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How NOT to Hire a Hitman - Season 1 - Episode 06: Texas Snowstorm
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00:11A second chance at love for a May-December couple.
00:14When you mix a freshly divorced exec with a go-go bar fling,
00:19you're not exactly building on solid ground.
00:23A killer who tries too hard to be one step ahead of the police.
00:28He arrives at the interview with the answers to all the questions the detective is not asking.
00:37And a hitman who really should have checked with his girlfriend before using her as an alibi.
00:44This is a woman who's seen it all, heard it all, and is clearly tired of it all.
00:58Famous as an international hotspot, people travel to Bangkok, Thailand from all over the world, looking to have a good
01:05time.
01:07And the neon-lit playground of Soi Cowboy is where they find it.
01:12Soi Cowboy is a tourist destination in Bangkok.
01:16It's actually one street, full of go-go clubs.
01:20It's the kind of place where you leave your inhibitions at the door, and the party never seems to end.
01:26In 2008, Chansamorn Phukai is enjoying a night out at one of these clubs, looking to make a connection.
01:34Chansamorn goes by the nickname Aeon.
01:38She's originally from Kallison in northeast Thailand, but she's come to Bangkok with her young daughter after a divorce.
01:45In her mid-20s, Aeon knows that one of Soi Cowboy's clubs is a great place to meet an expat,
01:51and maybe get a chance at a whole new life.
01:56Aeon is receptive when an older gentleman approaches her.
02:01At nearly 60 years old, Richard Moore is living the high life.
02:06He's the vice president of business development for an international telecommunications company based in Dallas, Texas.
02:13And he has homes both in Thailand and the United States.
02:18Originally from England, Richard is fresh off his second divorce, with a young daughter back in Texas and two adult
02:25children in the U.K.
02:29When you mix a freshly divorced exec with a go-go bar fling, you're not exactly building on solid ground.
02:37But despite the 30-year age gap, Richard and Aeon really hit it off.
02:42They find that they have a lot in common, both being divorced single parents.
02:49Somehow, they just click, and their relationship progresses quickly.
02:56Richard and Aeon decide to upend their lives to be together.
03:01Within a year, they find themselves married with a new baby daughter.
03:15In 2010, Richard and Aeon's blended family settles in a house in McKinney, which is a suburb of Dallas-Fort
03:24Worth.
03:25Aeon is thrilled.
03:27It's everything she's ever dreamed of.
03:36Even when Richard's adult son passes away in the U.K., his new young family helps him push through his
03:45grief.
03:49In December 2011, Richard embarks on a new business venture.
03:55While Aeon settles into her new life as a Texas housewife, Richard becomes the owner of a pub called the
04:04Irish Ice House.
04:07One day, a local man named Steve Brockway comes into the pub, and the two men start chatting.
04:15Steve is about the same age that Richard's son would have been, and Richard makes a strong connection with the
04:20younger man.
04:22Eventually, Richard takes his new friend on as a business partner at his pub.
04:27Richard and Steve have a full-on bromance.
04:31Aeon even refers to them as the two boys, because they're always together.
04:38Soon, Steve is like another member of the family.
04:44Steve Brockway quickly becomes a fixture at Sunday dinners at the Morehouse.
04:49The entire family is used to having him around.
04:53And to Aeon and Richard's daughters, he's basically an uncle.
04:58When you go into business with somebody, it's important to have a mutual trust and respect with each other.
05:03If you're going to put part of your financial livelihood in someone's hands, you have to know that they're reliable.
05:12Eventually, Richard sells the pub.
05:15But the close friendship between the two men continues, even after their business partnership ends.
05:25By 2015, Richard is happily retired.
05:29He settles into a relaxed, day-by-day routine that's as predictable as clockwork.
05:35Without even changing out of his pajamas, Richard drops off his youngest daughter at school.
05:41When he gets home, he sits down and enjoys two cups of tea.
05:46After all, even though he lives in Texas, he is still British.
05:52By mid-morning, he switches to coffee and does some chores around the house.
05:59Then around noon, he goes upstairs, hops in the shower to get ready for whatever he's planned for the rest
06:06of the day.
06:08All in all, not a bad life.
06:12After a long, high-powered career, it can be difficult for some men to adjust to retirement.
06:18But in this case, Richard has definitely mastered the art of having some time on his hands to enjoy himself.
06:26On February 27th, 2015, the day begins like any other.
06:32Richard has dropped off his youngest at school, and now he's home doing his tea thing.
06:41Aeon, she's puttering around the house, getting ready to go out.
06:46But the day takes an unexpected turn as a winter storm approaches.
06:51There are plenty of places in the U.S. where a winter storm in February is a common development, but
06:58not in Texas.
06:59It's an anomaly, and the infrastructure there is not set up to handle it.
07:04It becomes dangerous.
07:07Weather reports tell everyone to stay inside.
07:11Aeon is planning to go out shopping, but Richard wants her to stay put and stay safe.
07:19Eventually, as the storm approaches, the schools decide to shut down early.
07:27Now, because of the weather, Aeon needs to go pick up the kids from school.
07:32So she heads out around 11 a.m.
07:35After Aeon leaves, Richard, a creature of habit, continues his usual routine.
07:42He heads upstairs to enjoy his midday shower.
07:46But here's the thing about routines.
07:48They can be a double-edged sword.
07:50On one hand, they provide comfort and structure.
07:54But on the other hand, they make you predictable.
07:57And when somebody's got it out for you, predictability can be a killer.
08:02When Richard emerges from his shower, his predictable routine is shattered by an unexpected guest.
08:18On the other hand, Richard and Steve Brokway
08:1920-something Aeon Pukai and 60-year-old Richard Moore meet in a go-go club in Thailand.
08:27And their whirlwind romance lands them in McKinney, Texas, with a whole new blended family.
08:36Including Richard's new business partner, Steve Brokway.
08:40Known as the two boys, Richard and Steve remain tight, even when Richard retires.
08:47Enjoying a daily routine befitting a man of leisure.
08:52That routine is interrupted on February 27th, 2015.
08:57When an unexpected winter storm changes everything.
09:01Now, because of the weather, Aeon needs to go pick up the kids from school.
09:06So, she heads out around 11 a.m.
09:11At 11.48 a.m., a neighbor's surveillance camera captures video of a man,
09:17who's either very large or is wearing very bulky clothing,
09:21approach the Moors residence on foot.
09:25The man walks to the side of the house and appears to enter.
09:33Eight minutes later, at 11.56 a.m.,
09:37the surveillance camera captures the same man leaving the house
09:40and walking back around the side to exit the property.
09:46It's a short eight-minute window,
09:48but the intruder arrives just in time to catch Richard
09:52during the most vulnerable part of his regular morning routine.
09:57As Richard steps out of his shower,
10:01the intruder surprises him.
10:04Brandishing a rifle, he opens fire in the bathroom.
10:09Richard sustains four gunshots to the front of his head,
10:13three to the back of his head,
10:14and one to his right arm.
10:16Any one of the shots to the head could have gotten the job done.
10:20Seven shots is overkill.
10:22Somebody wanted Richard Moore dead, plain and simple.
10:26The timing of the attack is a big question mark.
10:30Did the shooter know that just before noon
10:33is right when Richard always takes his shower?
10:37It doesn't feel like a coincidence.
10:40Just after 1 p.m.,
10:43Aeon returns home with the kids.
10:45The winter storm outside is getting closer.
10:49As Aeon comes into the bedroom,
10:52she stumbles upon a horrific scene.
10:55She finds her husband lying in a pool of blood
10:59on their bathroom floor.
11:03There's no playbook.
11:05There's no right or wrong way to react.
11:07Some people freeze.
11:09Some people collapse.
11:10Some people run away.
11:12Trauma shows up differently in different people.
11:18That's why eyewitness accounts can be tricky.
11:21In stressful situations,
11:23some people's actions and recollections
11:25might not be the same as they would be
11:27in normal situations.
11:33Aeon wants to spare her kids
11:34the trauma of seeing their father this way.
11:37So she quickly ushers them outside
11:40where one of the girls calls 911.
11:45After that,
11:46she refuses to go back inside
11:48even to check on her husband.
11:51It's just too upsetting for her.
12:02The first responders arrive quickly
12:04and assess the scene.
12:07There are no defensive wounds on Richard
12:10or signs of a struggle
12:11which indicate that the attacker
12:13may have surprised the victim.
12:16The blood on Richard's feet
12:18indicate that he may have tried to stand
12:20or walk away after initially being shot.
12:23There are five spent shell casings
12:26fired from a .22 caliber rifle
12:28which, fired at that close range,
12:31would explain the amount of damage to Richard.
12:34There are no signs of forced entry to the house
12:36which runs counter to a break and enter.
12:39But the safe in the bedroom is open
12:41and its contents have been emptied out.
12:44So the initial assessment of the crime scene
12:47is somewhat contradictory.
12:52Outside,
12:53Aeon is devastated to learn
12:55that her husband has been pronounced dead.
12:59Detective Hardin of the McKinney Police Department
13:02is assigned to take charge of the investigation.
13:06Aeon is still struggling to take everything in
13:09when the detective starts questioning her.
13:12In a murder investigation like this,
13:14you want to speak to family members right away.
13:17It's a fine line.
13:19You don't want to re-traumatize them.
13:21But since they're the ones who know the victim best,
13:24they're also the ones who may have
13:26the most relevant information.
13:28Aeon explains that she wasn't home
13:31during her husband's murder.
13:33With the impending storm,
13:35she'd gone out to pick up the kids.
13:40On route,
13:41she stopped at a department store
13:43to pick up a few things.
13:45Definitely a weird time to go shopping,
13:48but Aeon has the receipt to prove it.
13:51Aeon insists that she has no idea
13:54who would want to harm her husband.
13:56But she does provide a significant clue.
14:00Richard and Aeon
14:02kept a sizable amount of money in the house.
14:05The open safe in the bedroom
14:07held $17,000 in cash,
14:10which is now missing.
14:13$17,000 is a significant amount of money,
14:17and it supports the theory
14:19of a robbery gone wrong.
14:21The detective asks Aeon
14:23to consent to a search
14:25of her car and home.
14:28Even though Aeon has an alibi
14:30for the time of Richard's shooting,
14:32and there's evidence to point to it
14:35being a robbery that's gone bad,
14:37investigators still have to include
14:39or exclude the possibility
14:41that Aeon may have been involved,
14:43especially since she's the one
14:45who found Richard's body.
14:49Aeon agrees to let police search
14:51whatever they want,
14:52and she also hands over her cell phone.
14:55Anything she can do
14:57to help find the person
14:58who viciously murdered her husband
15:00and tore her life apart.
15:04Detective Hardin begins
15:05his investigation of the murder.
15:07Has a robbery gone wrong?
15:10The open safe
15:11and the missing money
15:12indicate a robbery,
15:14but not everything at the scene
15:16supports that theory.
15:17There are no signs
15:19of forced entry into the house,
15:21indicating that the assailant
15:23knew how to get in undetected.
15:25And nothing else
15:27is damaged or missing.
15:29Even though the safe is open
15:30and the money is missing,
15:32it hasn't been damaged at all,
15:34like you would expect it to be
15:36if it had been pried open.
15:38The only evidence
15:39that money is missing
15:40is Aeon's word,
15:42and there's nothing
15:43to corroborate that.
15:46The detective decides
15:48to do a deeper dive
15:49into his victim.
15:52On the surface,
15:54Richard Moore
15:55is exactly
15:55what he appears to be,
15:58a happily married family man.
16:04But when Detective Hardin
16:06reaches out
16:07to Richard's eldest daughter,
16:08Joanne,
16:09in the UK,
16:10he gets a completely
16:12different view
16:13of Richard's life
16:15and marriage.
16:18While everyone's been selling
16:20the happy family act
16:22in McKinney,
16:23Joanne spills the tea
16:24about what's really
16:25going down
16:26in the Moore household.
16:29Joanne tells the detective
16:30all about Steve Brockway,
16:32her father's best friend.
16:34The two have been besties
16:36for years,
16:37and Steve's almost
16:39part of the family.
16:44But five months earlier,
16:45in September 2014,
16:47Steve had become
16:48a little too close
16:50for comfort.
16:51Joanne describes
16:52how Steve
16:53had been over
16:53to the house,
16:54sharing a drink
16:55with her father
16:56and his wife.
17:00Richard had gone
17:01to bed early.
17:02When he woke up
17:03in the middle of the night
17:04to get a glass of water,
17:05his wife was not
17:07in the bed with him.
17:15He noticed
17:16that Steve's car
17:17was still in the driveway,
17:19so he went looking.
17:22That's your first mistake.
17:24If you don't want to know,
17:26don't go looking.
17:27In a spare bedroom,
17:30Richard finds Steve
17:31and Aon
17:32in bed together,
17:34asleep under the covers.
17:38Finding your wife
17:39in bed
17:40with your best friend,
17:41that's not
17:42just a marital crisis.
17:44That's a complete
17:45life implosion.
17:47But Richard
17:48takes the high road.
17:49Instead of confronting
17:51Steve and Aon,
17:52he decides
17:53to just go for a walk.
17:55And when he gets home,
17:57Steve is already gone.
17:59But as the months pass,
18:01Richard's high road
18:03leads to a dark place,
18:05and tensions
18:06in the marriage
18:07boil over.
18:09Eventually,
18:10Richard's high road
18:11takes him back
18:12to Thailand,
18:13where he goes looking
18:14for some
18:15extramarital companionship
18:17of his own.
18:19But Richard's affair
18:20in Thailand
18:21pushes his marital problems
18:23over the edge.
18:25By January 2015,
18:27arguments are frequent
18:28and violent.
18:30In January 2015,
18:32police are called
18:33to the Moore household
18:34on a domestic
18:35disturbance call.
18:37Richard even shows
18:38his daughter
18:39a severe bite mark
18:40left on his arm
18:41from a fight
18:42he had with Aon.
18:43The woman
18:44is not kidding around.
18:47Domestic violence
18:48is like a ticking time bomb.
18:50It can go very bad
18:51very quickly.
18:53Richard makes
18:54the smart decision
18:55to remove himself
18:57completely.
19:02The detective
19:03learns from Joanne
19:05that her father
19:06had visited her
19:07in the UK
19:07earlier in February,
19:09needing to clear
19:10his head.
19:11His marriage
19:12was imploding.
19:15Richard returned home
19:17from his UK trip
19:18on February 22,
19:202015,
19:21just five days
19:22before his
19:23horrific murder.
19:25For Detective Hardin,
19:27it's a lot
19:28of new information
19:29and it all points
19:31to one place.
19:33Police work
19:34is all about
19:35following the evidence
19:36piece by piece
19:38until the full picture
19:39emerges.
19:40The next step
19:42is speaking
19:43with Steve Brockway
19:44to see what
19:45he has to say.
19:48But when Brockway
19:49sits down
19:50with the detective,
19:52all of the twists
19:53and turns
19:54in the case
19:55send it spinning
19:56right off the rails.
20:03Richard Moore's
20:04May-December
20:05romance
20:06with Aeon Pokai
20:07is the stuff
20:08dreams are made of
20:10until Richard
20:12discovers his
20:13young wife
20:13in bed
20:14with his best friend,
20:16Steve Brockway.
20:20Since two
20:21can play
20:21at that game,
20:22Richard hightails
20:23it to Thailand
20:24where he has
20:25a fling of his own.
20:28When Richard
20:29is brutally
20:30murdered at home
20:31in the middle
20:32of the day,
20:33his daughters
20:34point to the
20:35too-close-for-comfort
20:37relationship
20:38between their
20:39stepmother
20:39and Uncle Steve.
20:42While everyone's
20:43been selling
20:44the Happy Family
20:45Act in McKinney,
20:47Joanne spills
20:49the tea
20:49about what's
20:50really going
20:51down in the
20:51Moore household.
20:53Police work
20:54is all about
20:55following the
20:55evidence piece
20:57by piece
20:57until the
20:58full picture
20:59emerges.
21:00The next
21:01step is
21:02speaking with
21:02Steve Brockway
21:03to see what
21:04he has to
21:05say.
21:06On March
21:073rd,
21:08four days
21:08after Richard
21:09Moore's
21:10murder,
21:11Steve Brockway
21:11comes to the
21:12McKinney Police
21:13Department
21:14for a casual
21:15conversation with
21:16Detective Hardin.
21:17He brings
21:18along his
21:19attorney.
21:20There's
21:21certainly no
21:21indication that
21:22Steve has been
21:23categorized as a
21:24suspect by
21:25investigators.
21:26So when he
21:27rolls in for his
21:28interview with a
21:29lawyer in tow,
21:30it certainly
21:30raises some
21:31eyebrows.
21:33Showing up for a
21:34witness interview
21:34with a lawyer
21:35could mean that
21:37somebody's being
21:38extra careful,
21:39or it could mean
21:40that maybe they
21:41have something to
21:41hide.
21:42He arrives at the
21:44interview with the
21:44answers to all the
21:46questions the
21:47detective is not
21:48asking.
21:50Oversharing is
21:51never a good
21:52tactic.
21:55Brockway volunteers
21:56his gun, which
21:57is a .357
21:59caliber handgun.
22:02It's definitely
22:03not the .22
22:04caliber rifle that
22:05killed Moore, so
22:06there's no reason
22:07for police to run
22:08an analysis on
22:09it or even ask
22:10questions about
22:10it.
22:11My guess?
22:13It's a misguided
22:14attempt by Steve to
22:15appear to be
22:16cooperative.
22:16The detective is
22:18also not interested
22:20in the receipt that
22:21Steve offers to
22:22prove his
22:23whereabouts the
22:24morning of the
22:25murder, because
22:26that really doesn't
22:27prove anything.
22:28It just shows that
22:29he went shopping.
22:34Steve claims that
22:36at the time Richard
22:37was shot, he was
22:38at his house meeting
22:40with a contractor
22:41named Ron Rosser
22:42about a construction
22:43project.
22:46Steve explains that
22:48Rosser is doing
22:49some work for him
22:50on a popcorn
22:51ceiling.
22:52But before he can
22:54give any more
22:55details, his
22:56attorney invokes
22:57his Fifth Amendment
22:58rights, and Steve
22:59clams up.
23:01The Fifth Amendment
23:02protects citizens
23:03from having to say
23:05anything that's
23:05self-incriminating.
23:06The flip side is
23:08now it appears that
23:09there's something
23:09incriminating to find.
23:12Steve agrees to
23:13hand over his
23:14cell phone for
23:15analysis, and the
23:17interview ends.
23:18Steve's attempts to
23:20look more innocent
23:21really just makes
23:23him look more
23:24guilty.
23:25But some people are
23:27just super awkward
23:28around law enforcement
23:29types, and that
23:31in itself isn't a
23:32crime.
23:34The detective knows
23:35that Steve is not
23:37the mystery man seen
23:38entering and exiting
23:39Richard Moore's home
23:41before and after the
23:42murder.
23:42Steve is too short,
23:43shot, and the body
23:44types don't match.
23:45But just because he
23:47wasn't the actual
23:48shooter doesn't mean
23:49he's in the clear.
23:51The detective continues
23:52to follow the trail of
23:54evidence.
23:55The contractor Steve
23:57name-drops during his
23:58police interview is Ron
24:00Rosser, a 51-year-old
24:02from Longview, Texas,
24:04just two hours east of
24:05Dallas.
24:06Rosser has 11 prior
24:08convictions, including
24:10felony theft, unlawful
24:12carrying of a weapon,
24:14and multiple DUIs.
24:16His history paints a
24:18picture of a man well
24:19acquainted with the
24:20wrong side of the law.
24:22Rosser is exactly the
24:23kind of guy someone
24:24would go to for this
24:26kind of job.
24:28His phone number might
24:29as well be 1-800-DIAL-A-HIT-MAN.
24:32Two days later,
24:34Detective Hardin pays a
24:35surprise visit to Longview,
24:37where a completely
24:38unprepared Rosser agrees
24:40to an interview.
24:41Rosser's story is a
24:43meandering mess of
24:44changing details and
24:46contradictions.
24:47He makes Steve's
24:48interview look coherent
24:50by comparison.
24:53Rosser explains that on
24:55February 27th, the
24:57morning of the murder,
24:59he drove to the Dallas
25:00area for a meeting with
25:01his mortgage broker
25:02about a loan.
25:04But because of his
25:06concerns about the
25:07weather, he decided to
25:08turn around and go
25:09home.
25:10That mortgage broker
25:12meeting never existed.
25:14And Rosser's story
25:15changes.
25:16He didn't go home.
25:19He went to his friend
25:20Steve's house to wait
25:21out the storm.
25:23Rosser claims that he
25:24arrived at Steve's
25:25around 1130 and stayed
25:27for one to two hours.
25:29That matches the
25:30time frame provided by
25:31Steve in his own
25:32interview.
25:34Rosser claims that he
25:35and Steve discussed a
25:37construction project during
25:38his visit.
25:39According to Rosser, it
25:41was a tiling project.
25:43When Steve told the
25:44same story, the
25:46construction project was
25:47a popcorn ceiling.
25:50Rosser explains that
25:51after a couple hours, the
25:53storm let up.
25:54So he left Steve's and
25:55went straight home.
25:58When Detective Hardin
26:00points out that the
26:00weather actually got worse
26:02throughout the day instead
26:03of better, Rosser's story
26:05changes again.
26:07Now, Rosser was in a rush
26:09to get home to see his
26:10girlfriend, Tracy, who
26:12was coming over for a
26:13visit.
26:14But still, he definitely
26:16went straight home.
26:18And he definitely didn't
26:20stop anywhere along the
26:21way.
26:22Also, he definitely doesn't
26:24have any guns.
26:25He's not allowed to, based
26:27on his criminal record.
26:32detective Hardin continues to
26:35follow up on any new names
26:36that get thrown into the
26:37mix.
26:38This time, it's Tracy.
26:41Since Rosser used his
26:42girlfriend Tracy as an alibi,
26:44the detective reaches out to
26:46Tracy and asks her to come in
26:48for an interview.
26:49At this point, the
26:50investigation takes a giant
26:52left turn.
26:54Instead of supporting his
26:56alibi, Tracy does just the
26:59opposite.
26:59She opens the floodgates.
27:03This is a woman who's seen it
27:04all, heard it all, and is
27:06clearly tired of it all.
27:09Tracy's revelations turn
27:11Rosser's claim on its head.
27:13Not only does he possess an
27:15arsenal of firearms despite his
27:18felony record, but he's brazenly
27:21peddling weapons on social
27:22media.
27:25Tracy doesn't just claim that
27:27Rosser is selling guns.
27:28She shows up with proof.
27:30She has photographs of
27:31Rosser's guns, his marijuana
27:34grow up, all of it.
27:35And she's willing to help
27:37police bring him down.
27:40Now, with a confidential
27:42informant in hand, police have
27:45everything they need to obtain
27:46a search warrant for Ron
27:48Rosser's house.
27:49Mark 8th is like Christmas
27:51morning for the investigative
27:52team.
27:53They roll up to Rosser's place,
27:55search warrant in hand, and
27:57hit the mother load.
27:59Guns, ammo, spent shell
28:01casings, it's a regular
28:03arsenal.
28:04They don't find the murder
28:06weapon, but they find a box
28:07for a .22 caliber rifle.
28:09The exact same weapon used to
28:11kill Richard Moore.
28:14With everything collected from
28:16Rosser's house, Detective Hardin
28:19has a treasure trove of
28:21evidence.
28:22Besides the guns, police recover
28:24four different deposit receipts,
28:27totaling $8,000 in cash from the
28:30day Richard Moore was murdered.
28:33The earliest one, time-stamped just
28:36after 1.30, near Steve Brockway's
28:38house.
28:39And the last one, a few hours later,
28:43near Rosser's place in Longview.
28:44So it seems that Rosser left Steve's
28:48house with a huge wad of cash that
28:50he mysteriously forgot to mention.
28:54And instead of going straight home
28:56like he claimed, he stopped off along
28:59the way to make deposits.
29:02In Rosser's bedroom dresser, they
29:05find a dossier on Richard Moore,
29:07multiple pictures of the man, and a
29:10piece of paper with his full name,
29:12address, and all of his associated
29:14vehicles.
29:15And the fingerprints on that dossier,
29:18they're a perfect match to
29:20Stephen Brockway.
29:30On March 10th, a joint task force
29:33conducts a sting operation on
29:35Rosser's gun sales.
29:37He's arrested on firearms charges,
29:40and later indicted for Richard Moore's
29:42murder.
29:44Police also arrest Steve Brockway and
29:46Aon Pokai, and charge them with
29:49capital murder.
29:52And while all three co-conspirators
29:55continue to proclaim their innocence,
29:59deleted text data from their phones
30:01reveals what actually happened to
30:04Richard Moore.
30:11The investigation into Richard Moore's
30:14murder takes a dramatic turn with the
30:16arrest of the three co-conspirators on
30:19March 10th, 2015.
30:22And while Ron Rosser, Steve Brockway, and
30:25Aon Pokai all proclaim their innocence,
30:29their cell phone data tells another story
30:31all together.
30:33When investigators take possession of the
30:36cell phones from Aon, Steve, and Ron,
30:38there's no text message history between
30:40them at all, which is more than a little
30:43implausible.
30:45Steve and Ron have both admitted to being
30:48friends and getting together during the
30:51murder to discuss some kind of construction
30:54project.
30:55And Steve and Aon are practically family,
30:59even a little more than family.
31:02So deleting all their texts is like hanging
31:05a flashing neon sign that reads,
31:07hey police, look over here.
31:10It's amazing that people think that by
31:13hitting a delete button, it'll erase all
31:15their secrets.
31:16But in the digital age, nothing is ever
31:19really gone.
31:20And in this case, those deleted texts are
31:24the key to unlocking the truth.
31:26On February 16th, when Richard is in the
31:30UK, following his knock-down, drag-out fight
31:34with Aon, all three phones ping the same
31:38cell tower near Moore's house at the same
31:40time.
31:42A cellular telephone registers its location
31:46with the nearest available cellular tower
31:48approximately every seven seconds.
31:51So law enforcement can determine a cell
31:54phone's and by extension, a person's
31:56location at any given point by using a
31:59ping.
32:01Unless these three have some other project
32:03together that no one else knows about,
32:06this would be when they plot Richard's
32:08murder.
32:10A week later, on February 22nd, Rosser
32:13searches the internet for gun shows.
32:17Gun shows offer Rosser a loophole in the
32:20system.
32:21These events can provide the perfect
32:23opportunity for a private citizen with a
32:26checkered past to obtain a firearm without
32:29going through a background check.
32:31It's almost like entering, where can I buy a
32:34murder weapon, into a search bar.
32:37But then, Rosser gets even more specific.
32:40He looks up, how far will a 22-long rifle
32:44kill, what's the best way to quiet down a
32:4822-long rifle, and how to make an easy
32:51homemade rifle silencer.
32:54Those aren't the kind of searches that an
32:57innocent man makes.
32:58This guy is clearly gearing up for something
33:01big.
33:04But despite all their careful planning, the one
33:08thing the conspirators couldn't plan for was the
33:11weather.
33:14On February 27th, the designated murder date,
33:18Rosser leaves his home in Longview and heads
33:21towards McKinney around 9.30 a.m.
33:23He sends a text to Steve to let him know that he's on
33:27his way.
33:27Here's the thing about master plans.
33:30They're never quite as foolproof as the masterminds
33:33behind them think.
33:35As that winter storm comes in, the three
33:38conspirators start feeling the heat.
33:41Suddenly, their airtight scheme is springing
33:45leaks.
33:53With Steve as a go-between, asking Aeon questions
33:57that Rosser is asking him, they worry that Aeon won't
34:01fulfill her part of the plan and ensure the house is
34:05empty.
34:24When the schools do close early, Aeon texts her older
34:28daughter, instructing her to stay at school and not to go
34:32home.
34:33She can't risk the kids being in the house when Richard is
34:37killed.
34:40It's a classic case of watching a house of cards on the
34:44verge of collapse.
34:45One tiny breeze, a little hiccup, and the entire structure
34:50will come crashing down.
34:52At 11.11 a.m., Aeon texts that she's going out now and heads
34:58out the door.
35:00Aeon heads directly to the department store to collect her
35:04alibi receipt, placing her away from the house at the time that
35:08Rosser is there.
35:10When Steve phones Rosser at 11.45, Rosser doesn't answer.
35:16It's around the time he's busy getting caught on surveillance
35:19camera entering Moore's house.
35:22Rosser finds Richard Moore right where he's expected to be just
35:25before noon.
35:27In his bathroom, having a shower.
35:31And unloads eight bullets into the retiree, making absolutely
35:36certain he's dead.
35:39Aeon, Steve, and Ron all delete every single text message between
35:45them to try to hide their plotting.
35:4878 messages between Ron and Steve and 84 messages between Steve and
35:56Aeon.
35:56As if somehow that's less suspicious.
36:02Here's a tip.
36:03Hitting delete on your incriminating text messages doesn't make them
36:08vanish into thin air.
36:10These three are leaving a digital trail a mile wide.
36:17After shooting Richard Moore, Rosser heads over to Steve's house to
36:21collect his cash.
36:24On his way home to Longview, Rosser deposits the cash at four
36:28different banks, collecting, and for some reason choosing to keep,
36:34deposit slips from each one.
36:36It's a mountain of evidence against all three conspirators.
36:41Despite attempts to avoid detection, less than two weeks after Richard
36:45Moore is murdered, his three killers are all in custody.
36:51After their indictments, all three are held in jail awaiting trial.
36:55In a charming but creepy show of mutual support, Ron drops a note into
37:01Steve's jail cell as he passes by that reads,
37:05Are you okay?
37:05I was just checking on you.
37:08I have kept my mouth shut.
37:10They have nothing on us.
37:12But the thing about conspiracies, they're only as strong as their weakest link.
37:17And when that link breaks, the entire chain falls apart.
37:22They may be standing together now.
37:26But by the time their cases go to trial four years later, more than one of the three would
37:32turn on the others.
37:37The investigation into the 2015 murder of Richard Moore in McKinney, Texas
37:44uncovers a sinister plot involving his wife Aon, her lover Stephen Brockway, and hired hitman
37:52Ron Rosser.
37:54Despite a noble attempt to hide their guilt involving ineffective alibi receipts, a half-baked
38:02construction project, and one very angry girlfriend, all three are indicted for capital murder, which
38:11in Texas means an automatic life sentence without parole.
38:15Ron Rosser goes to trial in March 2019.
38:19The prosecution presents a mountain of evidence, forensics from the crime scene, and details
38:26about the murder weapon and bullet casings left near Richard's body.
38:31They present the cell phone evidence detailing Rosser's whereabouts, his search history, and
38:38the text messages between him, Aon, and Steve on the day of the murder.
38:43They have the evidence from Rosser's home, including the empty .22 caliber rifle box, the information
38:51package on Moore, and those bank receipts showing large cash deposits.
38:57All in, the prosecution presents a very strong case.
39:02But Rosser's defense team makes an unusual pivot.
39:06Rosser leans into what he must see as the lesser of two evils.
39:11He goes all in on the drug dealer defense, which is kind of brilliant if you think about
39:16it.
39:18Rosser claims that the $8,000 cash payment from Steve Brockway was for a large delivery of
39:25marijuana.
39:28On the street, $8,000 will buy you two pounds of marijuana.
39:33To put that in perspective, that's enough to keep a daily toker satisfied for months, even
39:39years.
39:39It's a ridiculous amount for someone to claim it was for personal use only.
39:45Rosser explains away the contradictory stories about the construction project he and Steve
39:51were discussing that day, claiming it was a euphemism for their weed business.
39:56He even claims that Steve gave him the info packet on Richard because they were considering
40:01bringing Richard into their drug business.
40:04to leverage his Thailand connections.
40:08It's a textbook example of trying to shift blame and muddy the waters, hoping that something
40:13will stick.
40:15But the jury isn't swayed by Rosser's attempt to paint Steve Brockway and possibly Richard
40:21Moore as drug dealers.
40:27The verdict against Rosser comes in on March 5th.
40:32A guilty verdict in a McKinney murder-for-hire case.
40:35The jury found Ronald Rosser guilty of capital murder.
40:39Detectives say a woman paid Rosser to kill her husband back in 2015, and now Rosser will
40:44get life in prison.
40:46Three months after Rosser's conviction, focus shifts to Steve Brockway's trial.
40:51If convicted of capital murder, Brockway will face the same sentence as Rosser, life in prison
40:58with no possibility of parole.
41:00The prosecution argues that Stephen and Aon planned the murder to cash in on Richard's
41:07sizable life insurance policy.
41:09Back in 2000, while he was still married to his second wife, Richard took out a $1 million
41:14life insurance policy to provide for his wife and his children.
41:20And now, Aon wanted a piece of it.
41:23They say everything is bigger in Texas, and as modus go, this one is Texas-sized.
41:31On the second day of the trial, the prosecution introduces the damning text message evidence
41:37from the day of the murder.
41:40Those texts are the nail in Steve's coffin.
41:43It's amazing how a few taps on a phone conceal someone's fate.
41:48The very next day, Steve changes his plea to guilty in exchange for a reduced 28-year
41:55sentence.
41:57He makes a statement admitting his role in the murder, and he implicates Aon as well.
42:04As part of his plea deal, Steve agrees to testify against Aon at her upcoming trial, but it never
42:12gets that far.
42:14Four days later, on July 1, 2019, Chansamorn Aon Pokai, the woman who once captured Richard
42:22Moore's heart in a Bangkok bar, pleads guilty to the murder of her husband.
42:27She's sentenced to 40 years in prison.
42:31After four long years, Richard Moore's family finally finds the justice they waited so long
42:38to enjoy.
42:39As Aon, Steve, and Rosser's ill-advised foray into murder-for-hire lands them all exactly
42:46where they deserve to be.
42:48These three tried really hard to plan the perfect crime.
42:52They didn't quite master the importance of keeping their story straight, but they definitely
42:58tried.
42:59If there's one thing this case proves, it's that in the age of smartphones, the very
43:04concept of committing a perfect crime is a myth.
43:07Every digital breadcrumb, every errant text message, every ill-advised internet search can
43:15leave a trail that will lead right back to the suspect's front door.
43:20So if you're thinking of texting a hitman, put down that phone right now and make better
43:26life choices.
43:27It's not hard.
43:49It's not hard.
44:09It's not hard.
44:10It's not hard.
44:10It's not hard.
44:11It's not hard.
44:13It's not hard.
44:13It's not hard.
44:14It's not hard.
44:15It's not hard.
44:15It's hard.
44:15It's hard.
44:15It's hard.
44:15You
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