as friends, we all talked about goals and things we want to do.

00:11:09And she said she wanted to be a dancer, but I think she didn't think that dancing would pay the

00:11:16bills, let's say.

00:11:16So she buckled down, did good in school, went to college, got her degree.

00:11:23Debbie went to school for international business.

00:11:27And during that international business, she fell in love with law.

00:11:32And she took several classes.

00:11:34She was working at a very prominent firm in Baltimore downtown and was doing very well, very well.

00:11:41She had a nice condo, you know, things like that.

00:11:43All the things that you aspire, except she wasn't fulfilled.

00:11:47So that one thing, I think, was missing, that was the dancing.

00:11:53Dancing at night in a club is fun, but it didn't fulfill her.

00:12:00She would go to salsa classes and while she was working, she also decided to try to audition for the

00:12:10Redskins cheerleaders and ended up as a Redskins ambassador.

00:12:15Debbie was hired as a cheerleader ambassador.

00:12:18That's a very important, public-facing role, really just a brand ambassador for one of the league's leading franchises.

00:12:27It's a big role to fill.

00:12:29She loved being with other girls, you know, like wearing the cheerleader outfit who doesn't love a good cheerleader skirt.

00:12:35She loved being the fans happy, you know, making them smile.

00:12:38People are cheering you on, and that's what she wanted.

00:12:41I couldn't believe it, but it let me know how much potential she had.

00:12:47But still, this was not enough for Debbie.

00:12:50I remember her personally calling me one day and saying,

00:12:54Hey, Celeste, I'm thinking about moving to Vegas.

00:12:58What do you think?

00:12:59I told her, absolutely not.

00:13:01I was so upset with her.

00:13:02I'm like, you're going over there by yourself?

00:13:04My thoughts of Vegas was Sin City.

00:13:06You don't know anybody out there.

00:13:08Your friends ain't there.

00:13:09Your family's not there.

00:13:10Who is out there?

00:13:11Nobody wanted her to go.

00:13:13But Debbie would not be discouraged.

00:13:15She was going to take a big risk.

00:13:17She was convinced she could do it.

00:13:18She was going to head west, and she was going to go and follow her dreams to Las Vegas.

00:13:26I first met Debbie after our initial auditions for what was the Michael Jackson's This Is It release of his

00:13:34documentary film.

00:13:36What stood up to me about Debbie when we first met was how much she talked.

00:13:40She just had so much to say, so many questions to ask, and so many ideas.

00:13:44When you're in a situation of creating a project like that, it's wise to keep your place.

00:13:51But Debbie was one to always just, like, jump in and say, why don't we do this this way?

00:13:58Debbie's specific goal at that time was to be at the front of the dance line.

00:14:05Every time she had a big show, she was just so excited.

00:14:09So excited.

00:14:10And then, of course, Debbie's promoted to that feature role with Cisco.

00:14:15So for those that know her, when Debbie doesn't show up for the final rehearsal, they know something must be

00:14:22wrong.

00:14:23And the alarm started going off.

00:14:26She would have never not showed up.

00:14:28Or there's no other reason that she came to Vegas except to be at this point in time.

00:14:36Debbie's been missing now for 24 hours.

00:14:38And the police are involved after the roommate called 911.

00:14:42Hi, I'm the client looking person real quick.

00:14:45And what is this person's name?

00:14:48Deborah, Debbie, um, S-L-O-R-E-N.

00:14:53So detectives go to the apartment to talk to Debbie's roommate to learn more about what happened the night Debbie

00:14:58disappeared.

00:14:58The roommate said she was going to visit her boyfriend and then was going to work, but she never showed

00:15:03up to work.

00:15:04Detectives then obtained the surveillance video from the apartment complex.

00:15:08And it shows Debbie leaving her apartment just before 6 p.m.

00:15:12The security footage shows Debbie dressed nicely.

00:15:17And she's walking down the hallway and gets into the elevator in her apartment complex.

00:15:24She was wearing knee-high boots, dark-colored clothing.

00:15:27She carried a bag with her.

00:15:29In my opinion, it was going to be her dance clothes to go to the rehearsal late at night.

00:15:34And further on, there's footage of her vehicle driving out of the parking area.

00:15:39If Debbie was planning to stop by her boyfriend's place on the way to this final rehearsal, detectives are going

00:15:45to have to go find that boyfriend and find out what he knows.

00:15:50Me personally, I'm thinking, Debbie must have needed a break.

00:15:55She probably just left, didn't want to tell anybody.

00:15:59Parents haven't talked to her either.

00:16:02Nobody in Vegas has talked to her either.

00:16:07Well, nobody in Baltimore has talked to her.

00:16:10It's Christmas holidays.

00:16:12I should be thinking about my son's gifts and Christmas and family.

00:16:15And now, on my mother's birthday, I flew out there.

00:16:19My main focus was to find where my sister was.

00:16:23I didn't care who, what, when, where.

00:16:25I just wanted to find her alive.

00:16:28I was out there night and day from the moment I woke up in the morning.

00:16:32I was constantly driving around.

00:16:34I was putting her face out there, setting up volunteer groups to pass out flyers.

00:16:39Anytime that I would go outside, I would see the desert.

00:16:42I'm like, could she be out there somewhere?

00:16:45Look, this is Vegas.

00:16:47What's the old slogan they were using?

00:16:49That what goes in Vegas stays in Vegas or something like that?

00:16:51Well, since Vegas was invented, it was a place that people disappeared to.

00:16:56And it's, you know, by extension, a place that people disappear from.

00:17:01And it doesn't mean that a crime's been committed.

00:17:03Again, she could have just left.

00:17:06There could have been some issue.

00:17:08We don't know.

00:17:09The media is all over this.

00:17:11There's pressure from every direction.

00:17:14Debbie's disappearance attracted so much media attention.

00:17:17On the news, Nancy Grace.

00:17:19What happened to Debbie Flores?

00:17:22She doesn't show up for rehearsal.

00:17:23She doesn't show up for a show.

00:17:27Seeing Celeste crying and pecking for her little sister's return was so hurtful.

00:17:35There's no hope of her.

00:17:36She is okay.

00:17:37She was everybody's sister, everybody's friend.

00:17:40She couldn't have an enemy.

00:17:42So absolutely, let's find this girl.

00:17:47Detectives learned from Debbie's roommate that she left her apartment prior to her final rehearsal for her show to visit

00:17:54her boyfriend.

00:17:55He was another successful Vegas performer, Jason Griffith, who's also called Blue Griffith.

00:18:01So when you become an artist, you have a nickname as you evolve as an artist in the entertainment industry.

00:18:08And so Jason Blue Griffith is known as Blue.

00:18:11I learned that Jason was a very skilled and trained and professional dancer.

00:18:16I learned that they were dating.

00:18:18And they were dating for a while.

00:18:20He danced with Tony Braxton, and he was in Cirque du Soleil Love.

00:18:25And, you know, these are like major shows in Las Vegas.

00:18:29So the missing persons detectives contacted Jason Griffith.

00:18:33Well, we went to the house where Jason and another man by the name of Louis were living.

00:18:39Jason said Debbie was there.

00:18:41But he said that she never exited her vehicle.

00:18:44That he only spoke to her through the open window on the driver's side of the vehicle.

00:18:48She was only in the driveway for a few minutes and then left.

00:18:51Police also learned from Jason that he had many on-again, off-again girlfriends, and Debbie was just one of

00:18:57them.

00:18:58After detectives speak with Jason, they find that he's cooperative and not particularly suspicious.

00:19:04Other than that, detectives have very little to go on until Debbie's car is spotted across town.

00:19:11Police found her car, a 1997 Chevy Prism.

00:19:15A nearby resident said it sat for several days.

00:19:19It's awful that it has happened.

00:19:21And I just wish that somebody, you know, could have found her or something.

00:19:26The interesting thing about her car, it was kind of hidden in the backyard of an abandoned house.

00:19:31So it couldn't be seen from the street.

00:19:33But a neighbor had realized that it shouldn't have been there and called it in.

00:19:37And I noticed that there was a maroon car parked over there.

00:19:41Grabbed my binoculars and I went out.

00:19:43So I looked through the binoculars and I wrote down the license plate number.

00:19:47First thing I noticed that it said Maryland.

00:19:50I called Tuesday morning.

00:19:51I noticed that the license plate was missing Wednesday morning.

00:19:55So sometime between Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, somebody come and took the plate.

00:20:00When officers in that area of town recovered the car, they found clothing in the back seat that matched the

00:20:06clothing on the video that she had been wearing.

00:20:08They found the boots that she was wearing when she left her apartment the night that she went missing.

00:20:14When the police found her car, it was very upsetting.

00:20:18She would never leave her purse, her dance bag, you know, those types of things in the car.

00:20:24She's a girl, you know, I got to have lipstick.

00:20:25I got to have whatever you need.

00:20:28That was a shock for me.

00:20:30I had been in that car many, many times with Debbie and with her belongings and everything.

00:20:36That to me was, that just indicated that this was, this wasn't going to be good.

00:20:42It wasn't going to turn out good.

00:20:43They searched the car.

00:20:45They searched the trunk.

00:20:46The properties around it were searched.

00:20:48We looked for video.

00:20:50Nothing.

00:20:50There was no forced entry into the car.

00:20:52There was no blood in the car.

00:20:54Except for the plate being removed and put inside the trunk, there wasn't much there.

00:20:59Discovery of Debbie's car was a critical piece of information in this investigation.

00:21:03And it also started steering the investigation towards a homicide rather than just a straight-out missing person case.

00:21:10My parents are in distress.

00:21:12They're anxious.

00:21:13They're worried.

00:21:14But they're hopeful.

00:21:15There were times where they kind of gave up and thinking that she had already passed.

00:21:26And I wouldn't allow that.

00:21:29So the days pass.

00:21:31There's no body.

00:21:32There's no obvious crime scene.

00:21:34It's as if Debbie just up and vanished into thin air.

00:21:37So detectives hold a news conference.

00:21:40And they want to encourage the public to come forward.

00:21:43Has anybody seen her?

00:21:44Heard from her?

00:21:45Anything that they could go on that might be a lead.

00:21:48Good morning.

00:21:50Thank you for attending this press conference this morning to discuss the disappearance of Deborah.

00:21:55We believe that Deborah was last seen on Sunday, December 12th.

00:21:58If anyone has any information regarding the disappearance of Deborah, that they please contact the police department through Crime Stoppers.

00:22:07While detectives wait for tips to come in, they decide to pay Jason Griffith another visit.

00:22:13All we really knew at this point was he was the last person, reportedly, to have seen her alive.

00:22:19During the interview with Jason, he did indicate that he knew that there was a domestic violence case where Debbie

00:22:27hadn't been beaten.

00:22:29And Jason suggests to police that if anyone had a reason to hurt Debbie, it might be her former boyfriend.

00:22:37I mean, I could make that assessment that, like, you know, this is somebody that hurt her.

00:22:47I think it's a horrible feeling when you don't know where your loved one is and you don't have no

00:22:53answers.

00:22:53Because the longer you're out there looking for her, the more you're thinking of possibilities and you just keep going

00:23:00and going and going.

00:23:02Could she be out there somewhere?

00:23:04What we know is on December 14th, a missing persons report was filed by Deborah's roommate stating that she had

00:23:13not seen Deborah for a couple of days.

00:23:16Investigators are looking at Debbie's romantic relationships to unearth any clues that might help them figure out where she is,

00:23:22including Jason Blue Griffith.

00:23:25Jason Griffith was Debbie's last known boyfriend when she disappears.

00:23:29And he is completely willing to cooperate with the investigation.

00:23:33All we really knew at this point was he was the last person, reportedly, to have seen her alive.

00:23:39But they have surveillance video of her leaving her apartment alone in her geoprism.

00:23:44And she tells everybody she's going to Jason's house and they're going to watch Dexter.

00:23:55It's a TV show.

00:23:57And that's the last time anybody sees her.

00:23:59We're never hopeful to discover someone dead.

00:24:02But at this point, we have a firm belief that Debbie is, in fact, dead, not just missing.

00:24:07We have some inconsistencies in how she was last seen, i.e., Jason Griffith's house.

00:24:14We have her car hidden on a different area of town from where she went missing and where she's last

00:24:19seen.

00:24:20So at this point, we're suspecting foul play.

00:24:23The reason we're here is Deborah, a very close friend of yours, has gone missing.

00:24:28And from all accounts that we have at this point, you're the last person to have seen her.

00:24:34Is that correct as far as you know?

00:24:36Yes, President.

00:24:37We all sat down and we did a rather lengthy interview of Jason Griffith.

00:24:44She's standing at your door.

00:24:45You answer the door.

00:24:46You say, oh, you're there.

00:24:47What is she wearing?

00:24:49As much as you can remember, it would be extremely helpful for us.

00:24:53Hair was down wearing black.

00:24:55Some kind of a black shirt.

00:24:56Some kind of a black top with everything else was black.

00:25:02There was nothing that stood up.

00:25:03So I was like, everything you say to us is going to be extremely important to us.

00:25:07And I let him talk as much as he wanted to talk.

00:25:10There was no confrontation of any kind.

00:25:13And we just gathered information.

00:25:16Jason tells detectives that Debbie left his apartment that night and he never saw her again.

00:25:22During the interview with Jason, he did indicate that he knew that there was a domestic violence case where Debbie

00:25:29hadn't been beaten.

00:25:31It was hard for her because she had went through an abusive relationship.

00:25:36Jason brings up a situation from over a year prior between Debbie and one of her ex-boyfriends named Jameel

00:25:43McGee.

00:25:44I was just told that he had beat her up.

00:25:47So there was a lawsuit that was going on.

00:25:50We can't overlook anything.

00:25:53You have to run everything down.

00:25:55She said that she was, you know, beat up, bruised and stuff like that.

00:25:59And then she had told me that she had a case coming up.

00:26:02So Debbie and Jameel, they met in Baltimore and they dated for a while.

00:26:10And he was on the show, So You Think You Can Dance.

00:26:18I'm just going to show the world what I got, you know what I'm saying?

00:26:21They both decide to move across the country to Las Vegas in search of achieving their dancing dreams.

00:26:26But it isn't as romantic as it seems.

00:26:29And they had a relationship that at times was slightly tumultuous.

00:26:35Debbie liked broken birds, as I would say.

00:26:38When she saw something wrong with someone, she always tried to do the most in trying to fix people.

00:26:46Was she afraid?

00:26:47I could make that assessment that, like, you know, this is somebody that hurt her.

00:26:51This is somebody she would be afraid of.

00:26:54According to family and friends, their relationship was a concern.

00:26:58And I remember her getting, like, just crazy calls from him.

00:27:01And I would go to her apartment and stay with her.

00:27:04And I would just, like, be there just to stay with her, just so a guy could be there with

00:27:10her.

00:27:11There was an allegation of abuse on his part.

00:27:14And he put his hands on my sister.

00:27:16And she took him to court.

00:27:18Debbie was granted a judgment of $250,000 in the suit she claims that Jameel committed battery against her,

00:27:26leaving physical scarring that limited modeling and dance work that she would have been able to be hired for.

00:27:31Jameel denied those claims in court.

00:27:34He had really messed up things with her career because the things that she was doing, you know, she wouldn't

00:27:40be able to do anymore.

00:27:42That's what she thought.

00:27:43But Debbie had healed enough to be back on stage.

00:27:46Those close to Debbie say she was planning to collect on that $250,000 judgment before she went missing.

00:27:53Wait a minute.

00:27:54That's $250,000.

00:27:57People have gone missing, have gotten hurt for less than that.

00:28:01That, to me, is a huge flag.

00:28:04Detectives did look at him.

00:28:06He alibied.

00:28:07He was not in Las Vegas at the time.

00:28:10But he was fully investigated.

00:28:11Jameel is completely clear.

00:28:13So investigators decide to circle back and take another look at Jason.

00:28:17He was her most recent love interest.

00:28:19Who is Jason Blue Griffith?

00:28:22Debbie seemed to be attracted to Jason and only Jason.

00:28:26Jason was attracted to all pretty girls.

00:28:29But if Debbie wanted a monogamous relationship, Jason was not the guy for that.

00:28:34I mean, at one point he told me he had six or seven girlfriends going at the same time.

00:28:37And his excuse for this was, this is Vegas, baby.

00:28:44Jason.

00:28:45Jason Blue Griffith.

00:28:47Everyone loved him.

00:28:50He was very well respected in the dance community.

00:28:53People had nothing but great things to say about him as a person, as an artist.

00:28:59Debbie called me and she said, I met this guy.

00:29:01He's a dancer like me.

00:29:04What drew the two of them together initially was the fact that they were both dancers.

00:29:09They were in top physical shape, good at what they did, and they were both fairly attractive.

00:29:14Not many people understand being an entertainer and using your body to express yourself creatively

00:29:20and in a passionate way.

00:29:22And both Blue and Debbie expressed themselves in that way.

00:29:29When it came to Blue, Debbie really loved his passion and how talented he was.

00:29:35How much fun they would have together, how much they laughed, their inside jokes.

00:29:40She felt like they were soulmates.

00:29:43The problem here was that while Debbie may have felt that she and Jason were soulmates,

00:29:47Jason was playing the field.

00:29:48Debbie seemed to be attracted to Jason and only Jason.

00:29:52Jason was attracted to all pretty girls.

00:29:54I learned that he was a playboy.

00:29:56He had several girlfriends.

00:29:58Debbie did want her relationship with Blue to be exclusive.

00:30:02There were rumors that there was another girl or there was others

00:30:06and she was being cheated on and Debbie didn't like that.

00:30:09She loved him.

00:30:10She cared about him deeply.

00:30:11He told me he had six or seven girlfriends going at the same time

00:30:14and his excuse for this was, this is Vegas, baby.

00:30:19One of those many girlfriends is Agnes Rue, an aerialist at a show called Zumanity

00:30:25and she seems to have captured Jason's heart.

00:30:28She was French.

00:30:29She's such a sweetheart.

00:30:30I remember her and I did a couple industrial gigs together in Las Vegas

00:30:34and I just loved her.

00:30:36She's very talented.

00:30:38You do want to look at Agnes to see if maybe she could be involved in Debbie's disappearance

00:30:44or even if she can just provide information.

00:30:47I wanted to start off by asking about your relationship with Jason and Griffith,

00:30:51who you know as Blue, B-L-U.

00:30:54My name is girlfriend.

00:30:55Okay.

00:30:55And how has your relationship with Blue progressed?

00:31:01How has it been recently?

00:31:04Recently?

00:31:06In the last couple of months.

00:31:08Ah, okay.

00:31:09No, because I was very, very happy with him.

00:31:13For the first six months when I've discovered that he in fact kept three other,

00:31:19at least three other girls at the same time as me.

00:31:23One is Debbie Flores Nervaes.

00:31:26Debbie learns about Agnes and Jason dating and she calls her.

00:31:30Debbie has always kind of been in contact with me

00:31:34since the first three weeks we started dating.

00:31:41Agnes did receive a phone call from Debbie

00:31:43where Debbie is warning her about being involved in a relationship with Jason.

00:31:48She was warning me because she had been hearing from common friends

00:31:52that I was a great girl

00:31:55and she was like warning me not to do the same mistakes she did.

00:31:59It seems that Debbie wants Agnes to know who Jason really was.

00:32:03In her mind, he was a serial dater.

00:32:05Certainly, Debbie was not okay with Jason seeing any other woman.

00:32:10She was aware of them.

00:32:11You know, she was aware of Agnes and Agnes was aware of Debbie

00:32:14and there was conflict in their relationship on both relationships

00:32:18because of the other woman.

00:32:20They weren't okay with it, but apparently that's how Jason wanted to live his life

00:32:24and if they wanted to be with him, they were going to have to deal with it.

00:32:29At some point, Agnes had enough of Debbie

00:32:32and the volatility of that particular relationship

00:32:35and so she had broken things off with Jason.

00:32:40Agnes and Jason get back together

00:32:42just in time to celebrate Jason's birthday on December 10th,

00:32:46the same weekend Debbie goes missing.

00:32:48They spent parts of the weekend together at a hotel.

00:32:51We slept at a hotel called Rumor.

00:32:55We wanted to do something different for his birthday.

00:32:59He's not partying or he's not going out to clubs and stuff.

00:33:02So we went to eat and we went to sleep at Rumor.

00:33:07What did he say about Debbie that night?

00:33:09Well, that night he was saying that he explained her for real

00:33:14that not even to be friends is cool.

00:33:16He's telling me that he explained her and that she understood.

00:33:22And then did you have any contact from Debbie after that?

00:33:25No.

00:33:26Detectives quickly determined that Agnes is not a suspect.

00:33:29She was pretty much cleared as being a person of interest

00:33:33or possibly being a suspect.

00:33:36Police are stuck.

00:33:37At this point, they have no solid leads.

00:33:40And then just before Christmas,

00:33:45they receive a call from the Arizona State Police.

00:33:49Metro received notification that there had been a burned body

00:33:53found over the state line just past the Hoover Dam

00:33:56on the Arizona side of the river.

00:34:00A female with long dark hair

00:34:03with a very thin build,

00:34:05which matched the description of Debbie Flores.

00:34:09The body had been just dumped in the middle of nowhere

00:34:12just off the highway

00:34:14and doused with a flammable liquid

00:34:16and set on fire.

00:34:20A gruesome discovery today

00:34:21investigating a possible connection

00:34:23between the missing dancer

00:34:24and a body found out in the Hoover Dam.

00:34:27We heard

00:34:28that they found the body

00:34:30in Arizona.

00:34:32I was scared.

00:34:33A source close to news three

00:34:35saying it's likely the body belongs to missing dancer

00:34:38Debbie Flores Narvaez.

00:34:40Everyone was on pins and needles

00:34:42to find out if this was Debbie or not.

00:34:44At this point, we're suspecting foul play.

00:34:47This is going to be Debbie.

00:34:49Every second is agonizing.

00:34:55The body is brought back to Las Vegas,

00:34:58Clark County Coroner's office.

00:35:01At autopsy, I learned that it was not Debbie.

00:35:04When it was confirmed that it was not Debbie,

00:35:06it kind of gave people a sigh of relief.

00:35:09There was a glimmer of hope

00:35:11that my sister's still out there, she's alive.

00:35:14We have to find her.

00:35:18Yes!

00:35:19You want to go there?

00:35:20Yes!

00:35:21You want to go to the house?

00:35:21What investigators are learning

00:35:23is that as a couple,

00:35:25Debbie Flores Narvaez and Jason Griffith

00:35:27may have brought out the very best

00:35:29and also the very worst in each other.

00:35:32No!

00:35:36We learned that

00:35:37Jason and Debbie's relationship

00:35:40was toxic.

00:35:43The more we learned about

00:35:45their relationship

00:35:46very contentious,

00:35:47very volatile.

00:35:48I don't give a f**k.

00:35:50I know legally the law

00:35:52and I know what is legally wrong.

00:35:55And he recorded her

00:35:57unbeknownst to her

00:35:58and he questioned her.

00:36:01He videotaped her confession

00:36:03and went,

00:36:03yeah, I slashed her tire.

00:36:04I mean,

00:36:04he got the whole thing on tape.

00:36:06My tires is not legal.

00:36:07Slashing my tires

00:36:08is not legal.

00:36:10It is damage to property

00:36:11that no one witnessed.

00:36:13But I knew

00:36:14that when you came out...

00:36:15Well, you're admitting it.

00:36:16I am admitting it.

00:36:18So you're admitting

00:36:18to property damage?

00:36:19Yeah!

00:36:20Debbie and Jason

00:36:21had a very fiery relationship.

00:36:24They were either on

00:36:26or they were very much off.

00:36:29Debbie's friend,

00:36:30Bethany,

00:36:31suspects that the tension exists

00:36:32between Debbie and Jason

00:36:33because they have

00:36:34different expectations

00:36:35of the relationship.

00:36:37She wants monogamy

00:36:38and is exacting revenge

00:36:40on her cheating boyfriend.

00:36:42Debbie for sure

00:36:44wanted a serious

00:36:46monogamous relationship.

00:36:48Debbie was not

00:36:49the type of woman

00:36:50that was not going to agree

00:36:51to just be

00:36:52someone's side piece.

00:36:58Throughout their relationship,

00:37:00both Jason and Debbie

00:37:01call 911 on each other.

00:37:04911 emergency.

00:37:05I'm having a domestic problem.

00:37:07My girlfriend

00:37:07would not leave my house.

00:37:08She just locked me

00:37:10out of one of my rooms.

00:37:12She doesn't live there?

00:37:13Nope,

00:37:14doesn't live here.

00:37:15And then,

00:37:15just a week later,

00:37:17another 911 call

00:37:19from Jason.

00:37:20911 leave me.

00:37:21I just need

00:37:21a squad car, please.

00:37:23Okay, what's going on?

00:37:25My girlfriend

00:37:25just came to the house

00:37:26and punched out my window.

00:37:28And she needs to go.

00:37:29What's she used?

00:37:31Her fist.

00:37:32Does she need an...

00:37:33Is she bleeding?

00:37:34She's bleeding,

00:37:35but that's her responsibility.

00:37:36I'm more so worried

00:37:37about the window.

00:37:39Okay.

00:37:41It's unusual

00:37:42in the moment

00:37:43that you would make

00:37:44that reaction

00:37:45when you're reporting

00:37:45that someone is hurt.

00:37:46But I do know

00:37:48that ultimately,

00:37:49Debbie did a lot of damage

00:37:50to Jason's property.

00:37:52His calls to the police

00:37:53paint Debbie

00:37:55as someone

00:37:56who's emotional,

00:37:58unstable,

00:37:59that possibly wants

00:38:00to do harm to herself

00:38:01because the relationship

00:38:02isn't going the way

00:38:03that she wants.

00:38:04Now,

00:38:04on the other side,

00:38:05you have

00:38:07Debbie's accusations

00:38:09where

00:38:10Jason is unfaithful,

00:38:12Jason is

00:38:13violent,

00:38:15Jason is somebody

00:38:16to be feared.

00:38:18And you can hear

00:38:20in the background

00:38:20of this call,

00:38:21Debbie is clearly upset.

00:38:23And what's her name?

00:38:24Her name is Debbie.

00:38:26And her last name?

00:38:27Oh, the cops.

00:38:28Okay.

00:38:29What's her last name?

00:38:30Flores.

00:38:31What's your name?

00:38:32I can't hear you.

00:38:33What's her last name?

00:38:33I never met

00:38:34if your roommates

00:38:34are there or not

00:38:35because they're going

00:38:35to go against you.

00:38:36I have no idea.

00:38:37You're a tower.

00:38:38Excuse me?

00:38:38You are a tower.

00:38:39Can you hear me?

00:38:40No, I can't.

00:38:40What's her last name?

00:38:42Her name is Debbie Flores.

00:38:44In that video

00:38:45that Jason secretly

00:38:46records of Debbie,

00:38:48the confessions continue.

00:38:51Nope, I couldn't take it.

00:38:52I slapped you.

00:38:52Okay.

00:38:53Oh, so now you assaulted me?

00:38:54Yes.

00:38:55This was after

00:38:56a huge fight they had.

00:38:57He was caught cheating,

00:38:59lying,

00:39:01manipulating,

00:39:01and gaslighting her.

00:39:04You're admitting

00:39:05that you assaulted me?

00:39:06I'm admitting

00:39:06that I hate you,

00:39:07that I look in your house,

00:39:09that I looked at your laptop,

00:39:10that I poured egg whites

00:39:11on your car,

00:39:12that I slashed

00:39:13three of your tires

00:39:14because I said

00:39:15I'll give him one left.

00:39:16I am not going to lie

00:39:18by either of doing it.

00:39:21And it was

00:39:22the weirdest thing

00:39:23to see her admitting,

00:39:24yes, I slashed your tires

00:39:26and I did only three

00:39:26of the four on purpose.

00:39:28I don't know

00:39:30why someone would do that,

00:39:31but it made perfect sense

00:39:32to her at the time.

00:39:34I learned this from Debbie.

00:39:36if you want to really

00:39:40get under someone's skin,

00:39:42instead of slashing

00:39:43all four tires,

00:39:45slash three.

00:39:45You have to buy

00:39:46your tires and sets.

00:39:49But I did it

00:39:50because you got it.

00:39:51You do this

00:39:52because you think

00:39:52I can't prove it.

00:39:53You think when I'm slashing

00:39:54the tires on my car,

00:39:55he's like,

00:39:55I don't know.

00:39:56Do you think I had to

00:39:56actually tell you I slashed

00:39:58the tires?

00:39:58No, you do.

00:39:58You knew it was going to be me

00:39:59when you walked out.

00:40:00But you, but you.

00:40:01Basically, slashing the tires

00:40:02is this.

00:40:03you.

00:40:04If you think you can

00:40:04me and hurt with me

00:40:05and hurt with me,

00:40:06I'm going to ban.

00:40:07But you do it

00:40:09and you make sure

00:40:10that there's no proof

00:40:11that you did it

00:40:11so I can't take

00:40:13any legal action.

00:40:13There's going to be

00:40:14a breaking point

00:40:15and she reached

00:40:16that breaking point

00:40:17where she slashed

00:40:18his tires

00:40:19because she's had enough

00:40:20and they broke up.

00:40:23They had broken things off

00:40:25completely for several months

00:40:27and didn't have any contact

00:40:28with each other.

00:40:32In October,

00:40:33just two months

00:40:34before Debbie's disappearance,

00:40:36she and Jason

00:40:36get into another fight.

00:40:39She was in his face.

00:40:41He grabbed her

00:40:42and threw her down

00:40:43and he ended up

00:40:44pulling some of her hair out.

00:40:46So at that point,

00:40:47she had contacted the police

00:40:48and he was arrested

00:40:50for domestic violence.

00:40:52When Jason was arrested,

00:40:54she had got a restraining order

00:40:55against him.

00:40:56And even though

00:40:57he wasn't supposed

00:40:58to be anywhere near her,

00:40:59she would come to his house

00:41:00to watch TV.

00:41:02It's been almost a month

00:41:03since Debbie's disappearance.

00:41:05Police don't have a body.

00:41:07They don't have a crime scene.

00:41:08They don't even have proof

00:41:09that Debbie's been harmed

00:41:11until they receive a tip

00:41:13about a woman

00:41:14who has information

00:41:15vital to solving the case.

00:41:17When we were talking to her

00:41:19and that was my first thought

00:41:21is why didn't you tell somebody

00:41:22about this?

00:41:22I'm scared

00:41:23I'm making a statement to you.

00:41:25And what she tells detectives

00:41:27is bone chilling.

00:41:29Because obviously,

00:41:30if Blue can do that to her,

00:41:32he could do it to me.

00:41:40Four weeks after Debbie's disappearance,

00:41:43Las Vegas detectives

00:41:44tracked down a former girlfriend

00:41:45of Jason Griffith

00:41:46in a suburb outside of Vegas.

00:41:48And Kalei Kisorso

00:41:50reveals information

00:41:51that will break the case

00:41:52wide open.

00:41:54We tracked her down

00:41:56at her place of work

00:41:57and got an interview from her.

00:41:59I'm just nervous.

00:42:00I'm scared.

00:42:02She wanted to remain anonymous,

00:42:04which tells me that

00:42:05she has information

00:42:06that she wants to put out there,

00:42:09but she wants to protect herself as well.

00:42:11I'm scared

00:42:13I'm making a statement to you

00:42:14because obviously,

00:42:15if Blue can do that to her,

00:42:17he could do it to me.

00:42:18They know where I live.

00:42:19She has been involved

00:42:21in a relationship with Jason,

00:42:22so she knows how he is.

00:42:25Kalei explains

00:42:26that she is terrified

00:42:27because she believes

00:42:29that Jason killed Debbie

00:42:30and that someone else

00:42:32may be involved.

00:42:33Him and his roommate.

00:42:34Which roommate

00:42:35are you talking about, Louis?

00:42:36Yeah, the big Puerto Rican guy.

00:42:39Louis Colombo

00:42:40was Jason's roommate.

00:42:41Jason was popular,

00:42:43would have a lot of women.

00:42:45Louis Colombo

00:42:46was complete opposite,

00:42:48but he really cared about Jason.

00:42:52They were best friends

00:42:53and he was willing

00:42:54to pretty much do anything

00:42:56that Jason asked him to do.

00:43:09It was imperative to us

00:43:10to find Louis Colombo.

00:43:12That was our goal.

00:43:14I talked to the phone.

00:43:15Daniel Kelly.

00:43:16I apologize.

00:43:16It cannot be overstated

00:43:18how important Louis' interview

00:43:21was to ultimately finding Debbie.

00:43:23But there was just

00:43:25an avalanche of information

00:43:26that Louis gave to the police,

00:43:29helped give Debbie's family

00:43:31some well-deserved answers.

00:43:33Now you have the opportunity

00:43:35to do the right thing

00:43:36and have that girl's family

00:43:39know what happened

00:43:40and at least have that closure.

00:43:44You could tell he was scared.

00:43:46He was playing the,

00:43:47you know,

00:43:47I don't know what you're talking about.

00:43:49You know,

00:43:49I don't get it.

00:43:50I don't know why I'm here.

00:43:51Louis Colombo

00:43:52did not want to be involved

00:43:53in the investigation at all.

00:43:55So what do you want?

00:43:56Tell us what you want right now.

00:44:00I just don't want to be involved.

00:44:02Don't.

00:44:03It's too late.

00:44:04What he's talking about

00:44:05is it's too late for them.

00:44:07We knew he was going to be

00:44:08the weak link,

00:44:08but we had to have

00:44:10something to entice him with

00:44:11and the deal was the enticement.

00:44:13We made the decision.

00:44:15We're going to tell him

00:44:15we're not going to arrest him.

00:44:16I can guarantee this.

00:44:18You tell us what happened

00:44:19and you're not getting arrested.

00:44:21That's my guarantee to you.

00:44:22I don't know if he would have ever talked

00:44:24if we didn't give him the deal.

00:44:27No.

00:44:28I don't want to say

00:44:28you're making a deal with the devil,

00:44:30but we wanted the information

00:44:31that he had.

00:44:33We know you wish you could rewind it.

00:44:34You can't.

00:44:35Now you got to go forward

00:44:36and you need to tell us what happened.

00:44:38From the beginning

00:44:39all the way to the end.

00:44:41Lewis,

00:44:42did you kill Debbie?

00:44:43No.

00:44:43Then talk to him.

00:44:44You need to tell us what happened.

00:44:46Early on in the interview,

00:44:47it was obvious that he

00:44:49100% knew

00:44:50what had taken place.

00:44:54Debbie showed up to the house.

00:44:56There was an argument.

00:44:58Just walk us through

00:44:59what were they arguing about?

00:45:01I don't know.

00:45:02They were just arguing.

00:45:03They were just yelling at each other.

00:45:06Okay.

00:45:07You know,

00:45:07they were pushing and shoving.

00:45:09You know,

00:45:10he grabbed her,

00:45:10she grabbed him.

00:45:11I split them apart.

00:45:13I saw him choke him.

00:45:14During the argument?

00:45:15During the argument

00:45:16and I pulled him off her.

00:45:18That's why I got her some water

00:45:20and I asked him

00:45:21if they were going to be all right.

00:45:22I tried to tell her

00:45:23no more arguing,

00:45:24no more fighting.

00:45:26Like...

00:45:26She's still breathing?

00:45:27She's still talking?

00:45:28She is.

00:45:29All right?

00:45:29What'd she say to you?

00:45:30She said that she was all right.

00:45:32He's worried.

00:45:33And he asks both of them,

00:45:34can I leave you two here alone

00:45:36and can you two be civil

00:45:37with each other?

00:45:39And they both say yes.

00:45:43Coloma says he leaves the house

00:45:44for about two hours.

00:45:46When he came home,

00:45:47he saw Debbie laying on the floor

00:45:49with a plastic bag over her head

00:45:52and she was not moving

00:45:53and did not appear to be breathing.

00:45:55What did he say?

00:45:56He was like,

00:45:57****.

00:45:58Like,

00:46:00like,

00:46:00what are you talking about?

00:46:01And then

00:46:02we walked to the studio

00:46:03and I saw

00:46:04like I was in shock.

00:46:06I, you know,

00:46:07she was shaking.

00:46:08He was like,

00:46:09you know,

00:46:09this is one of those

00:46:09diaper change moments.

00:46:11Jason said something to Louie

00:46:12about this being

00:46:13a change your diaper moment.

00:46:15So we had him explain that

00:46:16was a change your diaper moment.

00:46:17You know,

00:46:17hey,

00:46:17when I raised you,

00:46:18I used to change your diapers

00:46:19and now

00:46:20it's payback time.

00:46:21You know,

00:46:22I took care of you.

00:46:24Now it's time

00:46:24to take care of me.

00:46:26He's done a lot for me,

00:46:26like favors and stuff,

00:46:27like financially and stuff.

00:46:29So he was like,

00:46:30you know,

00:46:30this is one of those moments.

00:46:32He was very specific

00:46:33about what happened afterwards.

00:46:35He said they had a big bin

00:46:37that they wind up

00:46:38putting her in there.

00:46:40You helped put her in the bin?

00:46:42Yeah.

00:46:42Was she called?

00:46:43Was she...

00:46:43Yeah, she...

00:46:44You know,

00:46:45Debbie had driven her car

00:46:46over to the house

00:46:47to watch Dexter

00:46:48and so

00:46:49Jason decides

00:46:50that we need to

00:46:51get rid of her car

00:46:53and so

00:46:53Jason drove her car

00:46:55clear across town

00:46:56with Louie following him.

00:46:59Just parked her car there

00:47:00in this little desert

00:47:02dirt lot kind of area

00:47:03and then Jason

00:47:05gets in the car

00:47:05with Louie

00:47:06and they drive back

00:47:06to the house.

00:47:07That night,

00:47:09Columbo goes to his job

00:47:10as a bouncer at a club.

00:47:12Jason had a date that night.

00:47:14He and Louis Columbo

00:47:16placed my sister

00:47:17in the garage.

00:47:19Jason went out

00:47:20that night with Anje

00:47:21to celebrate his birthday.

00:47:24They had a hotel room.

00:47:25He stayed the night.

00:47:26They had a good night

00:47:27as if nothing happened

00:47:29while my sister laid

00:47:31dead

00:47:32with a bag of her head

00:47:34in his garage.

00:47:38Columbo says

00:47:39that in the following days

00:47:41Jason Griffith

00:47:42devises a plan

00:47:43to entomb

00:47:44Debbie's body

00:47:45in a block

00:47:46of concrete.

00:47:47And then Jason

00:47:48winds up

00:47:49going to Home Depot

00:47:50and getting

00:47:52a bunch of cement.

00:47:53his idea was

00:47:54to put it in the concrete.

00:47:56So, you know,

00:47:59he tells me

00:47:59to stop mixing

00:48:00the concrete.

00:48:00He started mixing

00:48:01the concrete.

00:48:02Where?

00:48:03The garage.

00:48:04We brought the bin

00:48:04to the garage.

00:48:05Okay.

00:48:06You know,

00:48:07put it in the bin,

00:48:08put the concrete in it.

00:48:10How was she positioned

00:48:11in the bin?

00:48:12Like,

00:48:13sort of curled up

00:48:14like it was an

00:48:14old-fashioned shit.

00:48:15It's your typical

00:48:16blue Sterilite

00:48:18storage container.

00:48:19So when you put

00:48:20a 120-pound body

00:48:22in there

00:48:23and then fill

00:48:23the rest up

00:48:24with concrete,

00:48:24obviously it's heavy.

00:48:25It weighed

00:48:26at the minimum

00:48:27600 pounds.

00:48:28How long

00:48:29do you let it sit?

00:48:30Until the next day.

00:48:31Okay.

00:48:32I think that's

00:48:32when you rent

00:48:33the U-Haul.

00:48:35We rent the U-Haul

00:48:36and what else?

00:48:38A dolly

00:48:39and a hatchback.

00:48:40They rent the U-Haul

00:48:41and then Jason

00:48:42comes with a plan.

00:48:44They then drive

00:48:45it out to

00:48:46Jason's ex

00:48:47in Henderson.

00:48:49He had called

00:48:50and asked me

00:48:52if I would

00:48:54store some stuff

00:48:54for him.

00:48:55I said,

00:48:56all right,

00:48:56you know,

00:48:57what is it?

00:48:58He's like,

00:48:58it's just a tub.

00:49:00She sees a U-Haul truck

00:49:02and she looks inside

00:49:03and she sees

00:49:04Louie

00:49:05and Jason

00:49:06trying to manhandle

00:49:08this big blue

00:49:09Sterilite

00:49:10storage tub.

00:49:13So I'm like,

00:49:13whoa,

00:49:14what is that?

00:49:15Because I kind of

00:49:15got a bad feeling

00:49:16and he just gave me

00:49:18this look like,

00:49:20do you want me

00:49:20to tell you?

00:49:21And I was like,

00:49:22yeah,

00:49:22you think you're

00:49:23storing that at my house?

00:49:24You're going to

00:49:24tell me what it is.

00:49:26And he was like,

00:49:29it's Debbie.

00:49:31And I was like,

00:49:32whoa,

00:49:33that's no,

00:49:34you need to go

00:49:35right now.

00:49:35And I was very upset.

00:49:37So once they leave

00:49:38Calais,

00:49:39they have to do

00:49:40something to me.

00:49:40What they did

00:49:41was found

00:49:42this house

00:49:43that they knew

00:49:44was abandoned

00:49:44on Bonanza Way.

00:49:49The body

00:49:50has been in

00:49:50this

00:49:52container now

00:49:53for a few days

00:49:54and it's starting

00:49:55to decompose

00:49:56and now you have

00:49:56all this

00:49:57decomposition fluid

00:49:58starts leaking

00:49:59out of the crack

00:50:00in this tub.

00:50:01Yeah.

00:50:01So it leaked out

00:50:02a little bit.

00:50:03I guess it leaked

00:50:03out a little bit.

00:50:05and there's a trail

00:50:06of it from the sidewalk

00:50:07all the way up

00:50:08to the front door

00:50:09and inside the house.

00:50:11And then Jason

00:50:12came up with plan B

00:50:13and they bought

00:50:13more bins,

00:50:14they bought more

00:50:15cement,

00:50:16they bought a

00:50:16like a mini

00:50:17sledgehammer.

00:50:18so we basically

00:50:18like broke it

00:50:20out of the concrete.

00:50:21The body?

00:50:23The body.

00:50:23Okay.

00:50:23So you actually

00:50:24break up the cement?

00:50:25Break up the cement.

00:50:27And take her out?

00:50:29Take her out.

00:50:30What does she look like?

00:50:31Louie tells us

00:50:32that he can take us

00:50:33to where the body is.

00:50:34So I'm going to get

00:50:35a man in the house.

00:50:36Now the big question

00:50:37is where's the house?

00:50:39On the house.

00:50:40Take us to it?

00:50:42You don't have to go in

00:50:43but can you take us

00:50:44to the house?

00:50:48We've got to go.

00:50:49We've got to get it.

00:50:51Louis Colombo

00:50:52leads detectives

00:50:53to a vacant house.

00:50:55And what they find inside

00:50:56takes this case

00:50:58from missing

00:50:59to monstrous.

00:51:06Jason Griffith

00:51:07and Louis Colombo's

00:51:08problems are mounting.

00:51:10The bin they have

00:51:11Debian is cracked

00:51:12and it's leaking

00:51:13all over the wood floors

00:51:14in the living room

00:51:15of a vacant house.

00:51:18They came up

00:51:19with a plan.

00:51:19They bought more bins.

00:51:21They bought more cement,

00:51:22gloves, bleach,

00:51:24sealant, plastic bags,

00:51:27garbage bags.

00:51:28They bought a wood saw,

00:51:29a mini sledgehammer,

00:51:30to chip her out of the cement

00:51:32and a crowbar.

00:51:35Louis says that they

00:51:36chipped her out of the cement

00:51:38and then Jason dismembered her

00:51:41by cutting her legs off.

00:51:43We had her go into

00:51:43two separate bins

00:51:46and cut her legs off.

00:51:47Well, she cut her legs off.

00:51:49He did?

00:51:49Okay.

00:51:50With what?

00:51:51A saw.

00:51:54They put her in the plastic bags

00:51:55and I'll put her in the bin

00:51:56and put more concrete on it.

00:51:59Okay.

00:52:00And I'll put her in the closet.

00:52:03They put the legs in one bin

00:52:05and then her upper body

00:52:06in the other bin

00:52:07and put cement in with those.

00:52:09Then they take all the tools

00:52:10that they used

00:52:11and put in the closet

00:52:12of the other bedroom

00:52:13and seal that closet door

00:52:14closed as well.

00:52:16But they leave

00:52:17all the cleaning agents

00:52:19and odor masking agents

00:52:21that they had to buy

00:52:21so that they could work

00:52:22with the body.

00:52:23They leave that all out

00:52:24in plain view

00:52:25in the living room.

00:52:26So you store her in the closet

00:52:27and let it set?

00:52:28In the closet.

00:52:29Then he asked me

00:52:30to go back a couple days

00:52:31later just to check on it.

00:52:33So I bought some great stuff

00:52:37like door sealing

00:52:38because it's in the closet.

00:52:39I don't want it small

00:52:40so I sealed the door.

00:52:42Like that was it.

00:52:44It takes a lot of coaxing

00:52:46for Luis Colombo

00:52:47to reveal what happened.

00:52:49And police tell him

00:52:50that because he cooperated

00:52:51he won't be criminally charged

00:52:53and while that's a relief

00:52:54he is haunted.

00:52:56That doesn't change

00:52:57how responsible I feel.

00:52:59Like you can say

00:53:00oh you don't have

00:53:01to feel responsible

00:53:02it doesn't change

00:53:03the things that I've done

00:53:04that I've lived with

00:53:05for the rest of my life

00:53:06it doesn't change any of that.

00:53:07It doesn't change

00:53:08you know

00:53:10the sleepless nights

00:53:12that I'm gonna have

00:53:13the smell that I still smell

00:53:15and it doesn't change

00:53:16any of that.

00:53:18Like

00:53:19now the only thing

00:53:20that changes

00:53:20is Jay goes to jail

00:53:22possibly for the rest

00:53:23of his life

00:53:24and like now

00:53:25I feel like

00:53:26that's my fault too.

00:53:27He admits

00:53:28to his involvement

00:53:30to the detectives

00:53:31and he admits

00:53:32that he knows

00:53:32where the body's at

00:53:33so he ultimately

00:53:34takes two of our detectives

00:53:36to the location

00:53:37of the body.

00:53:40They have a house

00:53:41where they can

00:53:42put her body

00:53:43and it's not gonna be

00:53:45connected to them

00:53:46supposedly.

00:53:48They knew somebody

00:53:50that had this house

00:53:52that had been deported

00:53:54and that the house

00:53:55was empty.

00:53:56After the interview

00:53:57with Louis

00:53:59he jumped into my truck

00:54:01and we had a caravan going.

00:54:03He was directing me

00:54:04and he pointed out

00:54:05the house

00:54:05and he said

00:54:06100% she's in there.

00:54:13So we're pulling

00:54:14into the neighborhood.

00:54:15This is Bonanza Way.

00:54:17This is where

00:54:17the house is

00:54:18and we pulled up

00:54:20and Louis told me

00:54:21that's the house

00:54:22where her body

00:54:22will be.

00:54:23This house right here.

00:54:28It's one of the

00:54:29original houses

00:54:30built downtown

00:54:31probably back

00:54:32in the 30s or 40s.

00:54:34It's just this tiny

00:54:35two bedroom house

00:54:36but it had

00:54:37wood flooring

00:54:38throughout.

00:54:40When we got here

00:54:41they opened the door

00:54:43there was an odor

00:54:44of decon

00:54:44but it was mixed

00:54:45with chemical.

00:54:46You could literally

00:54:47smell it

00:54:47from my vehicle.

00:54:49You could smell bleach

00:54:50and other chemicals

00:54:51and they noticed

00:54:53that there was decon

00:54:54drips on the walkway

00:54:56itself.

00:54:57I walked in

00:54:58there was

00:54:59the original bin

00:55:00which was this

00:55:01gigantic bin

00:55:02that they had

00:55:02about 600 pounds

00:55:03of cement in

00:55:04with her

00:55:05that you couldn't lift.

00:55:06That was in the

00:55:07living room.

00:55:08First thing I saw

00:55:09was the long

00:55:10black hair.

00:55:11You could see

00:55:12her hair mixed

00:55:12in with the cement

00:55:13because it removed

00:55:15all the hair

00:55:15from her body.

00:55:16There was chunks

00:55:17of cement

00:55:18that were in the bin

00:55:19and some plastic.

00:55:21The two smaller

00:55:22green 45 gallon

00:55:23bins were stacked

00:55:24inside of one

00:55:25of the closets

00:55:26which had been

00:55:26sealed and they

00:55:27had taken them

00:55:28out and got them

00:55:30open enough

00:55:30to where they

00:55:31found the body.

00:55:32She had been

00:55:33dismembered in

00:55:34two parts

00:55:35and put in

00:55:36the two bins

00:55:37with cement

00:55:37and plastic

00:55:38thinking that

00:55:39would help

00:55:40with the odor

00:55:42but it never does.

00:55:45They literally

00:55:45did the whole

00:55:46Dexter thing.

00:55:47If you know

00:55:47anything about

00:55:48Dexter

00:55:49the way he disposed

00:55:50of bodies

00:55:51was dismembering them.

00:55:52it's kind of

00:55:53fitting don't you

00:55:53think?

00:55:56And that was

00:55:57Jason's

00:55:58favorite TV show.

00:56:03After almost

00:56:04a month missing

00:56:05Debbie

00:56:06is finally

00:56:07found.

00:56:10January 7th

00:56:11I was

00:56:13in a car

00:56:14with my friend

00:56:15at the time

00:56:16she had taken

00:56:17me out to

00:56:19kind of relax

00:56:20a little bit

00:56:21and

00:56:22I get a call

00:56:23on my phone

00:56:24and it says

00:56:25private number

00:56:26and I knew right away

00:56:28I answered

00:56:29and he said

00:56:30this is a detective

00:56:31and I said

00:56:32you found her

00:56:35I said you found her

00:56:37I knew it was

00:56:38I knew it was

00:56:40that phone call

00:56:41one of my friends

00:56:42called and

00:56:44said

00:56:45you know

00:56:46they found

00:56:46Debbie

00:56:47and I'm

00:56:48thinking

00:56:48good

00:56:50where the hell

00:56:51has she been?

00:56:52She's like

00:56:53she's not here

00:56:53with us anymore

00:56:56what does that

00:56:57even mean?

00:56:58And

00:56:59she said

00:56:59yeah

00:57:00like they

00:57:00found her

00:57:01body

00:57:02and

00:57:03they definitely

00:57:04confirmed that

00:57:05it's her.

00:57:09somebody with

00:57:10such a big

00:57:10personality

00:57:11you don't

00:57:12picture things

00:57:12like that

00:57:13happening to

00:57:14them

00:57:14I did not

00:57:15fathom that

00:57:16that was

00:57:17where

00:57:17it was gonna

00:57:18go

00:57:19when I found

00:57:20out what

00:57:20happened to

00:57:21her

00:57:21I couldn't

00:57:22sleep

00:57:22it was all

00:57:23all over

00:57:24the news

00:57:2424-7

00:57:25the remains

00:57:26of a missing

00:57:27local dancer

00:57:27have been

00:57:28discovered

00:57:29sources have

00:57:29confirmed that

00:57:30the body

00:57:30of that missing

00:57:31dancer

00:57:31Debbie Flores

00:57:32Narvaez

00:57:33was found

00:57:33dismembered

00:57:34in tubs

00:57:35filled with

00:57:36concrete

00:57:38I can't

00:57:39believe this

00:57:39has gotta

00:57:40be a bad

00:57:40dream

00:57:41and I was

00:57:42hoping that

00:57:43Debbie would

00:57:43call me one

00:57:44day and

00:57:44say you

00:57:45ready to

00:57:46rehearse

00:57:47but I

00:57:47never got

00:57:48that call

00:57:49all I

00:57:50have is

00:57:50memories

00:57:50of her

00:57:52you have

00:57:53someone who

00:57:55dances for

00:57:56a living

00:57:56their job

00:57:57depends on

00:57:58their beauty

00:57:59their athleticism

00:58:00of their

00:58:00gracefulness

00:58:02and to

00:58:03have a

00:58:04body just

00:58:05destroyed in

00:58:06the manner

00:58:06that her

00:58:06body was

00:58:07destroyed

00:58:07it's a cruel

00:58:08irony

00:58:08it's horrible

00:58:14detectives now

00:58:15have Debbie's

00:58:15body

00:58:15and with the

00:58:16evidence pointing

00:58:17firmly to Jason

00:58:18it's time to

00:58:19quickly move in

00:58:20as Jason finishes

00:58:21his evening

00:58:22performance

00:58:22detectives haul

00:58:23him back to the

00:58:24station

00:58:25for another

00:58:26chat

00:58:34we're here to

00:58:35ask you some more

00:58:36questions about

00:58:38what happened to

00:58:39Debbie

00:58:49we're here to ask you

00:58:51some more questions

00:58:52about

00:58:53what happened to

00:58:54Debbie

00:58:54at this point

00:58:55we knew where the

00:58:55body was

00:58:56we knew his

00:58:56involvement

00:58:57we didn't say

00:58:58Kalei told us

00:58:59these things

00:58:59and we didn't go

00:59:00Louis mapped all

00:59:01this out

00:59:02you know told us

00:59:03all these things

00:59:03because we were

00:59:04going to

00:59:05parse those

00:59:06details out

00:59:07and get his

00:59:07reaction to

00:59:08them

00:59:23when you're

00:59:24dealing with

00:59:24somebody who

00:59:25thinks they're

00:59:25smarter than

00:59:25everybody else

00:59:26you have to

00:59:26play them a little

00:59:27bit

00:59:27you gotta give

00:59:28them enough

00:59:28rope to run

00:59:29with before you

00:59:31can yank them

00:59:32back to reality

00:59:32on that night

00:59:33when she came

00:59:34over

00:59:35there was an

00:59:35argument and

00:59:36became physical

00:59:37and ultimately

00:59:38she didn't

00:59:39live through it

00:59:41and this is

00:59:42you guys are

00:59:42putting this

00:59:43together based

00:59:43on a lot of

00:59:45things

00:59:45but she didn't

00:59:46live through it

00:59:47if you come in

00:59:49mean

00:59:50angry

00:59:51or heavy handed

00:59:52they're not

00:59:53going to cooperate

00:59:54with you

00:59:54they're going to

00:59:55shut down

00:59:55and the ultimate

00:59:56goal is to

00:59:57elicit a confession

01:00:00we're in a

01:00:01situation where

01:00:03if when confronted

01:00:05with some things

01:00:06that you end up

01:00:07saying okay

01:00:08alright look

01:00:08okay look

01:00:10this is what

01:00:11happened

01:00:11it went too

01:00:12far

01:00:13I don't know

01:00:14it was an

01:00:14accident

01:00:15I didn't realize

01:00:16what happened

01:00:17and then I

01:00:18panicked

01:00:19I see what you

01:00:19guys are saying

01:00:20and we're just

01:00:21at a point like

01:00:21what are you

01:00:22reaching for

01:00:23right now

01:00:23I'm not reaching

01:00:24for anything

01:00:24other than the

01:00:25truth

01:00:25and now the

01:00:26interview becomes

01:00:27an interrogation

01:00:28and everything

01:00:29changes in the

01:00:29interview and now

01:00:30you start hitting

01:00:31them with facts

01:00:32and you ask

01:00:33them direct

01:00:33questions

01:00:33did you kill

01:00:35Debbie

01:00:35no I didn't kill

01:00:36Debbie

01:00:36not on purpose

01:00:37or an accident

01:00:38not on purpose

01:00:39or not on accident

01:00:39you didn't strangle

01:00:40her to the point

01:00:41where she stopped

01:00:41right

01:00:41no

01:00:43there came a point

01:00:44in the interview

01:00:44where Jason

01:00:45decided that he

01:00:46wanted his lawyer

01:00:47present before

01:00:48answering any other

01:00:49questions

01:00:49you guys are going

01:00:50to do your jobs

01:00:51you're going to do

01:00:52what you're supposed

01:00:52to do

01:00:53I don't have anything

01:00:54I'll tell you

01:00:55and so we shut it

01:00:56down

01:00:56he was placed

01:00:57under arrest

01:00:58you are under

01:00:58arrest

01:01:00for Debbie's

01:01:00murder

01:01:02at the end

01:01:03of the interview

01:01:04he was taken

01:01:05into custody

01:01:05booked into the

01:01:06Clark County

01:01:07Detention Center

01:01:09four days later

01:01:10Jason was charged

01:01:11with Debbie's

01:01:11murder

01:01:12however

01:01:12he was not

01:01:14charged with

01:01:14dismembering her

01:01:15body

01:01:15morning judge

01:01:16we received a

01:01:17copy of the

01:01:17indictment

01:01:18we'd wave

01:01:18it's from a

01:01:19reading it's

01:01:19going to be

01:01:20a not guilty

01:01:20plea

01:01:22I was scared

01:01:23to go

01:01:23to the

01:01:23arrangement

01:01:23I

01:01:25I didn't know

01:01:26what I was

01:01:27going to face

01:01:28but I was

01:01:28sitting there

01:01:29and I'm

01:01:30looking at

01:01:31this

01:01:33evil person

01:01:34and I was

01:01:35trying to

01:01:36control myself

01:01:37and I just

01:01:38couldn't

01:01:39to the point

01:01:39where I just

01:01:40couldn't

01:01:40and I screamed

01:01:41out

01:01:48I hope you

01:01:49rot in hell

01:01:50because exactly

01:01:51where I wanted

01:01:51to put him

01:01:52was in hell

01:01:53and I just

01:01:54wanted him to

01:01:55rot in there

01:01:57the way that

01:01:57he allowed

01:01:58my sister

01:01:59to rot

01:02:00for weeks

01:02:03most of

01:02:04the families

01:02:05we have to deal

01:02:05with this is

01:02:06the worst day

01:02:06of their life

01:02:07the losing

01:02:08of a loved one

01:02:09and I can only

01:02:10imagine what

01:02:11goes through

01:02:12victims' minds

01:02:13when they see

01:02:13the killer

01:02:14for the first time

01:02:15and for those

01:02:16two seconds

01:02:17it felt so good

01:02:18but at the same

01:02:19time

01:02:19I was stuck

01:02:20in a situation

01:02:21where I couldn't

01:02:21do anything about it

01:02:22and I had to wait

01:02:24most people would

01:02:25be very surprised

01:02:26to know how much

01:02:27has to go on

01:02:27behind the scenes

01:02:28in order to get

01:02:29a case to trial

01:02:30the delays in the

01:02:31criminal justice system

01:02:32can be difficult

01:02:33for families

01:02:34when you watch

01:02:35law and order

01:02:35it takes like

01:02:36two weeks right

01:02:38reality is that

01:02:39it took about

01:02:39four and a half years

01:02:40to go to trial

01:02:43he had no defense

01:02:45to I didn't kill

01:02:47Debbie

01:02:47the evidence

01:02:48was overwhelming

01:02:51and so then

01:02:52how do you beat

01:02:53self-defense

01:02:54in Nevada

01:02:55we have to disprove

01:02:57self-defense

01:02:58beyond a reasonable doubt

01:02:59this isn't going to be

01:03:00a case about

01:03:01self-defense

01:03:01it's going to be

01:03:03a case about murder

01:03:03a choice to commit

01:03:05that murder

01:03:06because he wanted

01:03:08something

01:03:09thank you

01:03:10let's go ahead

01:03:11we have you proceed

01:03:12Mr. Banks

01:03:13the government

01:03:14does not have

01:03:15proof

01:03:16of criminal intent

01:03:18for first degree murder

01:03:20our main points

01:03:21were Jason was afraid

01:03:23and there's a hell

01:03:25of a lot more

01:03:25going on

01:03:26in this case

01:03:27but okay

01:03:28this guy

01:03:28this guy killed

01:03:29his girlfriend

01:03:30tried to hide the body

01:03:31it's not

01:03:31not that simple

01:03:32it's a case about

01:03:34state of mind

01:03:35self-defense

01:03:37and it's about

01:03:38second-guessing

01:03:40and the evidence

01:03:41is going to show

01:03:42that he was scared

01:03:44that he was afraid

01:03:46that she was violent

01:03:48and that Jason Griffith

01:03:51was defending himself

01:03:54in December 12, 2010

01:03:58prosecutors call

01:03:59almost two dozen

01:04:00witnesses to help

01:04:01reconstruct the events

01:04:02leading up to

01:04:03Debbie's death

01:04:03and its aftermath

01:04:04one of those witnesses

01:04:06was Clay Casorso

01:04:09Clay Casorso

01:04:10was a former lover

01:04:11of Jason

01:04:12who both Jason

01:04:14and Louis Colombo

01:04:15were going to attempt

01:04:16and store

01:04:18Debbie's body

01:04:19in the cement

01:04:20on her back patio

01:04:21what did you do

01:04:22seeing this item

01:04:23that they wanted

01:04:24to place in your house

01:04:26of course

01:04:26they didn't tell her

01:04:27immediately that

01:04:28Debbie was inside

01:04:29asked what the heck

01:04:31it was

01:04:32and what did

01:04:33the defendant say

01:04:33he asked if I really

01:04:35wanted to know

01:04:35and I said yes

01:04:36if you're going to

01:04:37put that here

01:04:38I need to know

01:04:38what it is

01:04:40and kind of

01:04:40he just said

01:04:41it's Debbie

01:04:44and what was

01:04:44your reaction

01:04:45I was shocked

01:04:48kind of

01:04:50my head

01:04:50kind of started

01:04:51to spin

01:04:52like I

01:04:53couldn't

01:04:54comprehend it

01:04:57state's next witness

01:04:59Louis Colombo

01:05:01Louis Colombo

01:05:02was present

01:05:03for the beginning

01:05:04of the incident

01:05:05and was one of the

01:05:06essential witnesses

01:05:07to what happened

01:05:08that night

01:05:08when I walk in the door

01:05:09I just look at him

01:05:12for a second

01:05:12he was just sitting there

01:05:14and then

01:05:14he said something like

01:05:17he's like

01:05:18I messed up

01:05:20when you walk back

01:05:21to the studio

01:05:22what did you see

01:05:23I saw Debbie

01:05:25laying on the ground

01:05:26of the studio

01:05:27did she appear

01:05:28alive or dead

01:05:30to you

01:05:30she appeared dead

01:05:32who does the cutting

01:05:34Jason did

01:05:35what did he use

01:05:36a handsaw

01:05:37on cross-examination

01:05:40Jason's attorneys

01:05:41don't hesitate

01:05:42to tell the jury

01:05:43that Louis Colombo

01:05:45was given immunity

01:05:47in return for his

01:05:48cooperation

01:05:48in this case

01:05:49our attempts

01:05:51to undercut

01:05:52the credibility

01:05:53of testimony

01:05:54is number one

01:05:57anytime

01:05:58a person

01:05:59testifies

01:06:00with a grant

01:06:01of complete immunity

01:06:03that automatically

01:06:04makes that person's

01:06:06testimony

01:06:07potentially suspect

01:06:08that is

01:06:10a big factor

01:06:11in what a jury

01:06:12will look at

01:06:12on whether

01:06:13they believe

01:06:15Mr. Colombo

01:06:16or not

01:06:16I was

01:06:18so upset

01:06:19that he was

01:06:21on the stand

01:06:21did he take her breath

01:06:23no

01:06:23but do I consider him

01:06:25just as bad

01:06:26as

01:06:26Jason

01:06:28absolutely

01:06:29ultimately

01:06:30could he have been

01:06:31prosecuted

01:06:32he could have

01:06:33and that's often

01:06:34the case

01:06:34in the criminal justice

01:06:35system

01:06:35we often times

01:06:37have to make

01:06:38that choice

01:06:38which is

01:06:39how badly

01:06:40do we need

01:06:40this person

01:06:42it cannot be

01:06:43overstated

01:06:44how important

01:06:45Louis' statement

01:06:46was

01:06:47with regard

01:06:47to the prosecution

01:06:48of Jason

01:06:50so after

01:06:51four days

01:06:51of presenting

01:06:53evidence

01:06:54we were confident

01:06:55that there was

01:06:56no doubt

01:06:56that the jury

01:06:57knew Jason

01:06:57killed Debbie

01:06:58it was really

01:06:59at that point

01:07:00we turned it over

01:07:00to the defense

01:07:01that the real fight

01:07:02in the trial started

01:07:03Jason was a born

01:07:05performer

01:07:06he was comfortable

01:07:07in front of a crowd

01:07:08and certainly

01:07:09as he made his

01:07:10calculation

01:07:10about whether or not

01:07:12he should take

01:07:13the witness stand

01:07:14I'm sure

01:07:14he looked at those

01:07:15jurors

01:07:16and he thought

01:07:17to himself

01:07:17I got this

01:07:20it was about

01:07:21two and a half weeks

01:07:23I think

01:07:23the trial lasted

01:07:26and I have to

01:07:27portray

01:07:28this strong

01:07:29woman

01:07:29when inside

01:07:30I'm breaking

01:07:31down

01:07:32slowly

01:07:33but I'm still

01:07:34holding it together

01:07:34hoping that we

01:07:35will get

01:07:37justice

01:07:37for my sister

01:07:41I ask at this time

01:07:42if the defense

01:07:43is prepared

01:07:43to call

01:07:43their first witness

01:07:45while the defense

01:07:46calls

01:07:47Debbie's ex-boyfriend

01:07:48Jamil

01:07:49and they call

01:07:50Jason's ex-girlfriend

01:07:51Añez

01:07:51to the stand

01:07:52their case

01:07:53really

01:07:54comes down

01:07:55to just one person

01:07:56the defense calls

01:07:57Jason Griffith

01:07:58in claiming self-defense

01:08:00Jason was compelled

01:08:01to testify

01:08:02and his lawyers

01:08:03quickly sought

01:08:04to portray

01:08:04Debbie

01:08:05as someone

01:08:06that he

01:08:06was genuinely

01:08:07fearful of

01:08:08and we never

01:08:09argued to the jury

01:08:10that Jason

01:08:12is

01:08:13Mother Teresa

01:08:13an upstanding

01:08:15citizen

01:08:15what we argued

01:08:17to the jury

01:08:17is he acted

01:08:18reasonably

01:08:20do you recognize that

01:08:21it was a note

01:08:22that was left

01:08:22on my car

01:08:23at the Mirage

01:08:23what's your understanding

01:08:24of who left you

01:08:25this

01:08:25Debbie left me

01:08:26that note

01:08:27I will kill you

01:08:28before I let

01:08:28another bitch

01:08:29have you

01:08:29I will find you

01:08:30wherever you hide

01:08:31love always

01:08:32your destiny

01:08:33is that what it

01:08:34says Jason

01:08:34yes sir

01:08:36the prior acts

01:08:37of domestic violence

01:08:37in the 911 calls

01:08:39would lead

01:08:39any reasonable

01:08:40person to believe

01:08:42when there's

01:08:43another incident

01:08:43of violence

01:08:44that perhaps

01:08:45your life

01:08:46might be at risk

01:08:47what's going on

01:08:48my ex-girlfriend

01:08:50is

01:08:51she came to my job

01:08:53today

01:08:54harassed me

01:08:54at work

01:08:55she's been

01:08:56making threats

01:08:56she's following me

01:08:57around town

01:08:58harassing

01:08:59stuff

01:09:00we just got

01:09:01you said

01:09:03on the 911 call

01:09:04that Debbie

01:09:06was making

01:09:06threats

01:09:07tell the jury

01:09:08what kind of

01:09:09threat she was

01:09:09making to you

01:09:10oh she talked

01:09:11about slashing

01:09:12my tires again

01:09:12she talked

01:09:13about burning

01:09:13my house

01:09:14talked about

01:09:15killing me

01:09:15I'll kill you

01:09:16I'm not gonna

01:09:17let nobody

01:09:18be with you

01:09:20the volume

01:09:21of calls

01:09:22I thought

01:09:22we did a decent

01:09:23job at

01:09:24showing

01:09:25that that was

01:09:26part of

01:09:28a pattern

01:09:28he's on the

01:09:29receiving end

01:09:30of the harm

01:09:33Debbie's history

01:09:34and Jason's history

01:09:35and the tumultuous

01:09:36nature of it

01:09:37was particularly

01:09:38relevant in this

01:09:39case to the defense

01:09:40because they of course

01:09:42wanted Debbie to look

01:09:44as crazy as possible

01:09:46as volatile

01:09:47as possible

01:09:49throughout the trial

01:09:50I would see that

01:09:52my mother was angry

01:09:53I would just kind of

01:09:54grab her

01:09:55and hold her arm

01:09:56like I know mommy

01:09:58and don't let this

01:10:01make you emotional

01:10:04it was the cross

01:10:05examination of Jason

01:10:06that the whole case

01:10:07was probably

01:10:08gonna come down to

01:10:10some of the stuff

01:10:11Debbie did

01:10:12was true

01:10:12right

01:10:13she did slash

01:10:14his tire

01:10:15and all of this

01:10:16other stuff

01:10:16but when it came

01:10:17to the one thing

01:10:19he's hung his hat on

01:10:20he was lying

01:10:21and I could prove it

01:10:22so what he testified

01:10:23to was that

01:10:24one night

01:10:25he came out

01:10:25of the mirage

01:10:26and he came

01:10:27to his car

01:10:28and there was

01:10:29a note on his car

01:10:30you find that

01:10:31over the car

01:10:32right

01:10:33and so

01:10:34now

01:10:35you believe

01:10:36in Debbie

01:10:37what you've said

01:10:38so far

01:10:38yes

01:10:39and

01:10:41you guys

01:10:42continue to have

01:10:43conversations

01:10:43at least now

01:10:44unlike

01:10:45before

01:10:46you have a

01:10:47written threat

01:10:48to killing it

01:10:49correct

01:10:50yes

01:10:51and he

01:10:52told the jury

01:10:53that that was

01:10:54written by Debbie

01:10:55that he was

01:10:56absolutely terrified

01:10:57that this was

01:10:59proof

01:10:59that she wanted

01:11:00to kill him

01:11:01before I get to this

01:11:02do you have a chance

01:11:04to change your answer

01:11:05I don't need to

01:11:06change the answer

01:11:07sir

01:11:08do you recognize

01:11:09that number

01:11:09yes I know that number

01:11:10whose number is it

01:11:11it's the news number

01:11:12this morning of

01:11:13May 22nd of 2010

01:11:16okay

01:11:17okay so that's the

01:11:18morning that the

01:11:19incident with the car

01:11:19first

01:11:20yep

01:11:21here's Mr. Colombo's

01:11:23text to you

01:11:23I really thought

01:11:25you would know

01:11:25it was me

01:11:27the note was

01:11:28actually written

01:11:28as a joke

01:11:29by Louie

01:11:30and what we knew

01:11:31from the text messages

01:11:32is that

01:11:34Jason knew

01:11:35that the note

01:11:36was written by Louie

01:11:37and he absolutely

01:11:38knew it as he sat

01:11:39on the witness stand

01:11:40and he testified

01:11:40before the jury

01:11:41his entire testimony

01:11:42both direct

01:11:43his cross-examination

01:11:45there was no way

01:11:46around it

01:11:46he lied

01:11:49I'm going to ask

01:11:49the officers of the

01:11:50court to please

01:11:51come forward

01:11:51and be sworn

01:11:52to take

01:11:53control and custody

01:11:54of the jury

01:11:57once you have

01:11:58given the evidence

01:11:59to the jury

01:12:00and you've given

01:12:01the case to the jury

01:12:02you literally just

01:12:03sit and wait

01:12:05the anxiety of

01:12:07what if this doesn't

01:12:08go the right way

01:12:09what if he gets

01:12:10away with it

01:12:11there is

01:12:12a roller coaster

01:12:13of emotions

01:12:14while you're waiting

01:12:15for a verdict

01:12:15time kind of

01:12:16stands still

01:12:19it just felt like

01:12:20forever

01:12:21and the jury

01:12:22stood up

01:12:23and

01:12:24when the verdict

01:12:25came in

01:12:26and they said

01:12:26guilty of murder

01:12:27of the second

01:12:28degree

01:12:30it was a moment

01:12:31of justification

01:12:34that everything

01:12:35I did for her

01:12:37was for that moment

01:12:39I was able to breathe

01:12:43and just let go

01:12:44for a second

01:12:46and I just remember

01:12:47thinking to myself

01:12:49I hope that

01:12:49I did her proud

01:12:53the judge didn't have

01:12:55a lot of discretion

01:12:56a secondary murder

01:12:57conviction

01:12:58there's two possible

01:12:59sentences

01:12:59there's a life sentence

01:13:01and then there's a term

01:13:02of years

01:13:03which is 25 years

01:13:04both of them have

01:13:05minimum parole

01:13:06eligibility

01:13:07after 10 years

01:13:09Jason was sentenced

01:13:10for second degree

01:13:11murder

01:13:11to 10 years

01:13:12to life

01:13:14and I've already

01:13:15had to go to parole

01:13:16twice

01:13:17to plea with the

01:13:18parole board

01:13:19to keep him in

01:13:20there is no sense

01:13:21of closure for them

01:13:22but I certainly think

01:13:24it's better for them

01:13:25to have to show up

01:13:26to a parole hearing

01:13:27than having to

01:13:28realize that he's

01:13:30completely free

01:13:30of the criminal

01:13:31justice system

01:13:34today

01:13:35Jason continues

01:13:36to serve out a sentence

01:13:37at high desert

01:13:38state prison

01:13:38waiting for his

01:13:40chance of freedom

01:13:42many of the people

01:13:43who helped put him

01:13:44behind bars

01:13:45have long since

01:13:45moved on from the case

01:13:48but there's one

01:13:50final twist

01:13:51to the story

01:13:54hello

01:13:54this is a prepaid

01:13:56debit call

01:13:57from an offender

01:13:58of the Nevada

01:13:59Department of Corrections

01:14:00High Desert

01:14:01Correctional Center

01:14:05this call is from

01:14:06a correction facility

01:14:07and is subject

01:14:08to monitoring

01:14:09and recording

01:14:09since his conviction

01:14:11for the murder

01:14:11of Debbie Flores

01:14:13Nevarez

01:14:13in 2014

01:14:14Jason Griffith

01:14:15has been waiting

01:14:16for his chance

01:14:16at parole

01:14:17here I am

01:14:1815 years later

01:14:19with excellent

01:14:20behavior

01:14:21no infractions

01:14:22no trouble

01:14:23working 7 days

01:14:24a week

01:14:25taking classes

01:14:26doing everything

01:14:27I can

01:14:27and they won't

01:14:29give me a second

01:14:30chance

01:14:30Jason has never

01:14:32agreed to a

01:14:33television interview

01:14:33before

01:14:34he called

01:14:342020 from prison

01:14:35to speak for the

01:14:36first time

01:14:37Debbie Flores

01:14:38is dead

01:14:39and she did not

01:14:40deserve to die

01:14:41I'm not trying

01:14:43to get out

01:14:44of responsibility

01:14:45I'm not trying

01:14:46to diminish

01:14:47what this situation

01:14:49is by any

01:14:50needs

01:14:51Jason's most

01:14:52recent parole hearing

01:14:53was in 2025

01:14:53Debbie's sister

01:14:55Celeste

01:14:56was there

01:14:56ready to oppose

01:14:58his release

01:15:00I knew

01:15:01that I would

01:15:02be facing

01:15:03parole

01:15:03for him

01:15:04and this

01:15:05time around

01:15:06when I

01:15:07walk in

01:15:09the assistant

01:15:10at the front

01:15:11desk

01:15:12told me

01:15:13well you're

01:15:14the first

01:15:14one here

01:15:14we're also

01:15:16waiting for

01:15:17his wife

01:15:22I'm sorry

01:15:23what

01:15:24yeah

01:15:25his wife

01:15:26Kalei

01:15:29I thought

01:15:29I was hearing

01:15:30things when

01:15:30she said

01:15:31his wife

01:15:31and then

01:15:32she said

01:15:32her name

01:15:33Kalei

01:15:33there was

01:15:34only one

01:15:35Kalei

01:15:38I was

01:15:39damn near

01:15:39shaking

01:15:41because I had

01:15:42to deal

01:15:42with this

01:15:42woman again

01:15:43who knew

01:15:43of my

01:15:44sister

01:15:44for three

01:15:45weeks

01:15:46that she

01:15:46was missing

01:15:48there are

01:15:49no words

01:15:50I just

01:15:51I

01:15:53I couldn't

01:15:54speak

01:15:55I was

01:15:55so angry

01:15:56at the

01:15:57parole

01:15:58hearing

01:15:58Kalei

01:15:59spoke on

01:16:00Jason's

01:16:01behalf

01:16:02and all

01:16:03I heard

01:16:03was

01:16:04we just

01:16:05want to

01:16:05apologize

01:16:06to you

01:16:07Celeste

01:16:08and I'm

01:16:08sorry

01:16:08and I

01:16:09just

01:16:09I just

01:16:11lost

01:16:11it

01:16:12and I

01:16:13just

01:16:13kept

01:16:14crying

01:16:16hand

01:16:17I

01:16:17will

01:16:17never

01:16:18accept

01:16:18your

01:16:19apology

01:16:20ever

01:16:23they

01:16:24both

01:16:24deserve

01:16:24each

01:16:24other

01:16:25and I

01:16:25hope

01:16:25karma

01:16:26finds

01:16:26them

01:16:26and

01:16:27delivers

01:16:27it

01:16:28every

01:16:28day

01:16:29fresh

01:16:30on a

01:16:30plate

01:16:31I

01:16:31put

01:16:31myself

01:16:32in

01:16:32that

01:16:32situation

01:16:33if it

01:16:33was

01:16:33my

01:16:33sister

01:16:34how

01:16:34would

01:16:34I

01:16:35feel

01:16:35so

01:16:36I

01:16:36hope

01:16:36if

01:16:37never

01:16:37accepting

01:16:38my

01:16:38apology

01:16:38also

01:16:39provides

01:16:40her

01:16:40a level

01:16:40of

01:16:40peace

01:16:41then

01:16:42that's

01:16:42what

01:16:43she

01:16:43deserves

01:16:43there

01:16:44was

01:16:44anything

01:16:45I

01:16:45could

01:16:45say

01:16:45to

01:16:46Blue

01:16:46I

01:16:47would

01:16:47let

01:16:47him

01:16:47know

01:16:47that

01:16:49you

01:16:49hurt

01:16:49a lot

01:16:50of

01:16:50people

01:16:51you

01:16:52took

01:16:52someone

01:16:53from

01:16:53this

01:16:54earth

01:16:54that

01:16:55was

01:16:55very

01:16:56loving

01:16:56caring

01:16:57and

01:16:57meant

01:16:57a lot

01:16:58to

01:16:59a lot

01:16:59of

01:16:59people

01:17:00why

01:17:02there

01:17:02wasn't

01:17:03any

01:17:03other

01:17:03way

01:17:04to

01:17:04resolve

01:17:04whatever

01:17:06it

01:17:06was

01:17:06in

01:17:06that

01:17:07moment

01:17:07killing

01:17:08somebody

01:17:08is

01:17:09not

01:17:09the

01:17:10way

01:17:10to

01:17:10resolve

01:17:10anything

01:17:11I

01:17:12want

01:17:12to

01:17:12say

01:17:12that

01:17:13I

01:17:13am

01:17:13sorry

01:17:13that

01:17:14this

01:17:14situation

01:17:14ended

01:17:15the way

01:17:15that

01:17:16it

01:17:16did

01:17:16and

01:17:16I'm

01:17:17sorry

01:17:17that

01:17:17it

01:17:17cost

01:17:18everyone

01:17:19involved

01:17:20it

01:17:21cost

01:17:21them

01:17:21so much

01:17:23hurt

01:17:23so much

01:17:24pain

01:17:24so much

01:17:24loss

01:17:25and I'm

01:17:26responsible

01:17:27for that

01:17:28I should have

01:17:29been better

01:17:30I should have

01:17:30done better

01:17:31I should have

01:17:31figured out

01:17:32something else

01:17:33anything else

01:17:36depression is

01:17:37it's an everyday

01:17:38fight

01:17:38the more I talk

01:17:39about my sister

01:17:40the easier

01:17:40it has become

01:17:41the more I talk

01:17:42about my emotions

01:17:43I think I thought

01:17:45that if I bottle it

01:17:47in I don't have to

01:17:48feel it

01:17:49I don't have to show it

01:17:50when I should have been

01:17:51talking about it

01:17:51and screaming about it

01:17:52and yelling about it

01:17:53and crying about it

01:17:55I just really miss my

01:17:57friend

01:17:57I wish she was here

01:17:59are you taking this

01:18:01you can hear Debbie

01:18:04come into a room

01:18:04before you see her

01:18:05you smile before she even

01:18:06walks into a room

01:18:07if you hear her voice

01:18:08you already know what's

01:18:09coming in

01:18:09this energy

01:18:10this love

01:18:11this caring person

01:18:12she was so

01:18:13beautiful

01:18:14inside and out

01:18:15her spirit

01:18:16was so warm

01:18:18so welcoming

01:18:19it's so tragic

01:18:21that her life

01:18:22was cut so short

01:18:22it's very heartbreaking

01:18:24and she had

01:18:25so much

01:18:27to live for

01:18:28she was a star

01:18:33I took her home

01:18:35to Puerto Rico

01:18:40and we took her

01:18:42to her cemetery

01:18:44where she lays to rest

01:18:45and she sits

01:18:46on this beautiful mountain

01:18:50where she oversees

01:18:51like this beautiful valley

01:18:53I was with her

01:18:54and I talked to her

01:18:57I definitely feel

01:18:59as though

01:18:59her spirit

01:19:00is still with me

01:19:06it's so clear

01:19:07that Debbie's spirit

01:19:08is still being felt

01:19:09by now

01:19:10Jason Griffith

01:19:10has served

01:19:1115 years of his sentence

01:19:12he's been denied parole

01:19:13twice

01:19:14most recently

01:19:15in 2025

01:19:15and David

01:19:16Debbie's sister

01:19:17Celeste says

01:19:18while it's painful

01:19:19she is attending

01:19:20every parole hearing

01:19:21in hopes that Jason

01:19:22will spend the rest

01:19:23of his life

01:19:24behind bars

01:19:25that's our program

01:19:26for tonight

01:19:26thanks so much

01:19:27for watching

01:19:28I'm Deborah Roberts

01:19:29and I'm David Muir

01:19:29from all of us

01:19:30here at 2020

01:19:31and ABC News

01:19:32goodnight

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