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00:07A mother and daughter narrowly escaped death after becoming the targets of an unknown gunman.
00:14They didn't attempt to take the car. They didn't ask for any money.
00:19I had eight shell casings on the street. I was hoping they weren't hit that many times.
00:26I thought, why was somebody going to shoot my daughter?
00:30Their would-be killer is caught on tape.
00:34Video depicted the suspect arrive and flee the scene after the shooting.
00:40This was not a robbery. This was a straight-up execution.
00:46But just as the health of one of the survivors improves, she vanishes.
00:53I was thinking that whoever didn't finish the job, he found her.
01:00The evidence leads detectives to a killer driven by jealousy and obsession.
01:06They were in a dating relationship, but it was not public knowledge.
01:12She didn't want me to.
01:15She loved her so much that she didn't want to see her be with anyone else.
01:20She's the worst of the worst.
01:23We knew what the motive was.
01:25If I can't have you, no one can.
01:42Tuesday, November 24th, 2015.
01:47It's a brisk fall evening in Linden, New Jersey, when emergency dispatchers receive a panicked call from a young woman.
02:07At approximately 7.16 p.m., Linden Central Dispatch, via police radio, broadcasted that there were shots fired on the
02:17900 block of Middlesex Street.
02:23The occupants of the vehicle were Tyreta Julius and their daughter, Chanel, who was 15 at the time.
02:31Tyreta Julius was the first victim.
02:34She's in the driver's seat of that car.
02:36She is gravely injured.
02:38She had attempted to drive away from the shooting area and then subsequently had crashed the car.
02:46Chanel had been hit.
02:48She'd been injured, but not as seriously injured as Tyreta clearly was.
02:53There were significant gunshot injuries to the torso area of Tyreta Julius.
02:57She was in and out of consciousness.
03:00They knew that they needed to get medical attention.
03:05As Tyreta and Chanel are transported to the hospital, officers scour the scene for evidence to help them piece together
03:13what happened.
03:15I had eight shell casings on the street.
03:18I was hoping she wasn't hit that many times.
03:25One specific neighbor was able to provide information about seeing a large male walking down the street and then eventually
03:33running back to a silver SUV-type car.
03:39The second witness provided me with basically the same description.
03:44Large black man, heavy set.
03:48The Linden Police Department canvassed the area for video surveillance recordings, and they were able to identify a video which
03:54depicted the suspect arrive and flee the scene after the shooting.
03:59The video I recovered wasn't poor quality.
04:02It was very grainy.
04:04But you could see that it did fit the description provided by the witnesses.
04:12At this point, we canvassed additional areas.
04:15It's a big world out there.
04:17There's a lot of guys driving a silver vehicle.
04:21As they conclude their initial sweep of the crime scene, investigators receive news from the hospital.
04:30Tyreta was shot eight times, both in her chest and in her abdominal area.
04:35Her injuries were significant.
04:37She was ultimately taken into surgery.
04:41Police contact the victim's loved ones to inform them of the shooting.
04:47My sister called me frantic, yelling, you have to get to the hospital.
04:55Tyreta was shot.
04:57Why would somebody want to shoot my daughter?
04:59So I just dropped everything, grabbed my coat.
05:07Detectives also head to the hospital to speak with those waiting for news on Tyreta and Chanel.
05:14It's wildly important to get information about your victims to determine what might be the motivating factor for this type
05:21of violence.
05:22A lot of times in these cases, the victims don't survive.
05:27And so we're left with kind of filling the gaps and the holes by talking to, you know, the next
05:35best thing, the people who are in their lives every day.
05:44Tyreta Julius was born June 6, 1974, in Elizabeth, New Jersey.
05:50Tyreta's father was not a constant in her life, so Tyreta's mother raised her with the help of her family.
05:59I really wasn't a single parent.
06:01I had my mother.
06:02I had my brothers.
06:03I had my sister.
06:04So Tyreta never really wanted for nothing.
06:11From that strong foundation, Tyreta grew into a confident and charismatic young woman.
06:18She's very family-oriented, loved everyone around her, never really had a bad bone of hate in her body for
06:25anything.
06:26She just always wanted to see everybody around her succeed and just be together.
06:30After graduating high school, Tyreta turned her love of caring for people into a career.
06:37She was an administrative assistant, office administrator for Rutgers University Hospital.
06:48While making plans for her future, she fell for a man named Jamar Colbert.
06:55He was basically opposite of her.
06:57He was very laid-back, low-key.
06:59He wasn't like the party dance type.
07:02You know, he would kind of just chill back with his shades and his drink.
07:07Tyreta felt like her and Jamar would be together forever.
07:10And she never mentioned marriage, but she always talked about Jamar being her one and only.
07:19They dated about maybe a year before she got pregnant.
07:25She got pregnant with Dante.
07:27Then a couple years after that, she got pregnant with Chanel.
07:34She loved the kids more than anything in this world.
07:36So, Dante and Chanel were our first worry about every and anything on this planet.
07:42We were a real tight-knit family growing up, you know?
07:46My mother's personality was huge, larger than life.
07:54While Tyreta thrived as a parent, Jamar struggled with the expectations of fatherhood,
08:00and it took a toll on their relationship.
08:03They were rocky.
08:06Ultimately, she just realized that he just wasn't for her.
08:11It wasn't a good fit.
08:13And they just decided to end the relationship.
08:17Tyreta never shared how tough those times were.
08:20She always had a positive outlook,
08:22and that there was a better outlook on the horizon.
08:28She dated after Jamar, and nothing that even compared to him.
08:35But I think, you know, her kids were such a focus in her life
08:40that dating was just something that came second.
08:45She put the work in.
08:47She was the service rep at the hospital.
08:51She says, Mom, I want to get a big house so all of us can live together.
08:58She was getting her life together financially.
09:01She was just trying to reach that goal.
09:08Now, everything Tyreta has built is at risk as she fights for her life.
09:15As Tyreta and her daughter Chanel undergo treatment at the hospital,
09:20detectives focus on their witness interviews
09:22and the viciousness of the attack to narrow down possible motives.
09:29There's no indication that the person attempted to take anything.
09:33They didn't attempt to take the car.
09:36In my mind, this was not a robbery.
09:40This was a straight-up execution.
09:43We wanted to know if Tyreta and Chanel had any kind of ongoing disputes
09:48with anybody in the neighborhood, family members,
09:50or anything that could lead us up to the fact of who would do this to them.
09:57Coming up, Tyreta's loved ones provide detectives
10:01with some alarming connections.
10:04When I heard she was in a motorcycle club,
10:07I immediately thought motorcycle gang and thought the worst, right?
10:11And a potential motive is revealed.
10:15They had displayed elements of jealousy and obsessiveness over Tyreta.
10:21There might be that animosity flowing.
10:4041-year-old Tyreta Julius and her daughter, 15-year-old Chanel Colbert,
10:45are being treated for injuries they suffered during a brutal neighborhood shooting.
10:52Investigators at the hospital check to see if anyone is well enough to talk.
11:10I was grazed on my mouth and on my wrists.
11:14Do you remember how many times that guy shot you guys?
11:19I believe it was, like, eight or nine shots.
11:24Did you feel like you was lucky to only walk away with just a graze?
11:29I feel extremely lucky.
11:31Like, extremely lucky.
11:41That evening, me and my mom were supposed to go to my brother's basketball game,
11:47which was normal for us.
11:49She had just got off of work.
11:50I was just getting out of school.
11:52She said she was going to go out to pull the car around.
11:55As I was coming out, that's when I noticed a guy, like, walk around the car.
12:04As I was getting into the vehicle, I just remember, as I was closing the door,
12:10looking over, and I seen the gun pointed into the window.
12:15I didn't even have a moment to think.
12:19I kind of, like, just went into shock, and I just remember us trying to take cover.
12:28I didn't realize that I was injured until I went to call 911.
12:34I was just concerned for my mom.
12:41Investigators leave her to rest and learn that Tyreta survived her first surgery,
12:46but is still in the ICU on a ventilator and, therefore, unable to talk to them.
12:54Detectives turn to Tyreta's loved ones to find out if she has any enemies who might wish her harm.
13:01Nothing made sense to me.
13:03Honestly, when I first heard of the event, I thought it was, like, you know,
13:08just a random act of violence.
13:10Who would want to hurt my mother and my sister?
13:14But they share an unusual detail about her that catches the attention of detectives.
13:22Tyreta was a member of the Rough Riders Motorcycle Club.
13:28When I heard she was in a motorcycle club, I immediately thought motorcycle gang and thought the worst, right?
13:36Police wonder if her association with the group led to violence.
13:42But when they locate members of the Rough Riders to interview,
13:46they find it's not quite what they expected.
13:52Definitely not a bike gang, but with us, with Rough Riders, as a lifestyle, we're closer to an SC, social
14:00clubs.
14:02Not all of our members have bikes, but they're still part of our lifestyle.
14:07They did things in the community for the community.
14:10They weren't belligerent or violent.
14:15We do book back drives, we do feeding the homeless, passing out toiletries and stuff.
14:20You're actually doing something for people that are in need of it, and you can give it.
14:27The Rough Riders say Tyreta grew especially close to one member, a woman named Jennifer Sweeney.
14:36Jennifer Sweeney and Tyreta were in a dating relationship.
14:39It was known to the Rough Riders, known to certain members, and known to certain friends of Tyreta's,
14:47but it was not public knowledge to her family.
14:52She never told me that they were involved.
14:56Something you just know, you can just put two and two together.
15:01They said that they had been in a relationship for upwards of three years,
15:06and, in fact, had started to end right before this shooting occurred.
15:12As of the date of the shooting, on November 24th of 2015,
15:16they were actually broken up, which was kind of the first sign of,
15:21okay, we've got to look into this more.
15:24In interviewing a few of the Rough Riders, it became known to us
15:27that they were at a fundraising event in New Jersey,
15:31and Jennifer was highly upset at this time
15:35because Tyreta was dancing with a man named Hassan Nicely.
15:40To investigators, it sounds like a potential motive.
15:47Jennifer Sweeney had displayed elements of jealousy and obsessiveness over Tyreta.
15:53That's when they're kind of clued into the fact
15:55that there might be that animosity flowing.
16:00The event happened about three days before.
16:04This information in itself is very important to us
16:06because now we're building a little bit of framework
16:09on the events leading up to the shooting.
16:12This possibly could be part of it.
16:30New Jersey investigators are looking for the gunman
16:33that shot Tyreta Julius and her teenage daughter
16:36while they sat in a car outside their home.
16:40They explore the possibility that Tyreta's relationship
16:44with Jennifer Sweeney led to the attack,
16:47and they dig into Jennifer's life
16:49before she joined the Rough Riders.
16:54Jen was a local girl from Tenton Falls
16:59and comes from a very good family.
17:02Her mother and her grandmother,
17:06both in the education business,
17:08and they were pretty high up.
17:11She lived with her mother.
17:13Her mother was very involved in her life.
17:18Despite that close relationship,
17:20Jennifer didn't follow the family legacy
17:23and become an educator.
17:25Jennifer was a technician for a utility company.
17:29She had a decent job that she was there for,
17:31for many years.
17:33She was financially stable.
17:37Her mother and family loved her.
17:39She was generally described as even-keeled.
17:44She's not a person who speaks too much or says too much.
17:49She got educated, intelligent girl.
17:54On the peripheral, she rode motorcycles.
17:58She had some friends that rode motorcycles too.
18:03And some of them would ride with the Rough Riders.
18:08Jen was brought in by a previous member.
18:11She was quiet.
18:13She would keep to herself
18:15until she got to know you.
18:17We had to get her out of her shell a little bit, you know.
18:21But after that, we got to know her,
18:24and she was cool.
18:26You could talk to her and make jokes.
18:33Tyreta's outgoing personality
18:34helped break through Jennifer's shy nature,
18:37and their friendship quickly turned romantic.
18:42In the beginning, Tyreta,
18:44she enjoyed being around Jen.
18:46They hung out a lot.
18:48So I thought they were just friends,
18:51and then they got close.
18:53Like, okay, now you're besties.
18:56But after that, I found out, like,
18:58oh, you know, okay, cool.
19:02Like, it makes sense now,
19:03because they was close.
19:05They looked great together, you know.
19:07Then she brought a smile on Jennifer's face.
19:10Jennifer made sure she was smiling.
19:15However, friends say Jennifer's dependence on Tyreta
19:19bordered on obsession,
19:21and Tyreta eventually broke things off.
19:25Jen was overprotective.
19:28She was always the one sitting next to Tyreta,
19:31saying, you can't do this, you can't do that.
19:34Tyreta was just tired of the arguments.
19:38Tyreta didn't want to be controlled.
19:39And when Tyreta moved on to a man,
19:43Jennifer did not seem happy about it.
19:47It became known that by August,
19:49she was indeed dating Haseen Nicely.
19:53So with that,
19:54I wanted to now speak with Jennifer Sweeney.
20:01What the detective was trying to do
20:03is figure out, you know,
20:04where she was on the night of the shooting.
20:08She was very calm, noticeably upset,
20:12concerned, and more than willing to help.
20:16She said that she was the only woman
20:18that Tyreta had ever been with.
20:22Jennifer did admit
20:24that there had been about three days
20:27prior to the shooting
20:28that they had not been speaking
20:30or that they had been on a break
20:32as she worded it.
20:34She advised me that on the night of the shooting,
20:37she was en route to Linden
20:38because it was a Tuesday,
20:39and that was their normal meeting night.
20:43She received a phone call
20:44from a fellow club member
20:47who advised that Tyreta was shot.
20:50They detoured,
20:51and she went right to the hospital.
20:54The timeline puts Jennifer
20:56nowhere near the scene of the shooting.
20:58Plus, surveillance video
21:00and eyewitness statements
21:02show a male shooter.
21:04So investigators rule her out
21:06for the time being.
21:10Ten days after the attack,
21:13there is miraculous news
21:14from the hospital.
21:16Tyreta is awake
21:17and is going to survive the shooting.
21:20I was there with them.
21:23First thing she said
21:23was with my kids,
21:25how is Chanel?
21:26It was extremely believing for me.
21:29It was just the only thing
21:30I wanted to hear,
21:31that she made it out
21:32and would be okay.
21:37Tyreta is also well enough
21:39to speak with detectives
21:41at the hospital.
21:42My initial contact with Tyreta
21:44she had difficulty breathing,
21:46she was struggling to speak.
21:48So we just went for the basics.
21:51Do you have any problems
21:52with anybody?
21:54Tyreta is open
21:55about the tensions
21:56in her relationship
21:57with Jennifer.
21:58At this time,
22:00she felt that Jen
22:00would not have been
22:02behind the shooting.
22:04She was just as in the dark
22:05as everybody else
22:06about who would have
22:07wanted her dead.
22:10As detectives work
22:12to formulate new leads,
22:15Tyreta continues her recovery
22:16and Jennifer remains
22:18by her side.
22:21Tyreta felt obligated
22:23to have Jen there
22:24because she felt like
22:26Jen was there for her
22:28throughout the whole ordeal.
22:30I don't know
22:30if they were still
22:31like romantically
22:33like there,
22:34but she wanted her there
22:35I guess
22:36as a friend.
22:39Jennifer would call
22:41and tell us updates on it.
22:44Jennifer may have seemed
22:46like she was back.
22:47Her and Tyreta
22:48was back together
22:49because of all the stuff
22:50she, you know,
22:51Jennifer was doing
22:52with being at the hospital.
22:56Jennifer was showing people
22:57pictures of engagement rings
22:59that she was getting
23:00for her.
23:01So without Tyreta's input,
23:03Jennifer decided
23:04that they were back together
23:06and told other people
23:07that they were together.
23:0939 days after the incident
23:11in January,
23:13Tyreta was released
23:14from the hospital.
23:15She was in not best
23:17of condition at this time.
23:19It was decided
23:20by her family
23:21that she was going
23:22to go stay
23:22at her mom's house.
23:25Two months pass
23:26without any progress
23:28identifying the shooter.
23:33Then,
23:34in March 2016,
23:36three and a half months
23:37after Tyreta
23:38was first shot,
23:40the case takes
23:41an alarming new turn.
23:44Well, my aunt
23:45received a phone call
23:46that my mom was missing.
23:49She had went out
23:50and she did not
23:51make it back home.
23:56Coming up,
23:57Tyreta's disappearance
23:58renews efforts
24:00to identify her shooter.
24:02When I came home,
24:04she wasn't there.
24:05We know that Tyreta
24:07is not answering
24:09her phone.
24:11And a new suspect
24:12emerges.
24:14You can see
24:15his whole demeanor
24:16just changed.
24:16He goes,
24:17oh, they got me.
24:33On March 9th,
24:342016,
24:36Queen Julius,
24:37the mother
24:37of shooting victim
24:38Tyreta Julius,
24:40contacts investigators.
24:43She says that
24:44over the past few months,
24:46Tyreta's recovery
24:47had been difficult.
24:50She was very dependent
24:52on others.
24:53Her arm was stiff
24:55and she really couldn't
24:57do nothing
24:58for herself.
25:00So you had to
25:00cook, feed her,
25:03help her bathe.
25:05Jen was just there
25:06as her partner,
25:07you know.
25:08She was playing
25:09a role of caring,
25:11being there,
25:13you know,
25:13help her
25:14with her daily needs.
25:17But now,
25:18Queen is worried
25:19something else
25:20has happened
25:21to her daughter.
25:25March 8th,
25:26I got up
25:27and I told Tyreta
25:28before I went to work,
25:29I said,
25:30get up and move
25:30that arm.
25:32When I came home,
25:33she wasn't there.
25:36So I called Jen
25:37and I said,
25:38Jen,
25:39is Tyreta with you?
25:40She said,
25:41no,
25:41I dropped her off
25:42at the train station.
25:45She had dropped
25:45her off
25:46at the Long Branch
25:47train station
25:47at approximately
25:487.02,
25:497.03 p.m.,
25:51with the means
25:52of taking
25:52a 7.17 train
25:54back to Linden.
25:56Then I asked her,
25:58I said,
25:58well,
25:58why would you drop
25:59her off
25:59at the train station
26:00if you picked
26:01her up from home?
26:02and she said,
26:04well,
26:04she told me
26:05to drop her
26:05off there.
26:09We,
26:10as an investigator,
26:11we found this
26:12kind of odd,
26:14being that she
26:15was recently shot
26:16and her shooter
26:18has not yet
26:19been apprehended.
26:21I was thinking
26:22that whoever
26:23they didn't get
26:24got her.
26:26The person
26:27that didn't
26:28finish the job,
26:30he found her.
26:34It was vitally
26:35important to talk
26:36to Jennifer Sweeney
26:37because she's
26:37the last person
26:38to have seen her.
26:51Jennifer explained
26:52that they ran
26:52a few errands
26:53in the evening hours.
26:55Jennifer had driven
26:56Tyreta to the
26:57Long Branch train station
26:58to drop her off
26:59so that she could
27:00return home
27:00to Linden.
27:03What happened
27:04to you to give
27:04her a ride home?
27:05She didn't want me to.
27:08Tyreta insisted
27:09that she be dropped
27:09off as she didn't
27:11want to inconvenience
27:12Jennifer from having
27:13to travel back
27:14to her home.
27:16What train
27:17did she attempt
27:17to catch,
27:18you think?
27:19I think it's
27:19the 717.
27:20I don't think
27:21that was the next
27:24one that came.
27:26She indicated
27:27that after dropping
27:27Tyreta off,
27:28she went to her
27:29friend Donna
27:29Hafner's house
27:30in Long Branch.
27:32Donna was not
27:33home at the time
27:34so Jennifer said
27:35she remained there
27:36for approximately
27:37one hour
27:38with Donna's
27:38husband.
27:40Jennifer was
27:41cooperative
27:41and she was
27:43committed to
27:43assisting us
27:44in locating
27:44Tyreta.
27:46While Jennifer
27:47is not considered
27:49to be a suspect
27:50in Tyreta's
27:51disappearance,
27:52investigators want
27:53to confirm
27:53the details
27:54of her statement.
27:57We wanted
27:58to go back
27:58and search her
27:59vehicle and her
27:59house just to
28:01ensure that
28:01everything that
28:02she had told us
28:02was factually accurate.
28:05They were able
28:06to find a receipt
28:07from Ichiban
28:08which showed
28:08that they had
28:10been there.
28:10They were able
28:11to corroborate
28:12that the two of
28:13them went to
28:13the DMV together
28:14because they had
28:15video from inside
28:16and everything
28:17appeared normal.
28:22When detectives
28:23follow up with
28:24Jennifer's friend
28:25Donna Hafner,
28:26she confirms that
28:28Jennifer visited
28:28her husband that
28:29evening,
28:30but admits
28:31it was very
28:32odd.
28:34Jennifer did
28:35not particularly
28:36get along with
28:37Donna's husband,
28:38Junior.
28:40Jennifer ended
28:41up awkwardly
28:42sitting with
28:43Donna's husband
28:43for a good
28:44amount of time
28:45before then
28:46leaving.
28:49Detectives
28:49suspect Jennifer
28:50may have been
28:51trying to create
28:52an alibi for
28:53the night of
28:54Tyreta's
28:55disappearance.
28:57Our next
28:58efforts were
28:58focused on
28:59reviewing video
29:00surveillance
29:01recordings in
29:02an effort to
29:03locate Tyreta
29:04or Jennifer
29:05traveling to
29:06the Long Branch
29:07train station.
29:11The footage
29:12ultimately makes
29:14extremely clear
29:16that neither
29:17Jen Sweeney
29:17nor Tyreta
29:19Julius was
29:20ever there
29:20on March 8,
29:222016.
29:25Being the
29:26last person
29:26that saw her
29:27alive and
29:27then having
29:29her give
29:30information
29:31that is
29:31inconsistent
29:32with known
29:32evidence,
29:33that's going
29:34to lead them
29:35to be suspicious
29:36of her.
29:52After uncovering
29:53evidence that
29:54Jennifer Sweeney
29:55lied about the
29:57disappearance of
29:57Tyreta Julius,
29:59investigators revisit
30:01the possibility
30:01she was also
30:02involved in the
30:03shooting that
30:04took place
30:05four months
30:05prior.
30:07We decided to
30:09go to the
30:09phones.
30:10Communication data
30:11warrant was
30:11prepared for
30:13Jennifer Sweeney's
30:14telephone number.
30:17Records show
30:18Jennifer added
30:19Tyreta to her
30:20account, giving her
30:21full access to
30:22Tyreta's phone.
30:24She was really
30:25utilizing that to
30:27really stalk where
30:28she was and who
30:29she was talking to.
30:31One of the
30:32numbers belongs to
30:33the man Tyreta's
30:34friend said
30:35Jennifer became
30:36jealous over.
30:37The night before
30:39the shooting,
30:40she is constantly
30:41calling Hassan
30:42Nicely's phone,
30:43like star six
30:44sevening the
30:45number, basically
30:46blocking a number
30:47so that they can't
30:48see who's calling,
30:50building herself up
30:51like basically into
30:52a fury that whole
30:53night.
30:55Though he ignored
30:57Jennifer's harassing
30:58calls, the same
31:00pattern repeated
31:01just before Tyreta
31:03vanished.
31:04February 1st, there
31:05was a bevy of
31:06lookups in these
31:08phone finders and
31:09things like that where
31:10she's starting to do
31:10intel.
31:12That leads us to
31:13believe that she was
31:15becoming more and
31:16more jealous in the
31:17days before both the
31:19shooting and then the
31:20disappearance.
31:23However, the most
31:25damning evidence comes
31:26from Jennifer's GPS
31:28data.
31:30Jennifer Sweeney's
31:31phone was accessing
31:32cell phone towers in
31:33the Linden area the
31:35same time that Tyreta
31:36was shot.
31:37This was contrary to
31:39what Jennifer told us
31:42when we first met
31:43with her.
31:44The data showed
31:45that she'd been lying
31:46and she was at the
31:47same tower at the
31:49same time that Tyreta
31:50was.
31:51Not only was Jen in
31:53Linden, but she was
31:54speaking to an
31:55individual with a
31:56prepaid cell phone.
31:57She spoke to this
31:59individual 19 times on
32:00the day of the
32:01shooting and 25 times
32:03the following day.
32:08Investigators track
32:09the prepaid cell phone
32:10to a user named
32:12Andre Harris.
32:14We learned that Jen Sweeney
32:16and Andre Harris went to
32:17high school together.
32:18They were, you know,
32:19they were friends for
32:20short.
32:21Somewhat more recently
32:22they kind of reconnected
32:24a little bit.
32:27From first glance, he
32:28certainly fits the
32:30general description of
32:31what we were given for
32:32the shooting.
32:34Andre Harris is a big
32:35guy and he happened to
32:37drive a silver vehicle.
32:39They also were able to
32:40look at the location of
32:42his cell phone around the
32:44time of the shooting.
32:45His phone is at the same
32:46tower location that
32:48Jennifer Sweeney's is and
32:49that Tyreta Julius is.
32:52So that puts them all in
32:54the same area at the same
32:55time on the night of the
32:56shooting.
32:59We found that he had an
33:00outstanding long branch
33:02warrant for his arrest.
33:03At this point, a motor
33:05vehicle stop was
33:06effectuated by a marked
33:07unit and he was taken
33:09into custody.
33:11He was questioned about
33:14his relationship, if any,
33:16with Tyreta Julius as well
33:19as his relationship with
33:20Jennifer Sweeney and he
33:21provides information that
33:22he does in fact know
33:24Jennifer Sweeney.
33:25He considers her to be an
33:26acquaintance that he's had
33:27for a long time.
33:31Andre claims he does not
33:33know Tyreta and denies the
33:35evidence placing him near
33:37the scene of the shooting.
33:39While interviewing Andre,
33:41there were search warrants
33:42prepared for Andre, his
33:44vehicle and his residence.
33:46The field team was out
33:47there.
33:48We received a phone call
33:49advising that they had
33:51located human remains in the
33:53yard of Andre's residence.
33:58Once myself and Detective
34:00Mikolichik were informed
34:01about the information and
34:04we were then able to
34:04confront Andre Harris.
34:07You could see his whole
34:08demeanor just changed.
34:10He was, oh, they got me.
34:14While Andre initially denied
34:15having any information, he
34:18ultimately confessed that it was
34:20Tyreta Julius's remains that
34:22were buried on his property.
34:27Andre admits to being the gunman
34:29in the shooting nine months
34:31earlier, but insists Jennifer is
34:34the one who killed Tyreta.
34:37He said on the evening of the
34:39homicide, Jen appeared at his
34:42door.
34:42She had called him shortly
34:43before saying, hey, I'm going to
34:45stop by.
34:46This was highly unusual because he
34:49tells me he tries to keep his
34:50distance from Jennifer.
34:53She asked him for a cord.
34:54She gives him apparently the
34:56explanation she's having issues
34:57with her trunk.
34:58So he supplies her with a white
35:00electrical cord.
35:01She took the cord and went back
35:03to her vehicle where she remained
35:04for several minutes.
35:06He's wondering what Jen's doing
35:08out there.
35:09He exited his home.
35:11And at this time, he noticed that
35:13Tyreta was in the front seat with
35:15an electrical cord wrapped around
35:17her neck.
35:19Jen is now pointing a gun at him,
35:22demanding he dig a grave.
35:26The details Andre provides are vague,
35:29but evidence from the grave site
35:31seems to confirm his statement.
35:34Tyreta is found inside two trash
35:37bags and the electrical cord was
35:40still wrapped around her neck.
35:43He has no known connection or
35:46really anything to do with Tyreta
35:48Julius, which tells us that the
35:51motive is still lying with
35:52Jennifer Sweeney.
35:56Now we're thinking, why would Jen
35:58kill Tyreta in such a passion?
36:01Because Jen's intention was to propose
36:05to Tyreta.
36:05She also wanted Tyreta to move in with her,
36:09but Tyreta wasn't quite ready for this
36:10yet because she wasn't healthy.
36:13Maybe what triggered it this day was she
36:16did propose or she did ask Tyreta to move
36:20in with her, but something occurred that Jen did a full 180 on.
36:28Shortly after this interview, Jennifer
36:30misplaced into custody.
36:33Andre Harris and Jennifer Sweeney were charged with the murder and desecration of human remains of Tyreta Julius.
36:46When they told us that they found Tyreta, I just, I just held my brother.
36:51I, I just couldn't even think at that point in time.
36:53I just felt numb.
36:56It's hard.
36:59Your child's supposed to outlive you.
37:01You're not supposed to bury your child.
37:08Prosecutors begin preparing the case for trial,
37:10but without direct evidence tying Jennifer to the murder,
37:15they know the outcome is less than certain.
37:19Even if you think you have the strongest case imaginable,
37:23you never know what's going to happen with a jury.
37:43Following his arrest, Andre Harris,
37:46the confessed shooter of Tyreta Julius and Chanel Colbert,
37:50accepts a plea deal in exchange for his testimony against Jennifer Sweeney.
37:57He pled guilty to the attempted murder of Tyreta Julius.
38:04And he was sentenced to 16 years of New Jersey State Prison.
38:10Naturally, we ask Andre, how did you ever get involved in this?
38:15He told us that Jennifer Sweeney was threatening his, basically his life and his kids.
38:22She would make mention to him that she knew where his kids were at school or what they were doing.
38:31Jennifer just couldn't take that Tyreta wasn't happy.
38:37You couldn't take the rejection.
38:39She enlisted Andre Harris to shoot her and Jen had to kind of play her role as the caring girlfriend.
38:48I think maybe even legitimately, Jen tried to make it work, but ultimately, you know, she got suspicious again
38:56and killed Tyreta in Andre Harris' driveway and made him bury the body.
39:02He said, I went along with it because I had no choice.
39:05It was either my people or Tyreta, and I don't know Tyreta.
39:11After multiple delays, the trial finally gets underway in August 2021.
39:20Prosecutors paint a picture for the jury of a woman driven by jealousy to commit murder.
39:28We knew what the motive was.
39:30If I can't have you, no one can.
39:34She did plan on proposing.
39:36She had showed several of her friends an engagement ring she wanted.
39:40But Tyreta was moving on.
39:44Jennifer snapped because she loved Tyreta so much that she didn't want to see her be with anyone else.
39:50She was that jealous, and she couldn't handle her moving on.
40:02But the defense argues that the evidence proves Jennifer had nothing to do with Tyreta's death.
40:10Andre, we know, attempted to murder Tyreta up in Linden, and then, second time, her body is dead in the
40:21backyard of his house,
40:23having been choked to death.
40:28Our theory was that Andre was jealous of Tyreta because he wanted to have a relationship with Jen.
40:38So he was wiping out the competition.
40:44On September 3rd, 2021, the jury renders its verdict.
40:51Jen Sweeney was found guilty of every count of the indictment, except the attempted murder charge against, as it related
40:58to Chanel Colbert, was dismissed.
41:03In May 2022, she is sentenced to 95 years in prison.
41:11Jennifer's sentence, I found fair.
41:14Jennifer's sentence, I found fair.
41:14I want her to be in jail, in prison, suffering for the rest of her life.
41:18She should never see the light of day.
41:21She's the worst of the worst.
41:22I just couldn't fathom how she could just sit up in my house and look at Tyreta's face at all
41:30the time, knowing what you did, the shooting, and then plotting this.
41:44My mom was, like, the glue.
41:49She made sure we stayed in contact with each other.
41:52She just set things up so that we can be a family.
41:59My grandmother, she lost her daughter.
42:02We lost her mother.
42:03It's a huge loss, you know what I mean?
42:06And all for what?
42:07For nothing.
42:09For nothing.
42:13My cousin asked me one time,
42:17well, how can we get the old you back?
42:20And I told him,
42:22that part is gone.
42:26I don't think that part is never coming back.
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