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Snapped - Season 36 - Episode 09: Julie Harper
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TVTranscript
00:05A cryptic phone call leads to an alarming discovery.
00:10As they pulled away each piece of the clothing,
00:12they were shocked to find that there was a person under there.
00:17The suspected killer comes forward, but the case is far from over.
00:23This wasn't a whodunit.
00:25It was a question of why she did it and whether or not it was justified.
00:31She said she was trying to protect herself and her children from this madman.
00:37He was 6'7 and 230 pounds.
00:40His body was a weapon.
00:43But no one that knows him believes her claims. No one.
00:48And as the investigation unfolds,
00:51the evidence suggests nothing is quite what it seems.
00:57If he passed away in the morning and we didn't get a call until 11 o'clock at night,
01:01what was going on during all of those hours?
01:05If she's lying about that, what else is she lying about?
01:23On August 7th, 2012,
01:27police in Carlsbad, California receive an unusual call.
01:31The on-duty watch commander for the Carlsbad Police Department received a call on a back line
01:38that's not recorded.
01:40That's very rare.
01:42And that has to have somebody who knows the number to that watch commander.
01:48Despite the special circumstances,
01:51what the caller appears to be requesting
01:53is a simple welfare check for a resident named Jason Harper.
01:59The person identified himself as the former district attorney, Paul Finks,
02:04who had now become a prominent defense attorney in San Diego County.
02:13The Carlsbad Police Department responded immediately,
02:16and they were there in the neighborhood within a few minutes.
02:20The lights in the home are off, and no one answers the door.
02:25They noticed that the doors were locked, and there was no sign of forced entry.
02:30The officers did check around the perimeter.
02:34They did find a door that was open,
02:36and they entered the home to do the check.
02:40It was very cluttered, but it appeared to be just a normal home
02:45with nothing out of the ordinary.
02:47Not find anybody on the first floor.
02:49They go to the second story
02:51and check all of the bedrooms, bathrooms, etc.
02:56As they entered that primary bedroom of the home,
02:59they were immediately confronted with many objects,
03:02almost to the point of a hoarder.
03:04There were numerous items of clothing and bags on the floor.
03:09It was hard to navigate around.
03:12It was just piled up on the floor like it was junk.
03:15And as they pulled away each piece of the clothing,
03:18they were shocked to find that there was a person under there.
03:25He was noticeably deceased.
03:30He did not have a pulse.
03:32We were able to, based on his height, his weight,
03:35and what he looked like,
03:37determine it was Mr. Harper.
03:39He was laying face down.
03:42There was what appeared to be a bullet hole
03:45in Jason Harper's back on the side,
03:48and that blood had been coming out onto his shirt.
03:53Officers secure the crime scene,
03:55and homicide detectives arrive.
03:59There was no weapons found near the body,
04:01but they went in the closet,
04:02and they did find a loaded shotgun.
04:05But it was clear, based on the entry wound,
04:07that this was not a shotgun blast.
04:10Obviously, the fact that it was in a state of disarray,
04:13and it looked like a hoarder's den,
04:14made it particularly difficult for law enforcement
04:16to sort and go through the entirety of evidence.
04:21As we looked through the bedroom,
04:23we found multiple bottles of prescription drugs.
04:26Many of them were empty and in bags.
04:29Most of them were prescribed to Julie Harper.
04:33Based on the name,
04:35investigators assume Julie Harper is Jason's wife.
04:39The police officers looked at the family pictures
04:43all over the house,
04:44and they were able to see the identity of the family
04:47that was living there.
04:48We learned that they had three children.
04:51The officers wondered
04:53where the other members of the family were.
04:56Where are the children,
04:56and where is the wife?
04:59Not knowing what happened or transpired,
05:02our biggest concern
05:04were the safety of the children and Julie.
05:07And we were trying to find out ways
05:10to figure out where they were.
05:12The best way for us to do that
05:14is to interview family members and friends
05:16that knew Jason
05:17to get an understanding of who the person was
05:21to help us tell the story of what occurred.
05:29Jason Harper was born October 30, 1972,
05:34and grew up in the greater Los Angeles area.
05:38Jason was soft-spoken,
05:39just an easy person to be around.
05:41I called Jason the Gentle Giant
05:42is what my nickname was for him back then.
05:46You couldn't miss him
05:47just because of his stature and his height.
05:50His demeanor was so calm.
05:53He could be very intimidating
05:55because he was tall,
05:55but just a sweet, sweet, sweet person.
06:00Jason went to the University of California,
06:03Los Angeles, UCLA.
06:04He was a proud Bruin.
06:06It's my understanding that he was actually
06:08a two-time national champion volleyball player.
06:14Jason remained single throughout college
06:17and for many years after.
06:19But in his late 20s,
06:20he met a striking young woman
06:22at a party named Julie Sayak.
06:26Jason Harper was a new teacher
06:28living in L.A. when he met Julie.
06:30They came from very different backgrounds
06:32and different neighborhoods.
06:35I know she came from money.
06:37Her father is a successful businessman.
06:39Julie, I believe, studied at Harvard at some point.
06:43I think she also went to the University
06:45of Southern California, USC.
06:51They were immediately smitten with each other
06:54and Jason proposed around six months after they met.
06:58Julie and Jason got married.
07:00They moved to Carlsbad
07:02and they ended up having three children together
07:05in this neighborhood.
07:09Julie really thrived
07:11in being a stay-at-home mom
07:12and made her happy.
07:14My fondest memory of Julie
07:16is just hanging out
07:17and doing wines with the moms
07:19at someone's house in the neighborhood.
07:20Just having the camaraderie of women, really.
07:23Just laughing and cracking jokes
07:27and enjoying some vino and doing our thing.
07:33Also, Jason was a really good neighbor.
07:36There was an instance when our family was out of town
07:38and we got a text that our sprinkler had blown
07:41and Jason, he immediately just took care of that.
07:44No second thoughts about that.
07:47He was a well-liked teacher at Carlsbad High.
07:49He was a high school volleyball coach
07:51and he was a math teacher there as well.
07:54He never yelled.
07:55He never put them down.
07:56He was just soft-spoken.
07:57He was even killed.
07:58Jason was just an easy person to be around.
08:02Julie and Jason seemed like a really nice couple.
08:04They had these lovely kids.
08:06They had the supportive families.
08:09It is the American dream.
08:11I know that's cliche,
08:11but they had what most people want.
08:14They fit right in.
08:16They belonged where they were.
08:22Now, the Harper's idyllic home life
08:25has been shattered by a horrifying discovery.
08:29Jason has been found murdered
08:31and his wife and children appear to be missing.
08:35The police need to figure out what happened,
08:37where's Julie,
08:39where are the children,
08:40and why is Jason Harper dead?
08:43There are a number of possibilities.
08:45This could have been a burglary.
08:46However, there was no sign of forced entry.
08:49And the unusual manner
08:50in which the body had been buried
08:53under all this clothing
08:54didn't seem like your typical burglary.
08:57The first thing I thought was
08:59there was some form of domestic violence that occurred,
09:02potentially a kidnapping,
09:03but not having the evidence
09:05to know which one it was.
09:06We were really focused on
09:09trying to find the kids and Julie.
09:14Investigators begin their search
09:16by speaking with the attorney
09:17who requested the welfare check.
09:20He said that he was representing
09:23Miss Julie Harper.
09:26Mr. Finks was very cryptic
09:28as to the details
09:29and didn't want to give away
09:30too much information.
09:32He just informed us
09:34that she would be turning herself in.
09:38So you're obtaining
09:39a well-known defense attorney
09:42and negotiating
09:44when you are going to go in
09:46to turn yourself in to the police.
09:49It was something
09:51that made us
09:53definitely on high alert.
09:55This wasn't a whodunit.
09:57It was a question
09:59of why she did it
10:01and whether or not
10:02it was justified.
10:08Coming up,
10:10Julie's attorney
10:11goes public.
10:13The defense attorney
10:14was already out
10:16painting a picture
10:17of a woman
10:18who was abused.
10:19But in search of the truth,
10:22detectives turn
10:23to their only witnesses.
10:24You feel sad?
10:27Does anybody ever get hurt?
10:29One time.
10:31The kids hear yelling
10:33from the master bedroom
10:34and then they hear
10:36a loud thud.
10:52Hours after the August 2012
10:55welfare check
10:56on Jason Harper
10:57that led police
10:58to discover him
10:59shot to death,
11:01his wife Julie
11:02is preparing
11:03to surrender herself
11:04to investigators.
11:07Her lawyer,
11:08Mr. Finks,
11:08informed the police
11:09that Julie
11:10and the kids
11:11were safe
11:11and that they were
11:12at her father's house
11:13in Scripps Ranch.
11:16The day after
11:18the shooting
11:18at approximately
11:19three o'clock
11:20she turned herself
11:21in to law enforcement
11:22at her father's house
11:23in Scripps Ranch.
11:25Julie came out
11:26of the home
11:26and voluntarily
11:27went with them.
11:29Julie didn't make
11:30any statements
11:31to police.
11:32She invoked
11:32her rights
11:33under Miranda
11:34to remain silent.
11:38after that
11:39the police
11:39execute a search
11:40warrant
11:41of their father's
11:41house.
11:42They didn't notice
11:43anything of importance
11:45or evidentiary value.
11:48Neither Julie
11:49nor her attorney
11:51offer any details
11:52to explain
11:53the shooting.
11:55Instead,
11:56Julie's attorney
11:57speaks with the media
11:58soon after
11:59Julie's arrest.
12:01She wants to be
12:03with her children.
12:04The defense attorney
12:06was already out
12:08painting a picture
12:09of a woman
12:10who was abused
12:11and was the victim
12:12of domestic violence.
12:15And he was able
12:16to begin controlling
12:17the narrative
12:18in the news.
12:21Based on the timing
12:22and circumstances,
12:24detectives aren't ready
12:25to accept
12:26Julie's version
12:27of what happened.
12:29There was a big
12:30question in my mind
12:32of why did she
12:32not call 911?
12:34Why did she
12:35not try to
12:37provide
12:38life-saving
12:38efforts
12:39if this was
12:40self-defense?
12:42When someone
12:42says,
12:43I have been
12:44a victim
12:44of abuse
12:45in any way,
12:46shape,
12:47or form,
12:47we should believe
12:48them.
12:48But in this case,
12:49we're talking
12:50about a murder.
12:51It needs to be
12:52proven.
12:55To verify
12:56Julie's claims,
12:57authorities search
12:58for any record
12:59of prior
13:00domestic abuse.
13:02We did find
13:03one call
13:04for service
13:04at the home
13:05about a dispute
13:06between the two.
13:08That call
13:09was made
13:09nine months
13:10before the shooting
13:11on November 4,
13:122011.
13:14The caller
13:15was the Harper's
13:16eldest son.
13:18The police
13:19arrived and they
13:19determined that
13:20this was just
13:20a verbal confrontation
13:21and nothing
13:23physical had
13:23happened and
13:24so they left.
13:25Despite the lack
13:27of a history
13:28of violence,
13:29investigators know
13:30it's still possible
13:31it had been
13:32occurring.
13:33In domestic
13:34violence cases,
13:35it's very common
13:36that abuse
13:37occurred for a
13:39long period of
13:39time before
13:39something's ever
13:40said.
13:43They turn
13:44their attention
13:45to the only
13:45other potential
13:46witnesses,
13:47the Harper's
13:48children.
13:50The children
13:51are eight
13:52years old
13:52and six
13:53years old.
13:54There was
13:54also a baby
13:55in the house
13:55and the first
13:57step was to
13:57have the
13:59eight-year-old
13:59and the
14:00six-year-old
14:00interviewed.
14:02The police
14:03took the
14:04children to
14:04do a
14:05forensic
14:05interview
14:06and a
14:07forensic
14:07interview
14:07is basically
14:08an opportunity
14:09for an
14:10experienced
14:10professional
14:11to interview
14:12the children
14:13by asking
14:14non-suggestive,
14:15non-leading
14:16questions.
14:20The children
14:20were asked
14:21about any
14:21violence
14:22between the
14:22father,
14:23Jason,
14:24and the
14:24mother,
14:25Julie.
14:26How do you
14:27feel when
14:27they're yelling
14:28loud?
14:29I feel sad.
14:30You feel sad?
14:31Yeah.
14:32Does anybody
14:33ever get hurt?
14:34One time
14:36that fix
14:37fisking
14:38like daddy
14:39grabbed one.
14:41But that's
14:42the only time
14:42she did it
14:43was at
14:43Thanksgiving.
14:44At Thanksgiving
14:45that happened?
14:46Daddy grabbed
14:46right here?
14:47That was
14:48a long time
14:49on the list.
14:53After establishing
14:55a rapport
14:55with the
14:56children,
14:56the forensic
14:57investigator
14:58asks them
14:58to describe
14:59what happened
15:00earlier that
15:01day.
15:04Mr.
15:04Day
15:04Morning,
15:05tell me
15:06about the
15:06last time
15:07you saw
15:07your dad.
15:07Oh,
15:08you're
15:08looking for
15:08his computer.
15:10Julie
15:11and Jason
15:12were arguing
15:12over a
15:13computer.
15:14Jason was
15:14going to
15:16leave the
15:16residence
15:17and get
15:17another
15:18computer.
15:18When
15:19Julie
15:19told him
15:20that she
15:21had hidden
15:21it in
15:22the bedroom
15:23upstairs.
15:24When your
15:25dad was
15:25looking for
15:26his computer,
15:27how did
15:27he seem
15:28to be?
15:29Did he
15:29seem...
15:30He was
15:30pretty pissed.
15:32Mom and
15:33dad go
15:33upstairs and
15:35then the
15:36kids hear
15:37the yelling
15:37from the
15:37master bedroom.
15:39And then
15:39all of a
15:40sudden,
15:40they hear
15:41a loud
15:41thud.
15:43Both
15:44kids ran
15:45upstairs to
15:45the master
15:46bedroom to
15:47see what
15:47that sound
15:48was.
15:50They
15:50tried to
15:51open the
15:51door.
15:52The door
15:52appeared to
15:53be blocked
15:53by something.
15:55Julie
15:55answered the
15:56door and
15:56she basically
15:57said,
15:58your father
15:58just fell
15:59off a
15:59chair.
16:00He's
16:00fine.
16:01Go
16:01downstairs.
16:03Eventually,
16:04their mom
16:04came out
16:05and said
16:06that daddy
16:07was sleeping
16:07and that
16:08they needed
16:09to go.
16:10The kids
16:11described
16:11going to
16:12a coffee
16:13shop.
16:14The son
16:15said that
16:15they ended
16:16up at
16:16their
16:16grandfather's
16:17house.
16:21Although
16:21the children
16:22didn't
16:23witness the
16:23shooting,
16:24their story
16:25provides
16:25detectives with
16:26a timeline
16:27of events.
16:28They were
16:29watching a
16:29specific cartoon
16:30that they
16:30were able to
16:31describe.
16:31We were
16:32able to
16:33determine what
16:33time that
16:34cartoon was
16:35airing in
16:36our region and
16:37we determined
16:38that between
16:388 and 9 a.m.
16:40is when Jason
16:41was killed.
16:43The children
16:44said that
16:45they went
16:45to a coffee
16:46shop and
16:47they ended
16:47up finding
16:48a receipt
16:48in Julie's
16:49car for
16:50La Costa
16:50coffee for
16:51941.
16:53If he
16:54passed away
16:54in the
16:54morning and
16:56we didn't
16:56get a call
16:56until 11 o'clock
16:58at night
16:58that night,
17:00what was
17:00going on
17:01during all
17:01of those
17:02hours?
17:05We took
17:06all of this
17:06information
17:07as well as
17:07the coffee
17:08shop receipt
17:09and we
17:10were able
17:10to go
17:10and retrace
17:11her day.
17:13The barista
17:14said that
17:15Julie was
17:16acting
17:16relatively
17:17normal and
17:18didn't seem
17:19frazzled or
17:20concerned or
17:21worried about
17:21anything.
17:23It almost
17:24seemed psychopathic
17:25that she was
17:26able to go
17:26about her
17:27day in
17:28such a
17:28nonchalant
17:29manner while
17:30planning her
17:31next steps.
17:32The real
17:33question I
17:34had is what
17:34took place
17:35during the
17:36actual
17:36shooting?
17:37What
17:38precipitated
17:39the shooting?
17:40Was there
17:41a conversation
17:42or was this
17:43a planned
17:44first degree
17:45murder?
17:46And we
17:46needed to do
17:47some real
17:47forensic work
17:48to get more
17:49information so
17:50we could figure
17:50out what to
17:52do next and
17:53figure out
17:53exactly how
17:54this happened.
18:10California
18:11authorities have
18:13arrested Julie
18:14Harper for the
18:15shooting death
18:15of her husband
18:16Jason Harper
18:17and investigators
18:19are skeptical
18:20of Julie's
18:21claims of
18:22self-defense.
18:24When they
18:25first processed
18:26Julie, I
18:27remember
18:27looking through
18:28all those
18:28photographs and
18:29there isn't
18:29a single
18:31speck of a
18:32bruise or
18:33a scratch or
18:34any sort of
18:35mark to
18:35indicate that
18:36Julie had
18:37just recently
18:37been in some
18:38sort of a
18:39physical
18:39confrontation at
18:41all.
18:42Detectives hope
18:43an autopsy will
18:44provide more
18:45definitive answers.
18:48There was a
18:48.38 caliber
18:49bullet that
18:50was recovered
18:51from Jason's
18:52body.
18:53What we
18:53wanted to
18:54determine was
18:55the bullet
18:56entrance and
18:57its trajectory
18:57to help us
18:58determine what
19:01Jason's movement
19:02was at the
19:02time of the
19:03incident.
19:04Was he going
19:05towards her?
19:06Was he going
19:06away from her?
19:08Generally, you
19:09would see
19:09evidence of
19:10stippling or
19:11soot if he
19:12was within
19:12three feet,
19:13and there was
19:14no evidence
19:14of that.
19:16Jason was
19:17shot in the
19:18left ribcage,
19:19kind of more
19:20towards the
19:20back of the
19:21ribcage,
19:22and the bullet
19:23traveled at
19:24an upward
19:24trajectory from
19:25the left
19:26ribcage and
19:27rested right
19:28here in the
19:29right pectoral,
19:30and it ended
19:30up piercing his
19:31heart.
19:32To me, what
19:34that entry wound
19:35indicated was
19:36that Jason was
19:37actually probably
19:37turning his
19:38body away from
19:39Julie at the
19:40moment that she
19:41pulled the
19:41trigger.
19:44The day
19:45after the
19:46shooting,
19:47investigators
19:47still aren't
19:48convinced by
19:49Julie's version
19:50of events, so
19:51they turned to
19:52the Harper's
19:53closest friends
19:54and family.
19:55I wanted to
19:56know whether
19:56there was
19:57anything to
19:57corroborate her
19:58claim, whether
19:59witnesses had
20:00seen her being
20:01abused.
20:03After a thorough
20:04investigation, we
20:05weren't able to
20:06find a single
20:07friend or family
20:08member who was
20:10able to give
20:10any indication
20:11of past abuse.
20:16neighbors say
20:17it was Julie's
20:18behavior, not
20:20Jason's, that
20:21concerned them.
20:22There was a lot
20:23of speculation
20:24because her
20:25demeanor, her
20:26persona, her
20:27personality has
20:28started to change
20:29in different ways.
20:31After the second
20:32child was born,
20:33there was a shift
20:34in Julie's warm,
20:35attentive nature
20:36as a mother.
20:39According to
20:40the neighbors,
20:41Julie's decline
20:42worsened after the
20:43arrival of the
20:44Harper's third
20:45child.
20:47Police are talking
20:48to a lot of
20:48people that know
20:49Julie Harper
20:50personally, and
20:51what many of them
20:52said collectively
20:53is, I don't know
20:55who this person
20:55is anymore.
20:56She used to be
20:57present, and now
20:59we don't see her.
21:00There was concern
21:00about her
21:02well-being.
21:04There was some
21:05suspicion that
21:06she was going
21:06through postpartum
21:07depression, and
21:08that certainly
21:10increased the
21:11deterioration that
21:12she was going
21:12through.
21:14Your house can't
21:15be 100% clean
21:16all the time,
21:17especially with
21:18little kids, but
21:19Julie's house was
21:20normally more
21:21well-appointed, and
21:23it was kind of
21:24just kind of a
21:25disaster over
21:29there.
21:30When they
21:31offered Julie
21:32support, she
21:33explained she'd
21:34been suffering
21:35from various
21:36medical issues.
21:38Julie was
21:39suffering from
21:40rheumatoid
21:41arthritis, which
21:42is very
21:42debilitating and
21:43painful.
21:44She was
21:45prescribed by a
21:46legitimate
21:47physician medicine
21:49to manage that
21:50pain.
21:50She was
21:51seeking doctors
21:52that would
21:53prescribe her
21:53opioids and
21:54narcotics to
21:55help remedy
21:56that problem.
21:58It appeared
21:59that she had
21:59been abusing
22:00these medications
22:01because she
22:02was taking a
22:03whole lot of
22:04pills.
22:06Police were
22:07stunned by the
22:08amount of
22:10prescription drugs
22:11that were in
22:11that home.
22:1352 bottles
22:14is a lot, and
22:15when you look
22:16and see when
22:16these prescriptions
22:17were written,
22:18within a year,
22:19there were
22:20thousands upon
22:21thousands of
22:21pills that
22:22were taken.
22:26Between
22:26September 2011
22:27and August
22:282012, Julie's
22:31drug dependence
22:31deepened and
22:32began to take a
22:33toll on her
22:34marriage.
22:36Some of the
22:36themes that we
22:37were getting from
22:38the friends and
22:38family is that it
22:39was clear that
22:40this relationship
22:41was kind of at
22:41the end of its
22:42rope.
22:43And my theory
22:45is that I
22:46think he said,
22:47I want to get
22:48a divorce.
22:49We should get a
22:50divorce.
22:51I think that
22:52really upset her
22:53because she was
22:55trying to save
22:56the marriage.
23:00When
23:01investigators
23:01check court
23:02records, they
23:03learned the
23:04Harpers were in
23:04the process of
23:05getting a
23:06divorce.
23:07But Jason
23:08wasn't the
23:09one who
23:10initiated it.
23:12We learned
23:13that Julie had
23:14filed for
23:15divorce from
23:15Jason five
23:16days prior to
23:17the shooting.
23:19She listed that
23:20there had been
23:21verbal abuse.
23:24We think she
23:25wanted to be the
23:25first to kind of
23:26set this set the
23:27tone about what
23:29was going on in
23:29the relationship.
23:30I do think she
23:31wanted to have
23:31custody of the
23:32kids and so
23:33that's why she
23:33initiated the
23:34divorce herself.
23:36She's a clever,
23:37savvy person and
23:38she's always
23:39thinking about the
23:40next step.
23:43Coming up, a
23:45second search
23:46warrant uncovers a
23:47damning piece of
23:49evidence.
23:50This appeared to me
23:51to be a getaway
23:52bag.
23:53And Julie
23:54finally breaks her
23:55silence.
23:57He was coming
23:58towards me with his
23:59arms raised and he
24:01said, I'm going to
24:02kill you.
24:18Investigators have
24:19spent just over a
24:20week examining
24:21Julie and Jason
24:22Harper's personal
24:23lives.
24:24And while evidence
24:25of domestic violence
24:26is thin, they have
24:28found a motive for
24:30murder.
24:32The divorce filing,
24:34it really just set
24:35the stage for her
24:37state of mind on
24:38the morning of the
24:39shooting.
24:40She files for
24:41divorce and cites
24:42abuse.
24:43And she cites, I
24:45don't feel safe, he's
24:47abusing me, I'm
24:48afraid.
24:49Those are things she
24:50wanted to make sure
24:51were on record before
24:53she did this.
24:57And when detectives
24:59speak with Jason's
25:00mother, they discover
25:02Julie's escape plan
25:03didn't end with a
25:05divorce.
25:06Jason's mother,
25:08Lina, saw Jason
25:09the night before and
25:11they conversed about
25:12Jason seeing what he
25:15believed was fraud on
25:16his credit cards.
25:18Julie wrote two
25:20$4,500 checks against
25:22Jason's credit cards
25:23and cashed those.
25:27Bank records confirm
25:29Julie cashed the
25:30checks one week before
25:32the shooting.
25:33Julie was able to
25:35withdraw the cash by
25:36forging Jason's
25:37signature.
25:38We were able to get
25:40bank video of her
25:41going to the bank and
25:42the signature didn't
25:44match Jason's
25:45signature.
25:46This was a possible
25:48sign that she had been
25:49planning the killing.
25:50We believed it was
25:52related to her
25:53premeditation and
25:54deliberation.
25:55And we also wondered
25:57whether he had
25:58confronted her about
25:59the divorce filing and
26:01the money that was
26:02stolen on the morning of
26:03the shooting.
26:09As a theory of murder
26:11takes shape,
26:12investigators want more
26:14evidence to ensure a
26:15conviction.
26:17We felt like we missed
26:19something in her dad's
26:21home and we wanted to
26:23have an opportunity to
26:24search it again to
26:26gather more evidence.
26:28Police did a search
26:29warrant on August 16th,
26:31about nine days after the
26:33shooting.
26:34I would say a dozen
26:36detectives and myself went
26:38out to really thoroughly
26:40search the residence.
26:45We went to the garage
26:46area that has been
26:48searched before and we
26:51went into an attic space.
26:53While I was photographing
26:55the attic, I noticed that
26:57there was a, right as you
26:58get to the top, there was
26:59a blue Jansport backpack.
27:02I went back down the
27:03stairs and I was like,
27:04hey detectives, make sure
27:05that you look at that
27:06backpack up there because it
27:07seems out of place.
27:09It appeared that it had
27:11been hidden there and it
27:12was hidden for a reason.
27:14So the police opened it
27:15up.
27:16Inside that backpack was
27:19Jason's cell phone, Julie's
27:21cell phone, jewelry, Jason's
27:25last will and testament, some
27:28passports, and interestingly
27:31enough, a naked photo of
27:33Jason.
27:34He was laying on what
27:36appeared to be like a
27:38hotel bed in the nude.
27:41That in itself is bizarre
27:43and disturbing.
27:45I don't know why she would
27:47need that.
27:48There was also a 32 caliber
27:50pistol and that belonged to
27:52Julie that was registered in
27:53her name.
27:58The caliber is not a match
28:00for the weapon that killed
28:02Jason, but to detectives,
28:04the contents of the backpack
28:06are telling.
28:08This appeared to me to be a
28:09getaway bag.
28:10It's something that a killer
28:12would use in order to flee the
28:14jurisdiction.
28:16I think the purpose of having
28:18the passports is for her and
28:19the oldest two kids to get out
28:21of the country.
28:22I think the jewelry is pricey, so
28:25she needed to sell it, but the
28:27last will and testament kind of
28:29stumps me, because if you're
28:31found guilty, the money you're
28:33going to get is not going to be
28:34from his last will and testament.
28:39The backpack was important.
28:41I think it kind of telltale sign,
28:43this is preplanned.
28:45She knew, and then she did a
28:47really good job of retaining her
28:49attorney and making it difficult
28:51for us.
28:52I would say the level of planning
28:54that she was able to go through
28:56after the fact and the steps that
28:58she took to cover it up showed me
29:00that she wasn't really abused.
29:02And as long as a person thought
29:04about their actions and planned to
29:07take the actions before the
29:09killing, that constitutes first
29:11degree murder.
29:12We were ready to prove to a jury
29:14that this woman intentionally killed
29:17her husband.
29:34In September 2014, two years after
29:38Jason Harper was shot to death, his
29:40wife, Julie Harper, stands trial for
29:43premeditated murder.
29:45As expected, Julie claims self-defense.
29:50But her attorney surprises everyone by
29:53putting Julie on the stand.
29:57Most defendants choose not to take the
30:00witness stand, but this was not your
30:02typical defendant.
30:03She was extremely smart, and she was
30:06ready to tell her story.
30:09Julie claimed that Jason was loud, he
30:12was verbally abusive, and that she was
30:14scared of him.
30:16She said she was trying to protect
30:17herself and her children from this
30:20madman.
30:24As evidence, Julie provides video
30:27recordings of Jason's behavior.
30:31F*** you, bitch!
30:33Carpool bitch.
30:35Figure it out.
30:36Can't help it if you're too dumb to do
30:37it.
30:38Too lazy.
30:39Seems like the B-I-T-C-H is the only
30:42word that you can use.
30:44That is darn right.
30:45That's what you are.
30:48He was six foot seven and 230 pounds and
30:52very athletic and very strong.
30:55His body was a weapon.
30:57It can paint the picture that he could
30:59be this kind of guy that could become
31:02unhinged.
31:04Once again, bull, I'm not paying for
31:06anything.
31:07I'm paying for the vacation.
31:10That's bull, I am.
31:11That isn't true.
31:13When we saw these videos in court, I
31:16knew that they didn't make Jason look
31:18good because he was being angry and he
31:21was yelling at Julie.
31:22But just because someone's angry and
31:25yelling at their spouse, there's a huge
31:27step from that to physically abusing
31:30them.
31:31And Julie swears under oath that Jason
31:34didn't stop with verbal abuse.
31:37She claimed that she was repeatedly raped
31:40by him every single day.
31:43I said, stop, stop.
31:46What are you doing?
31:47Stop.
31:49The defense enters Julie's personal
31:52journal as further evidence.
31:54The journal apparently was the evidence
31:57that would, according to Julie, corroborate
32:00her testimony that she was being raped by
32:03Jason.
32:05In her journal, she would write sex next
32:08to the date that this happened.
32:10And she said that the word sex was code
32:12for rape.
32:16But aside from Julie's private journal,
32:19the defense cannot present any evidence to
32:22corroborate her claims.
32:25It's hard to refute if he's not here.
32:27But no one that knows Jason believes her
32:29claims.
32:30No one.
32:31Nobody had any indication that she was going
32:34to claim this until we went to trial.
32:37There was no physical evidence or videos or
32:40audio that would tend to show that Jason
32:43Harper had raped his wife.
32:46Instead, the defense relies on Julie's emotional
32:50recounting of the events that unfolded on August
32:537, 2012.
32:57What Julie said was they were arguing with one
33:00another.
33:01He got this crazy look in his eye.
33:04She said he ran up to her screaming and began
33:08taking off her clothes.
33:10She believed she was going to be raped again.
33:16He was coming towards me with his arms raised and
33:21he said, I'm going to kill you, you
33:26That was the first time we had ever heard Julie
33:30Harper say anything about Jason Harper threatening
33:33to kill her.
33:35Knowing what I know of Jason and the gentle giant
33:38that he was, I don't believe he was ever like that.
33:41I grabbed my gun from under my pillow.
33:46I turned around.
33:48I told him, stop.
33:51Will you stop?
33:52No, I said, stay back.
33:54Felt my hand jerk and heard the loud noise.
34:00And he was still like coming forward at me.
34:05And then all of a sudden he froze completely.
34:10And that he fell with a thud on the ground.
34:18She claims she could tell within seconds that he was gone.
34:24The biggest surprise during her testimony was what she had done with the gun.
34:30She claims that she buried it in somebody's yard or something like that to preserve it for
34:36evidence.
34:37But it's our belief that she disposed of it because it showed her guilt.
34:45To prosecutors, the story is an obvious fabrication.
34:51As good as she was at testifying, I knew that her story was simply contradicted by the physical forensic evidence
35:01from the autopsy.
35:04What she basically said was that he was approaching her and he did not turn away and that at the
35:10moment that she pulled the trigger, he was standing directly in front of her.
35:13And so the physical evidence directly disputed what she said actually happened.
35:20The medical examiner determined there was a single gunshot wound to Jason Harper's back on the side near his ribcage.
35:30The bullet entered from behind and traveled to the front.
35:39After closing arguments, the jury retires to deliberate.
35:45The jury, after hearing the evidence, determined that we did not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt as it
35:51relates to first-degree murder and elected to acquit Julie.
35:56The jury was hung 9 to 3 for not guilty on second-degree murder.
36:01And so the court declared a mistrial.
36:04I was shocked and disappointed at the outcome.
36:07And the prospect of having to do this trial all over again was a daunting one.
36:16A trial date is set for the following year and Julie is released on bond.
36:23Yeah, for the first trial, she just wanted to come back in like life is normal.
36:28So she was going to concerts when she was out living in the house that she murdered her husband in,
36:34having a good time.
36:36The kids were, I believe, under the care and custody of Jason's parents.
36:47As we approached that second trial date, Julie informed the judge that she needed to delay the trial again.
36:55We learned that Julie had intentionally become pregnant through an artificial insemination.
37:06I absolutely think it was a tactic to try to be found not guilty by either being pregnant during trial
37:14and or having a baby right before going to trial.
37:34A year after her first trial for the suspected murder of her husband, Jason Harper, ended with a hung jury.
37:41Julie Harper's second trial begins in September 2015, following an unexpected pregnancy delay.
37:50Whether the recent birth of her fourth child will result in sympathy from the jury remains to be seen.
37:58Once again, Julie took the witness stand and she stuck to her story.
38:03It was a story about being a battered woman who is physically, verbally and sexually abused.
38:13Now that they are familiar with her defense strategy, prosecutors have a new approach.
38:20What we were going to do is we were going to ask her about all the times that she's lied
38:24about this case.
38:26And there was literally hundreds of questions.
38:32They carefully dissect each piece of evidence, pointing out inconsistencies.
38:38They begin with the videos the defense used to establish Jason's abuse.
38:45F*** you, bitch!
38:48It was clear that obviously Jason was frustrated, but what was also clear to me is that Jason wasn't doing
38:56anything physically violent.
38:58This was strictly a verbal argument.
39:02And then when you looked at her journal, things just didn't add up.
39:05She says that this man had raped her over and over and over again.
39:09Spousal rape 30 plus times is what she's accusing this man of.
39:14But she also was writing in her journal, at the same time that she says she's being raped, that she
39:19wants more sex with him.
39:21She was actually frustrated with his sexual prowess and wanted it to last longer.
39:27That doesn't compute with someone who is violating you in one of the worst ways possible, continuously.
39:39Jason's search history from the morning he was shot also contradicts Julie's claims.
39:46Julie had said that basically that from around 8.30 to approximately 9 a.m., Jason was trying to rape
39:53her, essentially.
39:53And what we found was that he was actually on his own computer, looking up resources to help him with
40:01his soon-to-be-pending divorce.
40:03He could not have been simultaneously browsing and searching the internet at 8.36 in the morning and raping Julie
40:10Harper.
40:11If she's lying about that, what else is she lying about?
40:18The prosecution argues that Julie's desperation didn't stem from any alleged abuse, but her own dissatisfaction with her life.
40:29Her relationship was crumbling, mostly because of her own actions.
40:33She just snapped. Completely just snapped.
40:38This time, the jury is less sympathetic to Julie's claims.
40:44Julie was ultimately convicted of second-degree murder and using a firearm in the commission of that murder.
40:50She is sentenced to 40 years to life, 15 was for the murder, and 25 was for the gun charge.
40:59I mean, normal people don't go around killing their husbands or spouses and go have coffee or whatever.
41:05I do believe that Julie got exactly what she deserved.
41:08That's a long time. That's a long time.
41:13I think one of the worst parts about this, other than Jason losing his life, is that Julie took real
41:21stories from real people that sometimes don't make it out alive.
41:27And she took these stories, she concocted this plan for her own benefit, and didn't think about how anybody else
41:35would feel about it other than herself.
41:39Julie Harper ruined Jason's life.
41:42She had shot and killed him.
41:44And then she tried to destroy his legacy by dragging his name through the mud.
41:49It was all very shocking and sad.
41:52I think Jason's death could have been easily prevented.
41:55I think something within that combination of whatever medications she was taking or misusing and whatever was going on in
42:03her head caused her to snap.
42:06The biggest tragedy is the children.
42:09It's hard enough for a child to lose any parent, much less two.
42:14They respect Jason.
42:15And I remember Jason.
42:16She killed a great, great man.
42:19Jason was such a good person.
42:20He was such a value, such an asset, and just his loss was immense, and it was felt, and it
42:27still felt.
42:38He was such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value,
42:38such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a
42:38value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such
42:38a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value,
42:38such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a
42:38value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such
42:38a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value,
42:38such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a value, such a
42:39value, such a value, such a value
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