- 2 days ago
A beloved mother is fatally shot after a feud between two other women escalates into a group fight. Pine Bluff authorities interview witnesses to uncover the shooter's true motive as public opinion on the case grows increasingly divided.
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00:10two ambitious women one shot outside an apartment building they both had overcome a lot to try to
00:20be successful she was very loving whatever you would need she was more than happy to give it to
00:28you witness accounts describe an escalating drama but reports of what happened depend on
00:35who's telling the story there was a brief some disagreement a group of girls had jumped one
00:44female she pulled with steam to be like a small handle and shot she had no criminal record the
00:54first time her name had came up in any situation the aggression the beat down that that would make
01:00anybody afraid i was thinking to myself this could be what triggered everything she showed
01:09her the small knife and said that she would use it to protect herself and she claimed she had this
01:16gun
01:16for protection you had supporters for both i think it created a divide in the city but she didn't
01:25deserve to die that way
01:43it's a quiet sunday afternoon in pine bluff arkansas when a series of urgent calls come into the
01:50jefferson county 911 center the calls were coming in saying that they had a shooter they heard gunfire
02:08people was running it was a bunch of chaos and they knew that one person had been shot
02:16one person had been shot in her chest first responders are dispatched to a location on the west side of
02:29town
02:31when responding to those type calls it's always in the back of your mind is the shooter still there
02:39the first officer on the scene sees an older man administering cpr to the apparent victim
02:47the man says he is a reverend at the church across the street he saw the confrontation
02:54and heard the shots shots really got his attention looked over and he basically sees another woman with
03:03a gun and he sees a woman lying on the ground so he goes over to render aid
03:13when i arrived the scene was secure emt was giving attention to the young lady that was down
03:21you could see the blood coming out of the shoulder area she was not conscious she was not talking
03:30and they was rendering aid and getting ready to load her up into the ambulance
03:39as the victim is rushed to the hospital police questioned bystanders to find out who she is
03:47we identified her through witnesses they had given her name as vanessa beard
03:53they were able to determine that she didn't live there so part of their initial inquiry was to
03:59determine why she was there the average citizen in pine blood is not likely to be a victim of
04:06some random act of violence we don't have home invasions with killing drive-bys and when we do
04:15it's personal beef it's not random
04:20so vanessa bearden had no criminal record no run-ins with the law so you want to know who was
04:29why and
04:29how just how all of this materialized
04:37born may 15 1990 in pine bluff arkansas vanessa bearden has deep ties to the community
04:45growing up vanessa she had a lot of love she was surrounded by all her cousins and all her family
04:51they're a big family and their pine bluff family they are known for their
04:58church affiliations singing group the beard and singers we were country kids so we like to
05:04ride four wheelers we're outside uh picking egg getting the eggs from the chickens just running around
05:18the ее again the river we'd ever be in because they have to struggle being in everyone and
05:412020 when they call it everything we do when on the valley and who told them somebody's name in the
05:45faced a major challenge. Vanessa's father had been sick for a little bit, but when he passed
05:51away, it was still a very big shock to our family, especially to Vanessa. It was part of her support
05:57system that was no longer there, that was gone. I think it caused her to kind of reevaluate a little,
06:04take some things more seriously. She did grow. She became more mature.
06:10Vanessa did step up with helping me as well. So she would keep my children while I worked.
06:19That was about the same time where she met the father of her children and began a relationship
06:28with him. And she had two kids. Vanessa's mom is a nurse. A lot of our family, they are nurses.
06:40And she liked to care for people. So Vanessa wanted to go on to become a nurse.
06:47I think it probably made her a little bit sad. Her dad wasn't there to see that happen.
06:57Vanessa was the best mom ever. Their hair, shoes, everything was planned. Everything was intentional
07:04because she loved those babies. And that was the way she showed her love.
07:08As happy as 19-year-old Vanessa was to be a mother, the hardships continued when her relationship
07:15with the father of her children ended.
07:21She did try to make that relationship work. But when she realized that it was not salvageable,
07:28that's when she kind of decided to explore other options outside of him.
07:35Within the same year, her mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer.
07:41Vanessa took that very hard because her mom is her idol. She was modeling her life, her adult life,
07:47after her mother's life.
07:51Her mother's battle inspired Vanessa to complete her training to become a certified nursing assistant
07:57as she raised her nearly two-year-old daughter and six-month-old son.
08:02She had just started her job so that she could continue taking care of her family.
08:07And, you know, she had a lot of positive things working out for her right then.
08:14But just as 21-year-old Vanessa's hard work is paying off, a tragic shooting has left her gravely wounded.
08:23And Pine Bluff police are trying to determine what happened.
08:28They were able to piece together the approximate area in which the shooting took place.
08:34And that was based on them locating a spent 9-millimeter cartridge.
08:39We also retrieved the knife that was on Vanessa Beard's person.
08:45The Reverend had taken it and given it to us.
08:49There wasn't any blood on it.
08:51I was wondering to myself, did she bring this knife to this scene with the intentions of using it?
08:59And it went bad.
09:04As they begin to talk to people, they start getting into more specific questions.
09:09According to some, it might have been related to a fight that took place 45 minutes earlier
09:15at a different apartment complex a few blocks away.
09:19It was a group of college-age girls had jumped one female.
09:24And then you had a crowd of onlookers watching the fight.
09:30They say Vanessa Bearden was one of the girls in that group and one of several people who recorded the
09:36fight.
09:38I was thinking to myself, okay, she was involved in this fight.
09:44This could be what triggered everything.
09:51You want to know who, what, why, and how.
09:53So I want to know, did they know each other?
09:57What was the cause of the shooting?
10:00Was this a planned attack or was she just in the wrong place at the wrong time?
10:10Coming up, an eyewitness shares her version of the story.
10:15She wrote her money down and told us, you bitches come see me.
10:21And the suspect tells her own.
10:23She had been jumped and she was just trying to protect herself with this group of girls.
10:43Detectives in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, are investigating the shooting of 21-year-old Vanessa Bearden.
10:50And news of the tragedy has started to spread through the community.
10:55Another cousin called me and he asked me,
10:59did I hear anything about Vanessa being shot?
11:05And I told him, no.
11:09So we all went to the hospital.
11:11We all met at the hospital.
11:13I remember sitting in the family room
11:18and the clergyman coming to pray with us.
11:24She's the baby cousin and it's just not how it's supposed to go.
11:33At the scene, investigators have just learned about a fight between a group of women
11:38about 45 minutes before the shooting at another complex nearby.
11:43A young woman named Colby steps forward and tells them she knows who shot Vanessa.
11:51She identified herself and that Vanessa was a friend of hers.
11:57She said they witnessed the fight and partook in it.
12:02Colby agrees to come to the police station and give a formal statement.
12:24Colby says Olivia isn't someone she and Vanessa knew well,
12:28but she was involved in an argument with their friend named Alicia, who lives nearby.
12:34Colby says Olivia isn't someone she and Vanessa knew well,
12:37she was hanging out with Vanessa, and they noticed another friend of theirs,
12:42Alicia Jeffries, was involved in a fight with another young lady.
12:48There was a brief, some disagreement between Alicia and Olivia.
12:54There were witnesses who tried to break up the fight,
12:58but it had almost that gang element of multiple girls jumping on one.
13:04I have been knowing Olivia for probably four months,
13:08but I haven't known her well as friends.
13:10I've always known her to stay in tour with people,
13:14saying something smart, just to see if someone would come bother her.
13:19And today she got to fighting one girl, and Vanessa jumped in that fight.
13:25So Vanessa jumped in the fight against Olivia.
13:30Yes, which doesn't make sense to me because they don't even know each other.
13:36A young man that they called Casey, he pulled Olivia from the fight.
13:41That fight was broken up by a black male,
13:45and the black male dropped Olivia off in Sunset.
13:49As he's removing Olivia, she is screaming assinities,
13:53she is screaming frets at the group.
13:58After the incident, Colby says Alicia went home,
14:02and she and Vanessa continued on with their day.
14:06According to Colby, about 45 minutes after the fight,
14:10her and Vanessa was hanging out actually at the apartment complex
14:13where Olivia Moody lived.
14:16They were sitting on a fence post in front of the building,
14:19and they noticed a white tile riding through,
14:24and Olivia Moody was actually in that tile.
14:27They came past us as me, Vanessa,
14:31and a group of other girls and males were standing along a ledge.
14:37And Olivia wrote her money down and told us,
14:39you bitches, come see me.
14:44Colby says they shrugged it off,
14:46but a little while later,
14:48Olivia sent them another message directed specifically at Vanessa.
14:54A young, young boy, probably eight or nine,
14:58he came through the hallway of one apartment complex
15:02and said that Olivia said she wanted the girl in the red shorts.
15:09Vanessa was the only one in red shorts.
15:12I stated to Vanessa,
15:14don't go because I knew she had a gun.
15:18How did you know she had a gun?
15:20I was just saying,
15:22because the type of person she seems to be,
15:24she wouldn't just call you out of a fight.
15:28So Vanessa reached to her side and tapped on her side
15:31and showed me a knife and said she's not playing with her.
15:35Colby said that she showed her the small knife that she had
15:39and said that she would use it to protect herself if she needed to.
15:44Colby says Vanessa went to find Olivia
15:46and the rest of the group followed her.
15:51Vanessa started to go through the same apartment building hall
15:55that the boy came out of.
15:57She got within four or five feet of the apartment
16:01and I saw Olivia reach out from behind her pants
16:07and pulled what seemed to be like a small handgun.
16:11It was silver.
16:12And she pointed up her gun and shot.
16:19When I saw that, I ran.
16:21And when I ran,
16:23I didn't know Vanessa had been hit
16:25until I heard her yell,
16:26until Colby,
16:27I'm hit.
16:29I turned around
16:30and I started running back.
16:32I saw a man,
16:34an older man,
16:35bent over,
16:37giving Vanessa CPR.
16:40Okay.
16:41But didn't Vanessa have the knife out
16:43at the time she was shot?
16:45No, sir.
16:45The knife was never drawn.
16:50In my opinion, Colby was believable.
16:53I believe the way she painted the picture
16:57and how everything went down.
17:00The young man that Olivia Moody sent through that breezeway
17:04to try to make contact with those three young ladies
17:08was never identified.
17:10We're not able to determine who it was.
17:12Once law enforcement spoke with Colby,
17:15they had additional investigative steps.
17:19They wanted to see if they could find additional witnesses
17:22that could support the story that Colby just told them.
17:26And they want to find Olivia Moody.
17:33Before investigators can follow up with anyone else,
17:37they receive devastating news about Vanessa.
17:41She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
17:44After hearing that she had succumbed to the wounds,
17:48this changed the whole dynamic of the crime scene.
17:51So now we don't just have a first-degree battery,
17:55now we have a homicide.
18:11News of the fatal shooting of 21-year-old Vanessa Bearden
18:15has shaken the community of Pine Bluff, Arkansas.
18:19Family members gather at the hospital in mourning.
18:25When I found out she died, it hurt me.
18:28It hurt me deeply.
18:31And I hurt for my aunt, and I hurt for my cousins,
18:34because she played an integral part in their life.
18:39I was shocked when it happened
18:41because she's the baby cousin.
18:44I knew how much we were losing.
18:50And to us, she was not just another girl that got shot.
18:58When we went back to see her,
19:01they asked us not to touch her
19:04because it was a crime scene.
19:07And I think that had to be the hardest part
19:11for her mom and her sister.
19:17As Vanessa's loved ones try to make sense of the loss,
19:21detectives are following up on a suspect in the shooting,
19:2520-year-old Olivia Moody.
19:28We come into the knowledge that she lives in Sunset Village,
19:32so we was able to track her down there.
19:36We found no weapon at the scene,
19:38so we wasn't ruling out the fact that she may still be armed.
19:43We lock on the door, and she answers.
19:47They obtained consent from Olivia to search her apartment.
19:50During the course of that search,
19:52they were not able to locate or did not locate the firearm
19:55that Olivia used to shoot Vanessa Beard.
20:01We take Olivia back to the detective office,
20:05back to the station where she's Mirandized,
20:07and we talk to her further from there.
20:10Olivia, her demeanor was, I would say, calm, nonchalant.
20:15She admitted to the shooting,
20:18but she's saying that it was self-defense.
20:25Olivia confirms what Vanessa's friend Colby told police,
20:30that she was involved in an argument earlier that day
20:33with Alicia Jeffries.
20:35We found out this revolved around the fact
20:39that Alicia was now dating a young man
20:42that Olivia Moody used to date,
20:44and apparently that caused some friction
20:48between Olivia Moody and Alicia.
20:51They had come in contact
20:53as Olivia Moody was walking down the street.
20:58Olivia stated that Alicia and some of her friends,
21:06they colluded together to jump her and beat her
21:11until she was able to get out of their grasp.
21:18We took photographs of Olivia's face, of her hands.
21:22She did sustain some evidence of physical injury,
21:27abrasions, cuts.
21:29Olivia says it might have been worse
21:31if her friend KC hadn't stepped in to save her.
21:36Brian Gaddy was a friend of Olivia's.
21:39They called him KC.
21:40He was the guy that got her out of the fight.
21:45He was trying to break the fight up
21:46and get her out of harm's way.
21:51After leaving the apartments,
21:53Olivia says she obtained a gun
21:55in case she had any more run-ins with the women.
22:01Olivia claimed she had this gun for protection,
22:04and she was headed back to her apartment.
22:07And on the way there,
22:08she'd see a group of girls
22:10sitting on the fence post by her apartment.
22:13Although Alicia had already left the apartment complex,
22:17that group did include Vanessa and Colby.
22:24Near them was a group of young men,
22:26and Olivia says one of them approached her,
22:29a man known as G-Rel.
22:33G-Rel had some prior minimal association
22:36with Olivia Moody.
22:37In other words, they knew each other,
22:39but they weren't friends.
22:44Olivia says G-Rel asked her about the fight,
22:47and as they talked,
22:48she decided it might be worth trying
22:50to de-escalate the tension
22:52through some of her friends.
22:55She decided, according to her,
22:57to go talk to Vanessa and Colby
23:00to see if she could.
23:01I believe the phrase she used
23:03was squash the situation.
23:06Olivia admits she brought a gun with her,
23:09just in case.
23:11Olivia says she had been jumped,
23:13she's been harassed,
23:14and she's been bullied.
23:16She was just trying to protect herself
23:18from this group of girls.
23:23As Vanessa and Colby got closer,
23:25Olivia claims she heard Colby say,
23:28get her.
23:43She admits that she shot the gun
23:46in the direction of Vanessa Bearden.
23:49But Olivia claimed
23:50that she was trying to shoot a warning shot.
23:55When she realized
23:56she'd actually shot Vanessa,
23:59she was in shock.
24:02She just stood there near the body,
24:05and someone took the gun from her.
24:08She didn't notice who took it.
24:11Then she went to her apartment,
24:13closed the door,
24:15and waited for the authorities.
24:22After hearing Olivia's version,
24:24I didn't buy the warning shot
24:27based on witnesses' statement
24:30that it was pointed at Vanessa.
24:35After her interview,
24:37the decision is made to arrest Olivia.
24:40Ms. Moody was initially charged
24:42with a capital murder.
24:45As I was filling out paperwork
24:47and the ticket
24:49to let Ms. Moody know
24:51she was being charged
24:52with capital murder,
24:53she made the statement,
24:54no, actually,
24:55it was second-degree murder.
24:58It caught me by surprise
24:59because I had never heard anyone
25:01make a statement like that.
25:04While Olivia's comment reveals
25:06unexpected knowledge
25:08of the legal system,
25:09it has no effect on the outcome.
25:14When there is a criminal charge,
25:16an arrest charge is called.
25:18That's made by the police.
25:20But the police aren't authorized
25:22to file an official criminal charge,
25:25an indictment.
25:27And in court,
25:28she was charged with murder one.
25:33At this point,
25:35you want to find more witnesses
25:36to either debunk
25:39or solidify her statement.
25:42We were trying to collaborate
25:44the story that Olivia told us
25:46about G-Rail being at the scene,
25:50but we was unable to locate him.
25:53I was beginning to wonder
25:54if there was a G-Rail.
25:59Coming up,
26:01investigators question
26:02their assumptions about Olivia.
26:04She does not fit the profile
26:07of a cold-blooded killer.
26:09And the residents of Pine Bluff
26:12begin to take sides.
26:14The community stood behind Olivia,
26:17believed in her.
26:18It kind of felt like
26:20being victimized all over again.
26:36Just a few hours
26:38after the death
26:38of Vanessa Bearden,
26:40the young woman
26:41who shot her,
26:42Olivia Moody,
26:43is in police custody.
26:46Investigators suspect
26:47her claim of self-defense
26:49is a smokescreen
26:50for her true motive.
26:52I think to a large degree
26:55that Olivia Moody
26:56had been embarrassed
26:58and she had been
27:00pumped down
27:01and that she was going
27:04to take action
27:05to make sure
27:07that everybody
27:08in that area
27:09knew she was not
27:11to be messed with.
27:15Colby had told us
27:16that the fight earlier
27:18and during the day
27:20was between
27:22Alicia Jeffries
27:23and Olivia Moody.
27:25So now we need
27:26to talk to Alicia
27:28to find out
27:29what the fight was about.
27:31When detectives
27:32speak with Alicia,
27:34she confirms
27:35she and Olivia
27:36are at odds
27:37over a guy,
27:38but she does not agree
27:39to a formal interview.
27:43To learn more
27:44about their issues,
27:46detectives dig
27:47into their social media.
27:49They did not
27:50like each other.
27:51They had a pretty
27:53significant Facebook war
27:55in which they both
27:56said very terrible things
27:58about the other person.
28:00And that all
28:02surrounded by
28:04what was then
28:04Olivia Moody's
28:05ex-boyfriend
28:06and Alicia's
28:07current boyfriend.
28:12Alicia started
28:13taunting
28:15and harassing
28:16Olivia
28:17and
28:18tensions
28:19became high
28:20and
28:20it escalated
28:21into the fight.
28:24A background check
28:26on Olivia Moody
28:27underscores
28:28the tragedy
28:29of the shooting.
28:31Olivia Moody,
28:32she was born
28:33in Chicago,
28:33Illinois,
28:34came up poor.
28:35Her mother
28:36was addicted
28:37to drugs.
28:39Olivia's mother
28:40let her family members
28:41raise her children
28:42as she worked
28:43on her recovery.
28:45Olivia's mother
28:46is my sister
28:47and in the beginning
28:49me and my mom,
28:51we were taking care
28:53of my sister's
28:54five kids
28:55and Olivia
28:56was one of them.
28:58Eventually,
28:59my mom
28:59lost her eyesight
29:00so I ended up
29:03getting all the kids
29:03to do DCSF
29:05and my mom
29:07and it was
29:08it wasn't easy
29:10but we made it.
29:12We, you know,
29:12we made it.
29:17Despite the hardships
29:19of her early childhood,
29:21Olivia managed
29:22to rise above
29:23her circumstances.
29:25Olivia was very bright.
29:27She was an honor roll
29:29student in elementary school.
29:30She was always studious
29:32and she was very giving.
29:35She was basically
29:37just a good kid.
29:38She didn't get in trouble.
29:39She went to school
29:40every day.
29:41She made good grades.
29:46She ended up
29:47coming to Pine Bluff,
29:49attending
29:49Universal Arkansas
29:50at Pine Bluff
29:51and majoring
29:52in criminal justice.
29:54She would have been
29:55the first person
29:56in my immediate family
29:58that would have graduated
29:59with a college degree.
30:00So, yeah,
30:01we was all proud
30:02of Olivia.
30:07At the time,
30:09she was actually
30:09a clerk
30:11for a local
30:12circuit judge.
30:14Knowing Olivia's
30:15background,
30:16she does not
30:16fit the profile
30:18of a cold-blooded killer.
30:21Detectives consider
30:22the possibility
30:23that Olivia
30:24has been telling them
30:25the truth
30:25about being harassed.
30:27But they need
30:28to determine
30:29why Vanessa
30:30was the one
30:31who ended up dead.
30:34Searching for clarity,
30:36they revisit
30:37the witness statements
30:38and discover
30:39a pivotal piece
30:40of evidence.
30:42Vanessa and Olivia
30:43didn't have
30:44any type of relationship.
30:45They didn't even know
30:45each other
30:46prior to that day.
30:50Vanessa did,
30:51however,
30:52video that altercation
30:53with her cell phone.
30:56The video
30:58of the fight,
30:59it shows
30:59all the people
31:00that was around
31:00watching it
31:01and it shows
31:03Olivia getting
31:03jumped off.
31:05She's pretty much
31:07helpless
31:07and it's hard
31:08to fight
31:09against that
31:10many attackers.
31:11I believe
31:12that Vanessa
31:13was at the wrong
31:15place at the wrong
31:16time.
31:17Vanessa wasn't
31:19the one that
31:19Olivia was
31:20into it with.
31:21She just happened
31:22to be there
31:24but I think
31:25seeing those girls
31:27that had jumped
31:27on her,
31:29I think it triggered
31:30something in Olivia
31:32but I feel like
31:33there was other avenues
31:35that Olivia
31:35could have taken
31:36before taking
31:38Madison to her own
31:39hand.
31:57Although Olivia
31:58Moody
31:59has been charged
32:00with the first degree
32:01murder of Vanessa
32:02Bearden,
32:03investigators now
32:04question whether
32:05the evidence
32:06supports her claim
32:07of self-defense.
32:09They hope
32:10the results
32:11of an autopsy
32:12will provide
32:12some definitive
32:13answers.
32:15Vanessa's autopsy
32:16revealed that
32:17she was struck
32:19in her back
32:20left shoulder
32:21and it actually
32:22exited
32:23through the front
32:24out of her right
32:25shoulder.
32:26She was shot
32:27in the back.
32:32It was not
32:33a close range
32:34gunfire,
32:35somewhere between
32:36six to ten feet
32:37maybe.
32:38I'm thinking
32:39it's not
32:40self-defense
32:41if you hit
32:41in the back
32:42and you also
32:43flee.
32:44See if Vanessa
32:45had to pull
32:46the knife on her
32:47or try to
32:48cut her
32:49or stab her,
32:50then you would
32:51have had an argument
32:52for self-defense.
32:54It's important
32:55to note that
32:55there's no evidence
32:56that Vanessa
32:57Bearden ever
32:58brandished the knife,
32:59much less threatened
33:00Olivia Moody
33:01with the knife.
33:07as the story
33:08of Vanessa's
33:09murder and
33:10Olivia's arrest
33:11spreads through
33:12the community,
33:13not everyone agrees
33:14about Olivia's guilt.
33:17I think it created
33:18a divide in the city
33:20because, you know,
33:23you had supporters
33:24for both
33:24and you had a lot
33:27of anti-bullying
33:29sentiments
33:29that was
33:31brought about
33:32for Olivia
33:33and had people
33:35that felt like
33:36Vanessa
33:36didn't deserve
33:38to die.
33:39Olivia got to be
33:41the person
33:43that they looked
33:44at and said,
33:46oh, well,
33:46just because she
33:47went to college,
33:48it couldn't have
33:48been Olivia
33:50that did it.
33:51Vanessa had
33:52to have done
33:53something in order
33:54for Olivia
33:56to react like that.
33:58And it kind of
33:59felt like
34:00being victimized
34:01all over again.
34:07Olivia returned
34:08to college
34:09while investigators
34:10continue to build
34:11their case
34:12against her.
34:13Then,
34:14three months
34:15after Vanessa
34:16Bearden's death,
34:17a new witness
34:19emerges.
34:21An individual
34:22by the name
34:22of Gerrell Allen
34:23or Gerald Allen
34:24goes by the street
34:26named G-Rell.
34:28Olivia claimed
34:29this man witnessed
34:30the shooting
34:31firsthand,
34:32but police
34:33had never been
34:34able to find him.
34:36G-Rell,
34:37the one we
34:38was looking
34:38for,
34:39he surfaced.
34:40He's locked
34:41up in jail
34:42on drug charges.
34:44While he's
34:45incarcerated,
34:46awaiting trial,
34:47he writes a letter
34:48to the prosecutor's
34:51office indicating
34:51that he has
34:52information.
34:53That letter's
34:54turned over
34:55to the Pinewood
34:56Police Department
34:57investigators,
34:58and they go
34:58interview
34:59Gerrell Allen.
35:03G-Rell was a
35:04material witness
35:05for the government.
35:06This case was
35:07heavily dependent
35:08on eyewitness
35:09testimony
35:09as to what
35:10happened.
35:12Gerrell says
35:13that he sees
35:14Olivia shortly
35:15after the fight.
35:18Olivia entices
35:19Gerrell to try
35:21to talk to those
35:22three girls
35:22and get them
35:23to come have
35:24some type of
35:25interaction with her.
35:27Later on,
35:29Gerrell says he sees
35:29Olivia fires a shot
35:31from about
35:32six to ten feet
35:33away,
35:34striking Vanessa.
35:43He also
35:44mentioned that
35:45Vanessa never
35:46made any type
35:47of threatening
35:47moves towards
35:48Olivia.
35:50Gerrell did
35:51confirm that
35:52Olivia Moody
35:53shot Vanessa
35:54Bearden in the
35:56back,
35:56not only in the
35:57back,
35:57but as Vanessa
35:59Bearden was
35:59running away
36:00from Olivia
36:00Moody.
36:02However,
36:04he seems
36:04just as
36:05conflicted
36:06about the
36:06shooting
36:06as the
36:07community
36:08at large.
36:09G-Rell
36:10still believes
36:11that despite
36:12all that
36:12information,
36:13despite how
36:15everything played
36:15out,
36:16that Olivia
36:17still acted
36:17in self-defense.
36:20He maintained
36:21that,
36:21but he was
36:24incorrect.
36:27For
36:28prosecutors,
36:29the statement
36:30makes one
36:31thing abundantly
36:32clear.
36:33I have never
36:35believed that
36:36Olivia Moody
36:37was an inherently
36:38bad person.
36:40I believe
36:41Olivia Moody
36:42did an inherently
36:44bad thing.
36:46I honestly believe
36:47she got the gun
36:48for protection,
36:50but I think just
36:51seeing them
36:54at her place
36:55where she
36:56was eyed
36:56triggered
36:57something in
36:58her.
36:58I think she
37:00tried to bait
37:01them into
37:02that situation.
37:04I don't believe
37:05she fired a
37:05warning shot.
37:07I think she
37:08just pointed
37:08and fired.
37:13But they know
37:14the outcome
37:14of any trial,
37:16especially one
37:17this controversial,
37:18is uncertain.
37:20Going into
37:21trial,
37:22I had my
37:23concerns about
37:23the public
37:24opinions because
37:25you don't know
37:26how that would
37:26affect the jury.
37:43nearly one
37:44year after
37:45Vanessa Bearden's
37:46death, the
37:47young woman who
37:48shot her, Olivia
37:49Moody, goes on
37:50trial for murder.
37:53The trial
37:54began May
37:5516, 2012.
37:57And the
37:58courtroom is
37:59packed.
38:00There's a lot
38:01of supporters
38:02there for
38:03Olivia.
38:04There's supporters
38:05there for
38:05Vanessa.
38:07Our defense
38:08was self-defense.
38:10We tried
38:11to use
38:12the aggression,
38:14the beatdown,
38:15that that would
38:15make anybody
38:16afraid.
38:18She was
38:18protecting herself
38:19against further
38:20beatdown.
38:28General
38:28argument by the
38:29prosecution is
38:30that it can't
38:31be self-defense
38:32if the victim
38:33is fleeing
38:35and is no
38:36longer a threat
38:37to you.
38:39You have to
38:39prove state
38:41of mind
38:42in order to
38:43say you
38:43fearfully of
38:45your life.
38:45And the only
38:47way we could
38:47establish that
38:48was to put it
38:49on the stand.
38:51But
38:52any time you
38:53put a criminal
38:54defendant on
38:54the stand,
38:55it is just
38:57high risk.
39:01Before Olivia
39:03takes the stand,
39:04prosecutors
39:05attempt to
39:06negotiate a
39:06plea deal,
39:07reducing the
39:08charges from
39:09first-degree
39:10murder to
39:10manslaughter.
39:12But Olivia
39:14refuses the
39:15deal.
39:16She would
39:17have gotten
39:17four years
39:18probation,
39:19reduced to
39:20manslaughter
39:20with the
39:21right of
39:21expungement
39:22of record.
39:23Had that
39:24happened,
39:25she would
39:26have been
39:26placed in
39:26the car
39:27that day.
39:28With her
39:28family,
39:29going back
39:29to Chicago.
39:31Olivia
39:32Moody
39:32took the
39:33stand.
39:33She was
39:34faced with
39:34tough
39:35questions
39:35that she
39:36did not
39:37have an
39:37answer for.
39:38Why she
39:39got a
39:40gun,
39:40why she
39:41went to
39:41them.
39:42And then
39:42the defense
39:43was done
39:44presenting
39:44their
39:44evidence.
39:45And we
39:46gave
39:46closing
39:47statements.
39:48But the
39:49jury
39:49deliberated
39:50and came
39:51back
39:51with a
39:52verdict of
39:53guilty
39:54on one
39:55count of
39:56second-degree
39:57murder.
39:58I believe
39:59it was
39:59very clear
40:00to the
40:01jury that
40:02this was
40:03not a
40:03case of
40:04self-defense.
40:05Not at
40:06all.
40:07This was
40:07an extreme
40:09manifestation
40:11and indifference
40:12to the value
40:13of human life,
40:14which is what
40:15second-degree
40:16murder is.
40:18the verdict
40:19was very
40:20hard.
40:21It was
40:22very hard.
40:23Olivia was
40:24very strong.
40:25She didn't
40:25cry, you
40:26know.
40:26She was
40:27trying to
40:27comfort us,
40:28matter of
40:28fact.
40:29The guilty
40:30verdict felt
40:32like not
40:33what we
40:34believed she
40:35deserved,
40:36but there
40:38was some
40:38kind of
40:39justice.
40:40She received
40:4230 years
40:43and was
40:44eligible for
40:45parole and
40:45seven and a
40:46half years
40:47with good
40:47behavior.
40:48I felt like
40:49justice was
40:50served, but
40:51in the end,
40:53you had two
40:53families destroyed.
41:00Vanessa and
41:01Olivia, they
41:02both come
41:02from rough
41:03backgrounds.
41:05They both
41:06had overcome
41:06a lot to
41:07try to be
41:09successful.
41:10They both
41:12had bright
41:13futures ahead
41:13of them, and
41:15this situation
41:16just changed
41:17the projector
41:18of their
41:19both futures.
41:23We talk
41:24about Vanessa
41:24pretty often.
41:25Remembering the
41:26good things,
41:27laughing about
41:28the things that
41:28were funny,
41:29and telling
41:30the stories,
41:31making sure
41:32that her
41:33children are
41:34brought up in
41:35an environment
41:35of love.
41:37Vanessa was
41:38a person
41:39that never
41:41got to live
41:42up to her
41:43potential.
41:44A lot of
41:45times when I
41:47have seen
41:47interviews or
41:48even while I
41:50was in court,
41:50she was always
41:51referred to
41:53as the
41:54girl, but
41:56she's Vanessa
41:56to us.
41:58She's a mom.
42:00She's a
42:02sister.
42:03She's a daughter.
42:04She belongs
42:05to somebody.
42:07She's still here
42:08with us.
42:10She's still a
42:10person.
42:11We still believe
42:13that Vanessa
42:15should have been
42:17able to live her
42:18life peacefully.
42:47fully.
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