Death in the Dorms (2023–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - Episode #1.1 - full transcript
Westwood is the perfect
college town.
Back now to that
breaking news in Westwood.
It's the type of place
where you can walk home
by yourself late at night
and you feel comfortable.
While it's wonderful to think
that you can leave
your doors unlocked...
don't.
I woke up because I heard
somebody screaming.
That's a visual you...
You don't forget.
We found an adult female
in the fire.
I was just really scared.
This was an intentional fire.
This was a violent death.
We just couldn't believe
that someone would have done
this to her on purpose.
Detectives have two
different stories.
So who's telling the truth?
This can't be happening.
We are or were a family of five.
Alexis was almost four years
younger than Andrea.
Whatever Andrea was doing,
Alexis always wanted
to be with Andrea.
She had, like,
this cool essence about her
that seemed to draw people in.
Andrea had a huge sense
of adventure.
She loved to go on hikes
or going for bike rides.
She loved to go long boarding
at, like, 3:00 a.m.
Losing her... I mean,
it makes me, like, shake.
When Andrea was in high
school, she loved learning.
She was always reading, going
to museums to learn about art
and loved to learn about people
by going out in the world.
She was interested
in studying psychology.
I thought, "That is, like,
a perfect career for you."
You're a natural at it.
When Andrea was applying
to colleges,
my top choice for her
was University of Chicago,
just because her brother
was gonna be there.
And I felt they would always
look out after each other.
After she got all
her applications in,
one of her last acceptances
was from UCLA.
She said, "Mom, I chose UCLA."
"It will be
a big change for me."
So I said, "Okay."
And then I gave her a hug
and I went out to my car.
And I burst out into tears
and I was sobbing.
I don't know why,
but I was just... so sad.
And I don't know if it was some
sort of premonition or what.
Who knows?
After we had moved Andrea
into her dorm...
...we were saying
our final goodbyes.
I looked at her
and I said, "Honey,
you know, this is like
your opportunity to grow
and to be whoever
you want to be."
The best part of UCLA for me
was the connections
and, like, the familiarity
of making some
of my best friends.
♫ And I don't know them,
but the people stay the same ♫
♫ I feed them but they say
my food is fleshy gray ♫
♫ And I don't know why
but the feeling still remains ♫
♫ That all my aches
will melt away ♫
UCLA was a dream school for me.
Move-in day at UCLA
felt like freedom.
It really is the iconic college
campus that you can't believe
you're walking to class
every day and you belong there.
Westwood is also a perfect
college town.
It's beautiful.
It feels safe. It feels small.
A lot of great things to do.
It's the type of place
where you can walk home
by yourself late at night
and you feel comfortable.
I think we all felt
really safe in Westwood.
♫ Don't feel like myself,
thank God ♫
I met Andy
at our sorority bid night
the first week of school.
Her sense of humor
was outrageous
and over-the-top, very wild.
When I met her,
we had an instant connection.
She had the craziest
sense of style.
She was the person that would
show up in a tie-dye T-shirt,
mismatched socks, and just all
of these bright colors.
♫ Don't feel like myself,
thank God ♫
♫ Mistake me for someone else,
thank God ♫
Shay Panda was
Andy's beloved dog.
When she rescued Shay, that was
something that gave her purpose.
I remember when Andy
got Shay Panda,
and she posted the picture
of Shay Panda,
and she was like,
"We have a new slut pup
in the apartment."
It was just like... like the dog
was one of our friends.
Senior year, Andy and I
were just so excited.
We were planning to find
this spot by the beach
that we could have.
Andy had a lot of goals.
I think number one
was the traveling.
Andy just wanted to help people.
We thought she was gonna join
the Peace Corps.
Andy was a firm believer in that
you have to be uncomfortable
to really grow
and you have to put yourself
in situations
that force you to grow
and develop as a person.
And she was not afraid of that.
One word I think of when I think
of her is "fearless."
And she truly was.
Senior year, Andy moved
into the senior apartments
with Jessica
and some other girls
from another sorority.
And they were really happy
living together
until the night
before school started.
So Sunday night,
we had a couple
of our sorority sisters
come over to help us.
We were working on something
for a sorority rush.
I was stopping by
quickly to pick up something.
It was gonna be recruitment
and we had a skit
and they had some of the props
for the skit.
I didn't really even
talk to her.
It was just a quick like,
"Hey, hey, guys,
see you tomorrow."
And I obviously had no idea
that would be the last time
I saw her.
I ended up staying up
until 3:30 in the morning.
So I went to bed and I always
slept with two fans on.
It was noisy outside.
I woke up to my roommate banging
on my door and screaming.
I opened my door,
and I saw the fire.
I ran to Andy's bedroom...
and my roommate opened the door.
Me and my roommate
were screaming
and screaming her name
over and over again.
And a part of me didn't want to
believe that she was in there,
but I knew she was.
The girls were running out
of the complex,
and I had all these thoughts
running through my mind like,
"How can I get her out?"
But the fire was overwhelming.
It's a visual you...
You don't forget.
Nothing can prepare you
for that.
I woke up really early.
I had to box-dye my hair
for recruitment.
One of the girls across the hall
from me said,
"I heard there's a fire
at senior apartments,"
and I tried to stay calm.
I was like, "I'm sure someone
left their straightener on.
They probably put it out
with a towel.
It's probably no big deal."
My name is Victor Avila.
I'm a deputy district attorney
in Los Angeles County.
Firefighters enter
Andrea DelVesco's apartment,
and they're making attempts
to extinguish the fire.
The fire department
told us to go on the sidewalk,
so we did.
I had no idea
why this was happening.
I did not want to believe
that she was in there.
Once the fire is out,
firefighters were able to see
the body of a young woman
who was on the bed.
Her body was charred.
Based on the condition
of the body,
it was difficult
to do an identification.
It was almost unrecognizable.
They also noticed
that there was a dog.
The dog had belabored breathing.
He was burnt.
They immediately took the dog
and rendered first aid.
It is obvious
that Andrea is missing.
That is her room.
At this point,
detectives believe
that is Andrea DelVesco.
One of the girls
across the hall from me said,
"Someone was found dead
at senior apartments.
Everyone is accounted for
except for Andy."
I didn't know what to do.
I felt frozen.
Within about two hours,
arson experts are of the opinion
that this is an intentional fire
that was set...
...by someone placing
the trash can on the bed
and igniting the debris
within that trash can.
So this now becomes
a homicide investigation.
To determine the cause of death,
the coroner will take the body
back to the coroner's office
and conduct a full autopsy.
In 2015,
I was starting
my junior year at UCLA.
I was an assistant news editor
at the "Daily Bruin."
That morning, I was walking
to the gym on Gayley Avenue,
and there's just this swarm
of police activity.
Police said that they found
a student's body.
It made my stomach drop because
I wasn't just a reporter
coming from the outside, like,
this is my community,
this is my neighborhood.
This happened around the corner
from my apartment.
I was definitely very young
in my career
and very shy.
This is the first time I had
to approach people in crisis.
One of the first things
we learn is that
there is a 911 call made
early that morning,
and that's the 911 call made
by Sarah Muir.
Sarah, one-on-one,
take two. Mark.
My name is Sarah,
and I am a fellow sorority
sister of Andrea DelVesco.
One of the first times
that I met Andy
was kind of like
a themed fraternity party.
And everyone's dressed
in all these, you know,
cute, like, tight outfits,
right?
And Andy comes in this one
that's, like, this huge,
like, skirt.
And that was just, like,
her personality in general.
Like, she just always wanted
to have a good time,
wanted everyone else
to have a good time.
An unidentified female...
The fire department
responded to a 911 call.
Investigators
determined it was arson.
That weekend, I had turned 21.
My boyfriend came down
to visit me, and he was leaving
for the airport
that Monday, September 21st.
So we got up, I think
it's like 5:30 in the morning,
take him to the airport,
come back to go to my apartment.
I had work in the morning,
so I set my alarm
and went back
to sleep for an hour.
And then I woke up because
I heard somebody screaming.
And I heard a dog barking.
Andy has a dog,
and she lives below me.
I don't know if it's her...
because Shay never barked.
Like, I had never heard
her bark a single time.
The dog was just going
absolutely crazy.
I called Andy's phone
a couple of times.
She didn't answer.
And I immediately
just dialed 911.
So I kind of just stood on my
balcony, just freaking out,
you know, wondering if
everything is gonna be okay.
I just have
this terrible feeling.
At about 6:23 a.m.,
police officers arrive at
Sarah Muir's apartment complex.
They make contact with her,
then went into the courtyard
and began to look
at the various apartments,
including Andrea DelVesco's.
I saw them shining, like,
flashlights in a couple windows.
They did not notice any damage
or any signs
of breaking and entering.
They could not hear anything,
they did not see anything.
And given what they had,
they didn't feel at the time
that it was necessary
for them to knock on any doors.
And so at that point,
they left the location.
After the police left,
like, I didn't feel any better.
Just left me, like, anxious
and thinking, like,
"Well, what am I gonna do now?"
My other roommate comes out
as I was getting
a glass of water.
And I tell her that I'm,
you know, kind of freaking out,
just sitting here
kind of spiraling by myself,
wondering what's going on,
you know, like...
She kind of was just, you know,
trying to make me feel better.
"I think it's fine.
You know, it's probably okay
if the police came."
And then that was right
when she was
walking back into her room
and I hear this loud...
...coming from downstairs.
So I run to my balcony...
...and then saw
Andy's room on fire.
And then this guy running out
of Andy's room
and he's like, got, like,
a blanket over himself.
And I don't know why.
I guess I just chased after him.
I ran out to the street and saw
this red car driving away
from across the street.
What she was able
to pick up at that moment
were some Greek letters
in the rear window
of that red vehicle.
And because she's
part of a sorority,
she's able to recognize
those Greek letters
as part of a fraternity...
The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Then all the other girls
start to wake up
because the fire alarms
were going off.
And then everyone's like,
"Where's Andy?"
Police interviewed
members of fraternity houses,
but nobody seemed
to recognize the red car.
We went to the police station,
where they questioned us
separately.
It was one after the other.
Detectives are trying to
find out what were the roommates
and what was Andrea
doing the night before
leading up to this incident?
And what they get
from the roommates
is that the night before,
it was rush week,
all the roommates were together.
They were having wine, drinks
out in a balcony that faces
Roebling Avenue.
Later they went inside
and Andrea DelVesco's apartment,
and they stayed late
into the early morning
working on this up
until about 3:00 a.m.
So the next step is who may have
committed this crime?
Did Andrea have anyone
that did not like her?
And the answer was no.
She didn't have any enemies.
Everyone loved her.
She did not have
a boyfriend at the time.
So we thought, "Could it have
been a Tinder date gone wrong?
Could it have been... What...
What would have happened here?"
Just, like, thinking
about the fear
she must've... gone through.
And... and I was just
really scared.
And I-I don't think I had...
I didn't believe it yet, even.
Greek life is such
a tight-knit community.
So when something as big
as this happens,
news spreads really fast.
It was a beautiful, sunny day...
um, in September.
And my husband and I woke up.
Fixed Alexis' breakfast.
She went to school.
I was sitting in my math class.
All of a sudden,
my phone started ringing.
It was my sister's best friend.
And when I got on the phone
with her, she was like,
"Do you know?"
I immediately called
Andrea's friend,
and I said, "What's going on?"
And she said, "There was
a fire at her apartment
and everybody made it out,
but not Andy."
Every fiber of my being wanted
to believe that Andrea is okay
and that they were mistaken.
The police spoke to my husband
and they said,
"We can't tell you anything
until you come to L.A."
By the time we got on the plane,
we still hadn't heard,
and I just remember
just praying the whole time.
"Please let her be alive.
This can't be happening."
Sometime around 9:00 p.m.,
police officers that are
still securing the crime scene
out on Roebling Avenue
are approached
by two individuals
that attend UCLA who live
right across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's
apartment complex.
And they tell the officer
that their apartment
had been burglarized
earlier that morning.
So this was the same morning
as the murder
at around the time
when Sarah Muir
had reported the individual out
in front of her apartment.
So this burglary could be
connected to the murder
of Andrea DelVesco.
The items stolen from their
apartment included laptops
and Sonos speakers,
which you'd have to register
online in order to use.
LAPD Officer Hunt contacts
the Sonos speakers company
and asked them
for any IP information
or any information related
to the stolen Sonos speakers.
So in case someone tries to use
them with a new e-mail address,
he would like them to report
back to him if possible.
We arrived at L.A.X.
I think it was like midnight
or 1:00 in the morning.
The chief of the LAPD said
a crime was committed.
At this point,
I knew she was dead.
But part of me
didn't want to accept it...
...until I had seen her.
I said, "Well, I would like
to see my daughter."
I just wanted to hold her
one last time.
And they said, "Well,
we cannot allow that
until the autopsy
has been completed."
And we're in the car
on the way to the hotel,
two of Andrea's friends
texted us.
They said, "Your daughter's dog
is in distressed condition."
We arrived
at the animal hospital
and we saw Shay Panda.
She was in kind of
like a glass crate.
A doctor came over
and he said, "She is suffering."
We all agreed that it was better
if we just let Shay Panda
go to join Andrea.
Alexis had Shay Panda
in her lap.
The doctor gave her a shot
to put her to sleep.
We said goodbye to Shay Panda
and said her...
Kiss Andrea for us.
And then it hit me.
If Andrea was involved
in that same fire,
what...
What her body...
must have looked like.
And I thought, "This is just...
the worst thing
that we have ever experienced."
At the autopsy, the
deputy medical examiners noticed
when they looked
at Andrea's body,
Andrea was wearing what appeared
to be a sports bra
but did not have
any bottom underwear.
They noticed multiple
stab wounds.
The stab wounds are
throughout her body...
Front, back.
This was a violent death.
The victim had been stabbed
19 times throughout her body
and there were two stab wounds
cutting each side of her neck.
Those are lethal injuries
because those are
to her carotid arteries.
Those are the arteries that send
blood and oxygen to the brain.
If those are cut, according to
the deputy medical examiner,
someone would die
within minutes.
It's the deputy medical
examiner's opinion
that the cause of death
is multiple stab wounds
to Andrea's body.
They did not find any smoke in
her lungs or any other airways.
And from that, you can infer
that she had already died
at the time of the fire.
At this point, LAPD detectives
believe the killer tried
to cover up his crime
by setting her
and her room on fire.
Andrea DelVesco
was a 21-year-old
fourth-year student at UCLA.
She was originally
from Austin, Texas.
She was found after firefighters
put out flames...
At that point, I had
spoken with police a few times
and I just wanted to know
what had happened
and who would do this.
Representatives at the school
tell us they are saddened
and shocked by what happened.
I think the
circumstances of her death
were so out of the ordinary
that there was a sense that,
you know,
there had to be some connection,
like, maybe she knew the killer.
We just learned that
four days after she was killed,
DelVesco was scheduled
to appear in court.
Court records show DelVesco
was arrested three months ago
and charged with four counts
of drug possession,
including methamphetamine
and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.
Those things
are very hard to read.
That's not who
we were friends with.
That's not who she was.
It was so disappointing
to see that she was reduced
to a blond sorority girl
with a bunch of drugs on her.
Court records show
DelVesco was arrested
three months ago.
They were making it out
that Andrea was a drug dealer
and that she had gotten murdered
because she was gonna
give evidence
against this group of people.
That just is totally untrue.
The true story was she had
gathered some drugs
with some friends.
She never was a drug dealer.
She certainly wasn't making
any money off of it.
Even some of the headlines
would say that she was caught
with methamphetamines.
She had Adderall.
And you'd be hard-pressed
to find a UCLA student
that didn't have Adderall
at some point.
The media around Andy's murder
was so mishandled
and so... did not respect her
as a person.
She was just a juicy
gossip headline.
Detectives looked
into Andrea's background
and discovered that she was,
by no intents and purposes,
any type of experienced
drug dealer.
She was selling low level
amounts of drugs
to her friends who were
attending music festivals.
That immediately became
a non avenue for investigators
as further evidence developed
as to who the possible suspect
was on this case.
Two days after
Andrea DelVesco's murder,
a representative from Sonos
speakers tells a police officer
someone did try to register
those stolen
Sonos speakers online
using a new e-mail address.
With the e-mail address
provided by Sonos speakers,
detectives have the name
of someone in Fresno
who is connected to the speakers
that were stolen
right across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's
apartment complex.
He may be the individual
who caused the fire.
It was definitely, like,
a haunting kind of moment
for the campus community.
You just feel different
walking on campus.
You feel on edge.
Going back to school
right after everything
happened...
...I, like, barely was,
you know, there
as a person just trying
to, like, go to my classes
and hopefully pass.
Get more than an hour of sleep
without having a nightmare.
LAPD detectives drive
all the way to Fresno
to interview an individual
about the Sonos speakers
that were stolen
the morning of the fire.
Police officers arrive.
That individual appeared
to be nervous.
Detectives immediately ask him,
"How did you come about
having these Sonos speakers?"
He tells the detectives, "These
are not my Sonos speakers.
I borrowed them from my
roommate, Albert Medina."
Alberto Medina
has no criminal record.
He was a 22-year-old student
at Fresno State University
studying social work
and pre-psychology.
Medina's roommate tells them
that Albert Medina
was down in Los Angeles...
...visiting a friend at UCLA
that weekend
and that when he came back,
he had these Sonos speakers.
So at this point, detectives
have the name of an individual
who has admitted to his roommate
that he was down in Los Angeles
that weekend near UCLA
and that he was in possession
of speakers
that were stolen
right across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's home
the morning of her murder.
Detectives found this
individual credible,
and he was willing to tell them
where they could find
Albert Medina.
♫ To believe in this ♫
♫ To believe in this ♫
Once Medina's arrested,
LAPD detectives then
start questioning Medina.
They wanted to see if there was
any connection to Andy.
♫ I've become, I've become,
I've become, I've become ♫
♫ I've become a thief ♫
Eric Marquez is
a 22-year-old UCLA student,
pre-med.
Marquez did not have
any criminal background.
Officers are picking up
on the fact
that Medina was right
across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's apartment
at the time of the fire.
As the investigation goes on,
police realize that Medina is
continuing to change his story
and kind of slowly
remembering certain details
that he wasn't up front
about before.
And it's at that point
that he tells
the detectives that Eric Marquez
admitted that
he killed Andrea DelVesco.
After the detectives
interview Medina,
they take the long drive
back to Los Angeles.
And Medina points out
for the detectives
Eric Marquez's apartment.
Eric Marquez is a 22-year-old
UCLA student, pre-med.
Marquez did not have
any criminal background.
Later that morning,
police officers approach Marquez
at his apartment.
They ask him if he knows
anything about what happened,
anything about what he and
Medina were doing that weekend.
And Marquez's story is that
he and Medina were out
on Roebling Avenue,
looking for parties.
When they came back
to his apartment,
they fell asleep from 3:00 a.m.
until 8:00 a.m.,
thus they could not have been
out there
at the time of the murder,
which occurred somewhere
around 7:00 a.m.
At this point, detectives have
two different stories.
They have Marquez' story,
and they have Medina's story
blaming Marquez.
So who's telling the truth?
Police are able to look
at security footage
from Marquez's apartment
to see what happened
that morning.
Surveillance video
from Marquez's apartment
reveals both
Eric Marquez and Albert Medina
leaving Marquez's apartment
around 4:30 in the morning.
And this is the time
that they're gonna be
going to Roebling Avenue
looking for more parties.
Sarah Muir made the 911 call
about the fire
and about the suspect
fleeing the scene
sometime around 7:01 a.m.
Sarah sees this individual
jumping over
Andrea's balcony
onto the courtyard
and his back is covered
with a red blanket.
Surveillance video
from Marquez's apartment
also shows that they returned
back to Marquez's apartment
at around 7:06 a.m.
The footage showed Medina
wearing this red blanket.
The red Snuggie
belonged to Andy.
This implicates it was Medina
who was in Andy's apartment.
Detectives give Eric
Marquez a second opportunity
to tell them the truth
about what happened.
Detectives place down
right in front of him
some surveillance video showing
Medina with the red blanket
and him just two steps
in front of him.
At that point, Marquez indicates
that he was heavily intoxicated.
He doesn't remember
what's been shown to him
on the surveillance video,
and he can't remember
the details of the critical hour
when the murder happened.
Eric Marquez and Albert Medina
are being held
at the Van Nuys County Jail.
Officers are gonna have
someone examine them
for any potential evidence
on their body,
including scratches, abrasions.
And what they find is
that Marquez has none of those.
But Medina has several scratches
and abrasions
consisting with being in a fight
or in a struggle
with someone else.
Police are able to obtain
a search warrant
for Medina's home
and they find several pieces
of evidence.
His red Nissan vehicle,
which has a Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity sticker
which matches the description
given by Sarah Muir.
They learned that he was
a member
of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity
up in Fresno State University
and that he had been suspended
from the fraternity
for violating
the standard of conduct.
Investigators find
Andrea DelVesco's DNA
on blood smears on the door
handle and inside the car.
Investigators go into
Medina's room and in his closet,
they find a black bag.
And inside that black bag,
you have the red Snuggie...
...and a bloody tank top.
The black tank top matches
the tank top
Medina was wearing
on the surveillance video.
We have a bloody knife.
The bloody knife
matches a knife set
at Andrea DelVesco's apartment.
So now we're involved
in the case
and we're prosecuting the case.
In my opinion, Marquez
helped with the burglary.
When police officers came
to check up
after that first 911 call,
Eric Marquez remained,
in all likelihood, in the car
waiting for Medina to return.
And he provided a place where
Medina could clean himself up.
He provided a trash bag
to place the murder weapon
and the Nike tank top.
He participated
in those burglaries
that led
to Andrea DelVesco's murder.
But it became clear that there
was insufficient evidence
to show that Marquez
knew exactly what happened
inside Andrea DelVesco's
apartment.
We believe that it was best
to settle the case with Marquez
for something that was
more appropriate to his conduct.
Marquez pled guilty to aiding
and abetting the burglary
of Andrea DelVesco
and accessory after the fact.
He received a sentence
of two years
and eight months
in state prison.
The story that Albert Medina
provided to detectives
was not credible.
Andrea DelVesco... She had
no association with Medina.
She was just in her room
sleeping that night
when he came into her life.
Completely unexpected,
completely random.
Albert Medina
saw Andrea DelVesco
before the murder outside
in her balcony
that faces Roebling Avenue.
According to one
of Andrea's roommates,
Andrea fell asleep
at about 3:00 a.m.
Later that morning,
detectives believe
Medina went inside her apartment
through French doors
that led out to a balcony...
...and did something that was
beyond the pale.
He stabbed her 19 times
while she was screaming.
Then he is able to remain in
that room while police officers
are investigating
the disturbance
for that first 911 call.
He doesn't panic.
He remains in the room
and then thinks about
how to destroy evidence.
And he does so by setting her
and her room on fire.
She was found after firefighters
put out flames
in her burning apartment.
Investigators determined
it was arson.
Andrea DelVesco
was a 21-year-old
fourth-year student at UCLA,
and we're told she was
originally...
We learned about the D.A.
that had been assigned
to prosecute the case.
Victor called
and introduced himself.
He said, "I will keep
the criminal
that murdered Andrea
off the streets
and unable to ever hurt
another person ever again."
Three years after Andrea
had been murdered...
...our whole family
attended the trial.
It was difficult for everybody.
We played a recording
of detectives
interviewing Medina's
other roommate.
The statement he attributed
to Medina was significant.
Andrea DelVesco's body was found
in her burning apartment.
About three days
after the murder,
Medina told him the victim
was probably killed
trying to fight off someone
that was trying to rape her.
And I encourage anybody
with information
regarding something with this
fire to contact detectives.
In my opinion,
it's basically
Medina talking about himself,
talking about how smart it was
for him to burn all the evidence
so it wouldn't be linked
back to him.
That's significant.
So I made these arguments and
based on the evidence presented,
the jury found Albert Medina
guilty of all counts,
including the murder
of Andrea DelVesco,
two residential burglaries,
animal cruelty.
And Andrea's mother,
Leslie, reminded the court
of the cruel irony of this day,
September 21, 2015...
A constant reminder now
of her loss.
This is the date that
he made the choice
to take my wonderful,
amazing daughter's life.
Now it's also the date
Alberto Medina
will never forget.
His sentence
for killing Andrea DelVesco...
Life in prison, no parole.
At the sentencing,
Medina didn't display
any kind of remorse,
um... any kind of emotion.
I mean, it didn't seem like
he had any feelings whatsoever.
It's scary to think
that someone so, like,
malicious exists.
He brutally murdered
a beautiful, innocent person.
He seriously wounded
an entire community.
He must never walk free again.
There was huge relief.
He was finally going to be
serving his punishment
for killing Andrea.
Westwood has
always had a reputation
for being a safe community.
But to come to the end
and realize
this was a random murder
that could happen to anybody,
you start to see
the world differently
after an event like that.
While it's wonderful to
think that you can leave
your doors unlocked
and, you know,
open for your friends
just to come drop by,
don't.
Lock your doors, because
unfortunately there are people
in the world
who are untrustworthy
and do not have your best
interest in their hearts.
♫ We weren't meant to die ♫
♫ We weren't meant
to survive this ♫
One of my favorite
quotes that I heard recently
was that you're not truly dead
unless you're forgotten.
And to me, Andy's never
gonna be truly dead
because we're never
gonna forget her, you know.
She's... she's gonna
live in all of us
for the rest of our lives.
I only knew her
for a few short years,
but the impact
she made on my life
is always gonna be there.
♫ Baby, are you ready now? ♫
♫ Here we come alive now ♫
♫ Hundred bolts of energy ♫
She was my best friend.
Like, most all of you
probably think that
because she was, she
was everyone's best friend.
And that's just really amazing
that she was able
to touch all of us like that.
Andrea was here to show us
a deeper understanding
of what love is.
She taught me that love
is boundless
and infinite.
And for us all to treasure
the moments that we do have
with each other.
Andrea Lauren,
thank you for your lessons,
for your legacy of love.
♫ Here we will be free now ♫
♫ Hundred bolts of energy ♫
♫ Isn't it so wonderful ♫
♫ Isn't it so terrible ♫
college town.
Back now to that
breaking news in Westwood.
It's the type of place
where you can walk home
by yourself late at night
and you feel comfortable.
While it's wonderful to think
that you can leave
your doors unlocked...
don't.
I woke up because I heard
somebody screaming.
That's a visual you...
You don't forget.
We found an adult female
in the fire.
I was just really scared.
This was an intentional fire.
This was a violent death.
We just couldn't believe
that someone would have done
this to her on purpose.
Detectives have two
different stories.
So who's telling the truth?
This can't be happening.
We are or were a family of five.
Alexis was almost four years
younger than Andrea.
Whatever Andrea was doing,
Alexis always wanted
to be with Andrea.
She had, like,
this cool essence about her
that seemed to draw people in.
Andrea had a huge sense
of adventure.
She loved to go on hikes
or going for bike rides.
She loved to go long boarding
at, like, 3:00 a.m.
Losing her... I mean,
it makes me, like, shake.
When Andrea was in high
school, she loved learning.
She was always reading, going
to museums to learn about art
and loved to learn about people
by going out in the world.
She was interested
in studying psychology.
I thought, "That is, like,
a perfect career for you."
You're a natural at it.
When Andrea was applying
to colleges,
my top choice for her
was University of Chicago,
just because her brother
was gonna be there.
And I felt they would always
look out after each other.
After she got all
her applications in,
one of her last acceptances
was from UCLA.
She said, "Mom, I chose UCLA."
"It will be
a big change for me."
So I said, "Okay."
And then I gave her a hug
and I went out to my car.
And I burst out into tears
and I was sobbing.
I don't know why,
but I was just... so sad.
And I don't know if it was some
sort of premonition or what.
Who knows?
After we had moved Andrea
into her dorm...
...we were saying
our final goodbyes.
I looked at her
and I said, "Honey,
you know, this is like
your opportunity to grow
and to be whoever
you want to be."
The best part of UCLA for me
was the connections
and, like, the familiarity
of making some
of my best friends.
♫ And I don't know them,
but the people stay the same ♫
♫ I feed them but they say
my food is fleshy gray ♫
♫ And I don't know why
but the feeling still remains ♫
♫ That all my aches
will melt away ♫
UCLA was a dream school for me.
Move-in day at UCLA
felt like freedom.
It really is the iconic college
campus that you can't believe
you're walking to class
every day and you belong there.
Westwood is also a perfect
college town.
It's beautiful.
It feels safe. It feels small.
A lot of great things to do.
It's the type of place
where you can walk home
by yourself late at night
and you feel comfortable.
I think we all felt
really safe in Westwood.
♫ Don't feel like myself,
thank God ♫
I met Andy
at our sorority bid night
the first week of school.
Her sense of humor
was outrageous
and over-the-top, very wild.
When I met her,
we had an instant connection.
She had the craziest
sense of style.
She was the person that would
show up in a tie-dye T-shirt,
mismatched socks, and just all
of these bright colors.
♫ Don't feel like myself,
thank God ♫
♫ Mistake me for someone else,
thank God ♫
Shay Panda was
Andy's beloved dog.
When she rescued Shay, that was
something that gave her purpose.
I remember when Andy
got Shay Panda,
and she posted the picture
of Shay Panda,
and she was like,
"We have a new slut pup
in the apartment."
It was just like... like the dog
was one of our friends.
Senior year, Andy and I
were just so excited.
We were planning to find
this spot by the beach
that we could have.
Andy had a lot of goals.
I think number one
was the traveling.
Andy just wanted to help people.
We thought she was gonna join
the Peace Corps.
Andy was a firm believer in that
you have to be uncomfortable
to really grow
and you have to put yourself
in situations
that force you to grow
and develop as a person.
And she was not afraid of that.
One word I think of when I think
of her is "fearless."
And she truly was.
Senior year, Andy moved
into the senior apartments
with Jessica
and some other girls
from another sorority.
And they were really happy
living together
until the night
before school started.
So Sunday night,
we had a couple
of our sorority sisters
come over to help us.
We were working on something
for a sorority rush.
I was stopping by
quickly to pick up something.
It was gonna be recruitment
and we had a skit
and they had some of the props
for the skit.
I didn't really even
talk to her.
It was just a quick like,
"Hey, hey, guys,
see you tomorrow."
And I obviously had no idea
that would be the last time
I saw her.
I ended up staying up
until 3:30 in the morning.
So I went to bed and I always
slept with two fans on.
It was noisy outside.
I woke up to my roommate banging
on my door and screaming.
I opened my door,
and I saw the fire.
I ran to Andy's bedroom...
and my roommate opened the door.
Me and my roommate
were screaming
and screaming her name
over and over again.
And a part of me didn't want to
believe that she was in there,
but I knew she was.
The girls were running out
of the complex,
and I had all these thoughts
running through my mind like,
"How can I get her out?"
But the fire was overwhelming.
It's a visual you...
You don't forget.
Nothing can prepare you
for that.
I woke up really early.
I had to box-dye my hair
for recruitment.
One of the girls across the hall
from me said,
"I heard there's a fire
at senior apartments,"
and I tried to stay calm.
I was like, "I'm sure someone
left their straightener on.
They probably put it out
with a towel.
It's probably no big deal."
My name is Victor Avila.
I'm a deputy district attorney
in Los Angeles County.
Firefighters enter
Andrea DelVesco's apartment,
and they're making attempts
to extinguish the fire.
The fire department
told us to go on the sidewalk,
so we did.
I had no idea
why this was happening.
I did not want to believe
that she was in there.
Once the fire is out,
firefighters were able to see
the body of a young woman
who was on the bed.
Her body was charred.
Based on the condition
of the body,
it was difficult
to do an identification.
It was almost unrecognizable.
They also noticed
that there was a dog.
The dog had belabored breathing.
He was burnt.
They immediately took the dog
and rendered first aid.
It is obvious
that Andrea is missing.
That is her room.
At this point,
detectives believe
that is Andrea DelVesco.
One of the girls
across the hall from me said,
"Someone was found dead
at senior apartments.
Everyone is accounted for
except for Andy."
I didn't know what to do.
I felt frozen.
Within about two hours,
arson experts are of the opinion
that this is an intentional fire
that was set...
...by someone placing
the trash can on the bed
and igniting the debris
within that trash can.
So this now becomes
a homicide investigation.
To determine the cause of death,
the coroner will take the body
back to the coroner's office
and conduct a full autopsy.
In 2015,
I was starting
my junior year at UCLA.
I was an assistant news editor
at the "Daily Bruin."
That morning, I was walking
to the gym on Gayley Avenue,
and there's just this swarm
of police activity.
Police said that they found
a student's body.
It made my stomach drop because
I wasn't just a reporter
coming from the outside, like,
this is my community,
this is my neighborhood.
This happened around the corner
from my apartment.
I was definitely very young
in my career
and very shy.
This is the first time I had
to approach people in crisis.
One of the first things
we learn is that
there is a 911 call made
early that morning,
and that's the 911 call made
by Sarah Muir.
Sarah, one-on-one,
take two. Mark.
My name is Sarah,
and I am a fellow sorority
sister of Andrea DelVesco.
One of the first times
that I met Andy
was kind of like
a themed fraternity party.
And everyone's dressed
in all these, you know,
cute, like, tight outfits,
right?
And Andy comes in this one
that's, like, this huge,
like, skirt.
And that was just, like,
her personality in general.
Like, she just always wanted
to have a good time,
wanted everyone else
to have a good time.
An unidentified female...
The fire department
responded to a 911 call.
Investigators
determined it was arson.
That weekend, I had turned 21.
My boyfriend came down
to visit me, and he was leaving
for the airport
that Monday, September 21st.
So we got up, I think
it's like 5:30 in the morning,
take him to the airport,
come back to go to my apartment.
I had work in the morning,
so I set my alarm
and went back
to sleep for an hour.
And then I woke up because
I heard somebody screaming.
And I heard a dog barking.
Andy has a dog,
and she lives below me.
I don't know if it's her...
because Shay never barked.
Like, I had never heard
her bark a single time.
The dog was just going
absolutely crazy.
I called Andy's phone
a couple of times.
She didn't answer.
And I immediately
just dialed 911.
So I kind of just stood on my
balcony, just freaking out,
you know, wondering if
everything is gonna be okay.
I just have
this terrible feeling.
At about 6:23 a.m.,
police officers arrive at
Sarah Muir's apartment complex.
They make contact with her,
then went into the courtyard
and began to look
at the various apartments,
including Andrea DelVesco's.
I saw them shining, like,
flashlights in a couple windows.
They did not notice any damage
or any signs
of breaking and entering.
They could not hear anything,
they did not see anything.
And given what they had,
they didn't feel at the time
that it was necessary
for them to knock on any doors.
And so at that point,
they left the location.
After the police left,
like, I didn't feel any better.
Just left me, like, anxious
and thinking, like,
"Well, what am I gonna do now?"
My other roommate comes out
as I was getting
a glass of water.
And I tell her that I'm,
you know, kind of freaking out,
just sitting here
kind of spiraling by myself,
wondering what's going on,
you know, like...
She kind of was just, you know,
trying to make me feel better.
"I think it's fine.
You know, it's probably okay
if the police came."
And then that was right
when she was
walking back into her room
and I hear this loud...
...coming from downstairs.
So I run to my balcony...
...and then saw
Andy's room on fire.
And then this guy running out
of Andy's room
and he's like, got, like,
a blanket over himself.
And I don't know why.
I guess I just chased after him.
I ran out to the street and saw
this red car driving away
from across the street.
What she was able
to pick up at that moment
were some Greek letters
in the rear window
of that red vehicle.
And because she's
part of a sorority,
she's able to recognize
those Greek letters
as part of a fraternity...
The Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Then all the other girls
start to wake up
because the fire alarms
were going off.
And then everyone's like,
"Where's Andy?"
Police interviewed
members of fraternity houses,
but nobody seemed
to recognize the red car.
We went to the police station,
where they questioned us
separately.
It was one after the other.
Detectives are trying to
find out what were the roommates
and what was Andrea
doing the night before
leading up to this incident?
And what they get
from the roommates
is that the night before,
it was rush week,
all the roommates were together.
They were having wine, drinks
out in a balcony that faces
Roebling Avenue.
Later they went inside
and Andrea DelVesco's apartment,
and they stayed late
into the early morning
working on this up
until about 3:00 a.m.
So the next step is who may have
committed this crime?
Did Andrea have anyone
that did not like her?
And the answer was no.
She didn't have any enemies.
Everyone loved her.
She did not have
a boyfriend at the time.
So we thought, "Could it have
been a Tinder date gone wrong?
Could it have been... What...
What would have happened here?"
Just, like, thinking
about the fear
she must've... gone through.
And... and I was just
really scared.
And I-I don't think I had...
I didn't believe it yet, even.
Greek life is such
a tight-knit community.
So when something as big
as this happens,
news spreads really fast.
It was a beautiful, sunny day...
um, in September.
And my husband and I woke up.
Fixed Alexis' breakfast.
She went to school.
I was sitting in my math class.
All of a sudden,
my phone started ringing.
It was my sister's best friend.
And when I got on the phone
with her, she was like,
"Do you know?"
I immediately called
Andrea's friend,
and I said, "What's going on?"
And she said, "There was
a fire at her apartment
and everybody made it out,
but not Andy."
Every fiber of my being wanted
to believe that Andrea is okay
and that they were mistaken.
The police spoke to my husband
and they said,
"We can't tell you anything
until you come to L.A."
By the time we got on the plane,
we still hadn't heard,
and I just remember
just praying the whole time.
"Please let her be alive.
This can't be happening."
Sometime around 9:00 p.m.,
police officers that are
still securing the crime scene
out on Roebling Avenue
are approached
by two individuals
that attend UCLA who live
right across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's
apartment complex.
And they tell the officer
that their apartment
had been burglarized
earlier that morning.
So this was the same morning
as the murder
at around the time
when Sarah Muir
had reported the individual out
in front of her apartment.
So this burglary could be
connected to the murder
of Andrea DelVesco.
The items stolen from their
apartment included laptops
and Sonos speakers,
which you'd have to register
online in order to use.
LAPD Officer Hunt contacts
the Sonos speakers company
and asked them
for any IP information
or any information related
to the stolen Sonos speakers.
So in case someone tries to use
them with a new e-mail address,
he would like them to report
back to him if possible.
We arrived at L.A.X.
I think it was like midnight
or 1:00 in the morning.
The chief of the LAPD said
a crime was committed.
At this point,
I knew she was dead.
But part of me
didn't want to accept it...
...until I had seen her.
I said, "Well, I would like
to see my daughter."
I just wanted to hold her
one last time.
And they said, "Well,
we cannot allow that
until the autopsy
has been completed."
And we're in the car
on the way to the hotel,
two of Andrea's friends
texted us.
They said, "Your daughter's dog
is in distressed condition."
We arrived
at the animal hospital
and we saw Shay Panda.
She was in kind of
like a glass crate.
A doctor came over
and he said, "She is suffering."
We all agreed that it was better
if we just let Shay Panda
go to join Andrea.
Alexis had Shay Panda
in her lap.
The doctor gave her a shot
to put her to sleep.
We said goodbye to Shay Panda
and said her...
Kiss Andrea for us.
And then it hit me.
If Andrea was involved
in that same fire,
what...
What her body...
must have looked like.
And I thought, "This is just...
the worst thing
that we have ever experienced."
At the autopsy, the
deputy medical examiners noticed
when they looked
at Andrea's body,
Andrea was wearing what appeared
to be a sports bra
but did not have
any bottom underwear.
They noticed multiple
stab wounds.
The stab wounds are
throughout her body...
Front, back.
This was a violent death.
The victim had been stabbed
19 times throughout her body
and there were two stab wounds
cutting each side of her neck.
Those are lethal injuries
because those are
to her carotid arteries.
Those are the arteries that send
blood and oxygen to the brain.
If those are cut, according to
the deputy medical examiner,
someone would die
within minutes.
It's the deputy medical
examiner's opinion
that the cause of death
is multiple stab wounds
to Andrea's body.
They did not find any smoke in
her lungs or any other airways.
And from that, you can infer
that she had already died
at the time of the fire.
At this point, LAPD detectives
believe the killer tried
to cover up his crime
by setting her
and her room on fire.
Andrea DelVesco
was a 21-year-old
fourth-year student at UCLA.
She was originally
from Austin, Texas.
She was found after firefighters
put out flames...
At that point, I had
spoken with police a few times
and I just wanted to know
what had happened
and who would do this.
Representatives at the school
tell us they are saddened
and shocked by what happened.
I think the
circumstances of her death
were so out of the ordinary
that there was a sense that,
you know,
there had to be some connection,
like, maybe she knew the killer.
We just learned that
four days after she was killed,
DelVesco was scheduled
to appear in court.
Court records show DelVesco
was arrested three months ago
and charged with four counts
of drug possession,
including methamphetamine
and MDMA, also known as ecstasy.
Those things
are very hard to read.
That's not who
we were friends with.
That's not who she was.
It was so disappointing
to see that she was reduced
to a blond sorority girl
with a bunch of drugs on her.
Court records show
DelVesco was arrested
three months ago.
They were making it out
that Andrea was a drug dealer
and that she had gotten murdered
because she was gonna
give evidence
against this group of people.
That just is totally untrue.
The true story was she had
gathered some drugs
with some friends.
She never was a drug dealer.
She certainly wasn't making
any money off of it.
Even some of the headlines
would say that she was caught
with methamphetamines.
She had Adderall.
And you'd be hard-pressed
to find a UCLA student
that didn't have Adderall
at some point.
The media around Andy's murder
was so mishandled
and so... did not respect her
as a person.
She was just a juicy
gossip headline.
Detectives looked
into Andrea's background
and discovered that she was,
by no intents and purposes,
any type of experienced
drug dealer.
She was selling low level
amounts of drugs
to her friends who were
attending music festivals.
That immediately became
a non avenue for investigators
as further evidence developed
as to who the possible suspect
was on this case.
Two days after
Andrea DelVesco's murder,
a representative from Sonos
speakers tells a police officer
someone did try to register
those stolen
Sonos speakers online
using a new e-mail address.
With the e-mail address
provided by Sonos speakers,
detectives have the name
of someone in Fresno
who is connected to the speakers
that were stolen
right across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's
apartment complex.
He may be the individual
who caused the fire.
It was definitely, like,
a haunting kind of moment
for the campus community.
You just feel different
walking on campus.
You feel on edge.
Going back to school
right after everything
happened...
...I, like, barely was,
you know, there
as a person just trying
to, like, go to my classes
and hopefully pass.
Get more than an hour of sleep
without having a nightmare.
LAPD detectives drive
all the way to Fresno
to interview an individual
about the Sonos speakers
that were stolen
the morning of the fire.
Police officers arrive.
That individual appeared
to be nervous.
Detectives immediately ask him,
"How did you come about
having these Sonos speakers?"
He tells the detectives, "These
are not my Sonos speakers.
I borrowed them from my
roommate, Albert Medina."
Alberto Medina
has no criminal record.
He was a 22-year-old student
at Fresno State University
studying social work
and pre-psychology.
Medina's roommate tells them
that Albert Medina
was down in Los Angeles...
...visiting a friend at UCLA
that weekend
and that when he came back,
he had these Sonos speakers.
So at this point, detectives
have the name of an individual
who has admitted to his roommate
that he was down in Los Angeles
that weekend near UCLA
and that he was in possession
of speakers
that were stolen
right across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's home
the morning of her murder.
Detectives found this
individual credible,
and he was willing to tell them
where they could find
Albert Medina.
♫ To believe in this ♫
♫ To believe in this ♫
Once Medina's arrested,
LAPD detectives then
start questioning Medina.
They wanted to see if there was
any connection to Andy.
♫ I've become, I've become,
I've become, I've become ♫
♫ I've become a thief ♫
Eric Marquez is
a 22-year-old UCLA student,
pre-med.
Marquez did not have
any criminal background.
Officers are picking up
on the fact
that Medina was right
across the street
from Andrea DelVesco's apartment
at the time of the fire.
As the investigation goes on,
police realize that Medina is
continuing to change his story
and kind of slowly
remembering certain details
that he wasn't up front
about before.
And it's at that point
that he tells
the detectives that Eric Marquez
admitted that
he killed Andrea DelVesco.
After the detectives
interview Medina,
they take the long drive
back to Los Angeles.
And Medina points out
for the detectives
Eric Marquez's apartment.
Eric Marquez is a 22-year-old
UCLA student, pre-med.
Marquez did not have
any criminal background.
Later that morning,
police officers approach Marquez
at his apartment.
They ask him if he knows
anything about what happened,
anything about what he and
Medina were doing that weekend.
And Marquez's story is that
he and Medina were out
on Roebling Avenue,
looking for parties.
When they came back
to his apartment,
they fell asleep from 3:00 a.m.
until 8:00 a.m.,
thus they could not have been
out there
at the time of the murder,
which occurred somewhere
around 7:00 a.m.
At this point, detectives have
two different stories.
They have Marquez' story,
and they have Medina's story
blaming Marquez.
So who's telling the truth?
Police are able to look
at security footage
from Marquez's apartment
to see what happened
that morning.
Surveillance video
from Marquez's apartment
reveals both
Eric Marquez and Albert Medina
leaving Marquez's apartment
around 4:30 in the morning.
And this is the time
that they're gonna be
going to Roebling Avenue
looking for more parties.
Sarah Muir made the 911 call
about the fire
and about the suspect
fleeing the scene
sometime around 7:01 a.m.
Sarah sees this individual
jumping over
Andrea's balcony
onto the courtyard
and his back is covered
with a red blanket.
Surveillance video
from Marquez's apartment
also shows that they returned
back to Marquez's apartment
at around 7:06 a.m.
The footage showed Medina
wearing this red blanket.
The red Snuggie
belonged to Andy.
This implicates it was Medina
who was in Andy's apartment.
Detectives give Eric
Marquez a second opportunity
to tell them the truth
about what happened.
Detectives place down
right in front of him
some surveillance video showing
Medina with the red blanket
and him just two steps
in front of him.
At that point, Marquez indicates
that he was heavily intoxicated.
He doesn't remember
what's been shown to him
on the surveillance video,
and he can't remember
the details of the critical hour
when the murder happened.
Eric Marquez and Albert Medina
are being held
at the Van Nuys County Jail.
Officers are gonna have
someone examine them
for any potential evidence
on their body,
including scratches, abrasions.
And what they find is
that Marquez has none of those.
But Medina has several scratches
and abrasions
consisting with being in a fight
or in a struggle
with someone else.
Police are able to obtain
a search warrant
for Medina's home
and they find several pieces
of evidence.
His red Nissan vehicle,
which has a Lambda Chi Alpha
fraternity sticker
which matches the description
given by Sarah Muir.
They learned that he was
a member
of Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity
up in Fresno State University
and that he had been suspended
from the fraternity
for violating
the standard of conduct.
Investigators find
Andrea DelVesco's DNA
on blood smears on the door
handle and inside the car.
Investigators go into
Medina's room and in his closet,
they find a black bag.
And inside that black bag,
you have the red Snuggie...
...and a bloody tank top.
The black tank top matches
the tank top
Medina was wearing
on the surveillance video.
We have a bloody knife.
The bloody knife
matches a knife set
at Andrea DelVesco's apartment.
So now we're involved
in the case
and we're prosecuting the case.
In my opinion, Marquez
helped with the burglary.
When police officers came
to check up
after that first 911 call,
Eric Marquez remained,
in all likelihood, in the car
waiting for Medina to return.
And he provided a place where
Medina could clean himself up.
He provided a trash bag
to place the murder weapon
and the Nike tank top.
He participated
in those burglaries
that led
to Andrea DelVesco's murder.
But it became clear that there
was insufficient evidence
to show that Marquez
knew exactly what happened
inside Andrea DelVesco's
apartment.
We believe that it was best
to settle the case with Marquez
for something that was
more appropriate to his conduct.
Marquez pled guilty to aiding
and abetting the burglary
of Andrea DelVesco
and accessory after the fact.
He received a sentence
of two years
and eight months
in state prison.
The story that Albert Medina
provided to detectives
was not credible.
Andrea DelVesco... She had
no association with Medina.
She was just in her room
sleeping that night
when he came into her life.
Completely unexpected,
completely random.
Albert Medina
saw Andrea DelVesco
before the murder outside
in her balcony
that faces Roebling Avenue.
According to one
of Andrea's roommates,
Andrea fell asleep
at about 3:00 a.m.
Later that morning,
detectives believe
Medina went inside her apartment
through French doors
that led out to a balcony...
...and did something that was
beyond the pale.
He stabbed her 19 times
while she was screaming.
Then he is able to remain in
that room while police officers
are investigating
the disturbance
for that first 911 call.
He doesn't panic.
He remains in the room
and then thinks about
how to destroy evidence.
And he does so by setting her
and her room on fire.
She was found after firefighters
put out flames
in her burning apartment.
Investigators determined
it was arson.
Andrea DelVesco
was a 21-year-old
fourth-year student at UCLA,
and we're told she was
originally...
We learned about the D.A.
that had been assigned
to prosecute the case.
Victor called
and introduced himself.
He said, "I will keep
the criminal
that murdered Andrea
off the streets
and unable to ever hurt
another person ever again."
Three years after Andrea
had been murdered...
...our whole family
attended the trial.
It was difficult for everybody.
We played a recording
of detectives
interviewing Medina's
other roommate.
The statement he attributed
to Medina was significant.
Andrea DelVesco's body was found
in her burning apartment.
About three days
after the murder,
Medina told him the victim
was probably killed
trying to fight off someone
that was trying to rape her.
And I encourage anybody
with information
regarding something with this
fire to contact detectives.
In my opinion,
it's basically
Medina talking about himself,
talking about how smart it was
for him to burn all the evidence
so it wouldn't be linked
back to him.
That's significant.
So I made these arguments and
based on the evidence presented,
the jury found Albert Medina
guilty of all counts,
including the murder
of Andrea DelVesco,
two residential burglaries,
animal cruelty.
And Andrea's mother,
Leslie, reminded the court
of the cruel irony of this day,
September 21, 2015...
A constant reminder now
of her loss.
This is the date that
he made the choice
to take my wonderful,
amazing daughter's life.
Now it's also the date
Alberto Medina
will never forget.
His sentence
for killing Andrea DelVesco...
Life in prison, no parole.
At the sentencing,
Medina didn't display
any kind of remorse,
um... any kind of emotion.
I mean, it didn't seem like
he had any feelings whatsoever.
It's scary to think
that someone so, like,
malicious exists.
He brutally murdered
a beautiful, innocent person.
He seriously wounded
an entire community.
He must never walk free again.
There was huge relief.
He was finally going to be
serving his punishment
for killing Andrea.
Westwood has
always had a reputation
for being a safe community.
But to come to the end
and realize
this was a random murder
that could happen to anybody,
you start to see
the world differently
after an event like that.
While it's wonderful to
think that you can leave
your doors unlocked
and, you know,
open for your friends
just to come drop by,
don't.
Lock your doors, because
unfortunately there are people
in the world
who are untrustworthy
and do not have your best
interest in their hearts.
♫ We weren't meant to die ♫
♫ We weren't meant
to survive this ♫
One of my favorite
quotes that I heard recently
was that you're not truly dead
unless you're forgotten.
And to me, Andy's never
gonna be truly dead
because we're never
gonna forget her, you know.
She's... she's gonna
live in all of us
for the rest of our lives.
I only knew her
for a few short years,
but the impact
she made on my life
is always gonna be there.
♫ Baby, are you ready now? ♫
♫ Here we come alive now ♫
♫ Hundred bolts of energy ♫
She was my best friend.
Like, most all of you
probably think that
because she was, she
was everyone's best friend.
And that's just really amazing
that she was able
to touch all of us like that.
Andrea was here to show us
a deeper understanding
of what love is.
She taught me that love
is boundless
and infinite.
And for us all to treasure
the moments that we do have
with each other.
Andrea Lauren,
thank you for your lessons,
for your legacy of love.
♫ Here we will be free now ♫
♫ Hundred bolts of energy ♫
♫ Isn't it so wonderful ♫
♫ Isn't it so terrible ♫